I see we U.S. Midwesterners are in the majority. (All three of us, as of this writing.)
I have lived in the Chicago area since January, but am originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and lived there most of my life. I also lived in New Orleans for seven years. (I also lived very briefly in Ketchum, Idaho, and in New York.) I have never seen a BetterMost member from either Minnesota or Louisiana, but if there are any, drop me a line, say if your there!
And Stephanie and David, who you callin conservative? Minnesota was the only state in the union to vote for Walter Mondale against Ronald Reagan in 1984 (course, Mondale is from Minnesota). Actually, though, Minnesota has voted for Democrats in every presidential election. So has Illinois, I believe (well, I guess not in 1984). Politically, at least, not all of the Midwest is conservative.
Socially, it may be a different story ...