Here is the cost of gas:

Here is the cost of housing:

Here is the cost of living by state:

They are also a lot better with the public school system. Unfortunately, Democrats have allowed the debates on public schools be dominated by “wokism” and “school choice,” rather than going all in on more programs (both for advanced & struggling students), year round education, and universal lunch

What Democrats are good at is public safety, but they don’t make an issue of that accomplishment.

As part of the reckoning with Trump’s victory, Democrats need to wrestle with this map. If Dems want a fighting chance in the future then they must face the reality that the states they control have the highest cost of living and the highest unemployment rates. You can’t win on stagnation economics.