bellwether states
Election outcome forecasters
Bellwether states are those whose election results historically predict or mirror the national outcome.
The term comes from the bellwether—the lead sheep wearing a bell that the flock follows.
Ohio and Missouri long held this status, though no state perfectly tracks national results indefinitely: Florida was considered a bellwether until recent elections shifted it reliably Republican.
- predictorOne who foretells events
- crystal ballFortune-teller's viewing sphere
- litmus testSingle determining factor
- canary in the coal mineEarly indicator of danger
- trendsetterOne who initiates styles
elections · Missouri · Florida · Iowa · benchmark · indicator · Ohio · Pennsylvania · forecaster · barometer · harbinger · Wisconsin · Nevada · gauge · Michigan · Arizona · precursor · signal
bellwether, state, bell, wether, bells, states, stately, statehood, stateless