State Debt and the 2008 Presidential Vote

CNN, together with Moody’s Investor Services, published a map of the U.S. showing per capita state debt. There’s an interesting correlation: The 28 states that went for Obama in 2008 have more than twice the per capita state debt ($1,728) as the 22 states that voted for McCain ($749). The Obama states seem to possess not only a political preference for big government, but an inherent incentive for it. Or perhaps the two go hand-in-hand?