Electoral Battleground: Where They Stand

While the political world waits to see what Ross Perot decides and what impact he may yet have on the election, a raft of recent state-by-state polls compiled from the Hotline, a political newsletter, and other sources show Democratic candidate Bill Clinton having moved into a strong lead over President Bush. Here’s how the electoral battleground shapes up as of now. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win.

Strongly Clinton: 19 states and the District of Columbia, with a total of 245 electoral votes. Leaning Clinton: Five states with 55 electoral votes. ARKANSAS: 6 CALIFORNIA: 54 COLORADO: 8 DELAWARE: 3 D.C.: 3 HAWAII: 4 ILLINOIS: 22 IOWA: 7 MAINE: 4 MARYLAND: 10 MASSACHUSETTS: 12 MICHIGAN: 18 MINNESOTA: 10 MISSOURI: 11 NEW MEXICO: 5 OREGON: 7 PENNSYLVANIA: 23 RHODE ISLAND: 4 TENNESSEE: 11 WASHINGTON: 11 WEST VIRGINIA: 5 WISCONSIN: 11 NEW JERSEY: 15 NEW YORK: 33 VERMONT: 3 *

Strongly Bush: Two states with 17 electoral votes. Leaning Bush: Nine states with 57 electoral votes. IDAHO: 4 INDIANA: 12 KANSAS: 6 MISSISSIPPI: 7 NEBRASKA: 5 NORTH DAKOTA: 3 OKLAHOMA: 8 SOUTH CAROLINA: 8 UTAH: 5 VIRGINIA: 13 WYOMING: 3 *

No recent polls or too close to call: 15 states with 164 electoral votes. ALABAMA: 9 ALASKA: 3 ARIZONA: 8 CONNECTICUT: 8 FLORIDA: 25 GEORGIA: 13 KENTUCKY: 8 LOUISIANA: 9 MONTANA: 3 NEVADA: 4 NEW HAMPSHIRE: 4 NORTH CAROLINA: 14 OHIO: 21 SOUTH DAKOTA: 3 TEXAS: 32