And yet look at some of the senators, Congressmen and other elected officials in some of these states. They elect Manchin-like “conservative” Democrats who talk the talk to get elected and then vote for the Dem Party leadership in Washington. The “most conservative” states for me are the ones who have elected the most conservatives and have the smallest state governments. It isn’t based on whether people call themselves conservative. We learned a long time ago that people like to call themselves conservative and then vote themselves all kinds of government benefits.
Totally agree. Gerrymandering can have a long term effect on local elections, but having a state constitution that hamstrings "Lawmakers" is the best way to limit statism. TX should be at the top of the list because we have part time legislators - they only convene in odd numbered years.