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What's Red and Blue with Numbers All Over?
Credit Sesame comes to this conclusion by way of comparing financial stats for the swing states to those prevalent in states that have historically favored Republican, or Democratic, candidates.
For example, your typical voter in a state expected to go for Obama has ...
Can Credit Scores Predict Which Way Swing States Will Swing? - DailyFinance
By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool 10/12/12
"Can credit profiles predict which way a state will swing?"
That's the question posed in a new survey of voters' financial health just released by free credit-ratings site CreditSesame.com. In the survey, Credit Sesame compared voters' median credit scores, debt-to-income levels, mortgage sizes, and credit card usage across twelve 2012 battleground states.
Their conclusion? Despite what you might be hearing on the news today, seven of the 12 so-called "swing states" could be "in play" come November.
Political pundits expect Nevada, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania to vote for President Obama. But based on their financial profiles, Credit Sesame suggests these states may have a lot more in common with Governor Romney's supporters than with the President's.
North Carolina another "swing state" is already believed to favor Romney, and its financial metrics support what the pollsters are saying. Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, on the other hand, are all true "toss ups," according to Credit Sesame.
What's Red and Blue with Numbers All Over?
Credit Sesame comes to this conclusion by way of comparing financial stats for the swing states to those prevalent in states that have historically favored Republican, or Democratic, candidates.
For example, your typical voter in a state expected to go for Obama has ...
Meet the Typical Voter
Now it's important to point out, for anyone reading this whose middle-school math vocabulary is perhaps a bit rusty, that Credit Sesame is looking at the typical voter here -- the "median" voter, or someone smack dab in the middle of the population, with half her state's voters scoring above her, and half below. That's as contrasted with the more common "mean" voter, a mathematical "average" man, created by adding up all a state's voters' credit scores, and dividing by the number of voters in the survey.
With that being understood, what do the data reveal? Here are a few surprises for you:
So far, these three stats seem to argue in favor of Romney being able to come from behind, and snag a majority of the swing states' votes.
There is, however, one statistic on which the current President appears to have an edge in the race to become our next president as well: Credit scores.
Out of all 12 swing states surveyed, Credit Sesame finds that only one -- Nevada, home to the city (Vegas) with the highest home foreclosure rate in the country last year -- hosts a population with credit scores worse than the average for Red states. And while only a few of the swing states approach the high credit scores more common in "Obama Country," at least they're doing better than the typical Romney voter.
In short, if credit scores -- and the good feelings a shopper gets when applying for a card and discovering she has a good score -- are any guide, many of these voters might decide they really are "better off" voting for current president again. And if this is how things work out, the country could go for Obama in a landslide, with more than 90% of even the so-called swing states swinging his way.
On the other hand, if worries over maxed-out credit cards and high debt levels dominate, it's the pundits who could be in for a surprise come November 6.
Credit Sesame comes to this conclusion by way of comparing financial stats for the swing states to those prevalent in states that have historically favored Republican, or Democratic, candidates.
For example, your typical voter in a state expected to go for Obama has ...
- a median credit score of 729
- a debt-to-income level of 14%
- and a mortgage valued at $187,450.
Can Credit Scores Predict Which Way Swing States Will Swing? - DailyFinance
By Rich Smith, The Motley Fool 10/12/12
"Can credit profiles predict which way a state will swing?"
That's the question posed in a new survey of voters' financial health just released by free credit-ratings site CreditSesame.com. In the survey, Credit Sesame compared voters' median credit scores, debt-to-income levels, mortgage sizes, and credit card usage across twelve 2012 battleground states.
Their conclusion? Despite what you might be hearing on the news today, seven of the 12 so-called "swing states" could be "in play" come November.
Political pundits expect Nevada, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania to vote for President Obama. But based on their financial profiles, Credit Sesame suggests these states may have a lot more in common with Governor Romney's supporters than with the President's.
North Carolina another "swing state" is already believed to favor Romney, and its financial metrics support what the pollsters are saying. Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia, on the other hand, are all true "toss ups," according to Credit Sesame.
What's Red and Blue with Numbers All Over?
Credit Sesame comes to this conclusion by way of comparing financial stats for the swing states to those prevalent in states that have historically favored Republican, or Democratic, candidates.
For example, your typical voter in a state expected to go for Obama has ...
- a median credit score of 729
- a debt-to-income level of 14%
- and a mortgage valued at $187,450.
Meet the Typical Voter
Now it's important to point out, for anyone reading this whose middle-school math vocabulary is perhaps a bit rusty, that Credit Sesame is looking at the typical voter here -- the "median" voter, or someone smack dab in the middle of the population, with half her state's voters scoring above her, and half below. That's as contrasted with the more common "mean" voter, a mathematical "average" man, created by adding up all a state's voters' credit scores, and dividing by the number of voters in the survey.
With that being understood, what do the data reveal? Here are a few surprises for you:
- Almost half of the swing states, including four that pollsters expect will line up behind President Obama next month, sport low mortgage debt levels more typical of red states. Indeed, voters in these four states -- Pennsylvania, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin -- actually carry mortgage debts smaller than those typically found among Romney voters.
- Voters in a majority of the swing states -- New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada -- are financially stressed, with debt-to-income levels at or above the 18%-level typical of Romney voters.
- All 12 of the swing states boast credit usage scores higher than the mean number typical in blue states.
So far, these three stats seem to argue in favor of Romney being able to come from behind, and snag a majority of the swing states' votes.
There is, however, one statistic on which the current President appears to have an edge in the race to become our next president as well: Credit scores.
Out of all 12 swing states surveyed, Credit Sesame finds that only one -- Nevada, home to the city (Vegas) with the highest home foreclosure rate in the country last year -- hosts a population with credit scores worse than the average for Red states. And while only a few of the swing states approach the high credit scores more common in "Obama Country," at least they're doing better than the typical Romney voter.
In short, if credit scores -- and the good feelings a shopper gets when applying for a card and discovering she has a good score -- are any guide, many of these voters might decide they really are "better off" voting for current president again. And if this is how things work out, the country could go for Obama in a landslide, with more than 90% of even the so-called swing states swinging his way.
On the other hand, if worries over maxed-out credit cards and high debt levels dominate, it's the pundits who could be in for a surprise come November 6.
