In 2012, 79% of the nation’s general-election campaign events (199 of 253) took place in five closely divided states—Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Virginia, and Colorado.
However, in 2024, these five states received less than 1% of the events (2 of 262).
Meanwhile, states such as North Carolina and Georgia have become battleground states.
Pennsylvania and Michigan were almost entirely ignored in 2012
Although Pennsylvania and Michigan were battleground states in 2024, they were almost entirely ignored as recently as 2012, because they were not competitive in that particular year.
New Hampshire may well be ignored in 2028
New Hampshire was once a closely divided battleground state in presidential elections. However, its battleground status was only borderline in 2020 and 2024.