Red state governors blast CNBC's 'worst states to live' list, point to booming population growth
Republican governors are firing back at CNBC after the financial outlet's annual quality-of-life rankings placed conservative red states in all the bottom-10 spots, even as official U.S. Census data shows those states are leading in population growth. CNBC faced online mockery and conservative backlash for its 2026 "America's Top States for Business" study, with critics alleging liberal bias in ranking criteria that penalize conservative legislation. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said tens of thousands of new Arkansans are "voting with their feet" for conservative leadership.