You could argue that it was the cities that gave these states such pioneering policies.<p>Urban California is a pretty liberal place, but rural California really isn&#x27;t.  Granted, I have my doubts it would be as conservative as the Deep South, but if Central California were a state of its own they&#x27;d probably repeal a number of these &quot;pioneering&quot; laws that cut into farm profits.<p>I would argue that states with a liberal voting record also likely have a majority urban population of registered voters, even if we&#x27;re talking about a large state with plenty of land being used for natural resources.