The trouble with some of the swing states is that in terms of population, there are relatively small, yet become end game factors in these elections. Most of the larger states are taken already, sometimes by deep seated notions within those states. They are generally considered unimportant in the election cycle. This includes New York, Texas, and California. Florida and Pennsylvania along with Virginia have managed to make themselves swig states, particularly Florida. But these seem to come down to Iowa and this year maybe Colorado and its 9 electoral votes.
California, with the largest state population in the country and basically 10% of the electoral votes is unimportant. It doesn't swing both ways (despite what they say down around the Castro). The question would be why is it so heavily Democratic that it is generally considered not worth one's time to vote Republican (or anything else for that matter) in a Presidental race. Even though we can have Republican Governers and several countries are Republican lead in the Assembly. Both Senators are Democrats. 19 of the 53 Caliornia seats in the House are Republican. However every seat in Congress from California (except for Boxer who was reelected in 2010) is up for
election. So 54 seats are in the air. This will also be the first election using our redrawn "nonpartisan" voting districts from Prop 14 and using a
Nonpartisan blanket primary