I read a piece on the possibility for secession that noted the major economies in the world are primarily based in urban situations and the weakest (second and third world) tend to be rural and resource based. Food production, mining, timber, fuel extraction. It would seem that the Red states, at least at their seat of power, are extractive economies that tend to be low-income.

Another interesting aspect of secession, if done immediately as happened in 1860, would be that the Reds would likely have to deal with Covid on their own. Idaho would find it harder top ship patients out of state as it would now be out of country. It would be those illegal immigrants coming in and taking ICU beds from "us". Unless, for example, each patient came with a guarantee from the sending state to cover all hospitalization costs.