Because the west coast is not where all the business are (so they are more liberal as a result) but, the southern states are where most business are (so they are more conservative).
In 1968, during the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, governors gathered to discuss, once again, the future of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
There were two opposing groups. On the one hand, the ones who didn't want the U.S. to continue participating in the War, led by Eugene McCarthy. On the oher hand, the winning side, who supported the war, led by Hubert Humphrey.
As a result, that same day outside the Convention, thousands of antiwar activists gathered to protest and to show their respect for McCarthy. But they were not alone, because Richard Dale, who was the Major of Chicago by then, deployed thousands of police officers to alleviate the situation. The event ended up in a complete disaster: people beating each other and getting hurt. Therefore, this episode is also known as "the Battle of Michigan"