Western states the new battleground

PHOENIX, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A handful of U.S. states east of the Pacific Coast states are likely to emerge as the new battleground territories for the November election, observers say.

Political strategists say there is a new dynamic in states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada and Montana, The Arizona Republic reported Sunday.

Since the late 1990s, the states in play have experienced an influx of residents from California and the Midwest, making some historically Republican-leaning states more Democratic.

"There's a new demographic in the West: More latte and less lasso," said Tony Robinson, an associate professor at the University of Colorado-Denver who studies the West's changing political landscape.

Political observers say likely Western states to swing to the Democratic column in the Nov. 4 presidential election are New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada, where Republicans won the last presidential election by less than 5 percentage points.

Arizona, they said, would have been in play if Republican presidential hopeful John McCain were not from the state.

Jim Messina, chief of staff for Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, said Democrats will win in many states that they are not expected to take.

"I think we'll win in a lot of places that people don't expect us to, and we hope Arizona is one of them," Messina said.