You could argue that it was the cities that gave these states such pioneering policies. Urban California is a pretty liberal place, but rural California really

You could argue that it was the cities that gave these states such pioneering policies. Urban California is a pretty liberal place, but rural California really isn'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'd probably repeal a number of these "pioneering" laws that cut into farm profits. I would argue that states with a liberal voting record also likely have a majority urban population of registered voters, even if we're talking about a large state with plenty of land being used for natural resources.