So I have a background in advertising, including the psychology of marketing. And I can tell you unequivocally that the maps of the United States that the media uses showing red and blue states have been harmful to Democrats.
They create a false image in the viewer's mind that the country is far more red than it really is. In propaganda terms, creating the impression that the majority is on your side is called bandwagon. This technique appeals to the desire to be part of the crowd, to fit in, to join the herd.
By using the US map divided by red and blue states, a false image is created by states that are very large geographically, but have very low population. The viewer doesn't process this fact. They just see that the map is mostly red, and on a subconscious level, infer that the country is "red".
So I've been doing these cartograms for three presidential elections now. A cartogram takes the size of the state and adjusts it for population. To be clear, I didn't do the cartogram itself. I just apply the electoral projections to each state in red and blue. A monkey could do it if it had Photoshop.
So here's the latest electoral map from Poblano and FiveThirtyEight unadjusted:
Now, here is the same map as a cartogram:
Imagine seeing this on CNN every day and night. It might give pause to the rightwing blowhards who constantly lie about this being a "conservative country".