99% Invisible made the argument that it also changed the US electoral map.

"And the ubiquity of AC has had a serious impact on how and maybe most profoundly where we live. Hot places like Arizona and Florida saw huge influxes of residents. A mass migration to the so-called “Sunbelt” changed the political map, too, as electoral college seats moved with citizens. And since a lot of these new southward migrants were conservative retirees, they voted Republican, forming a key target demographic in Reagan’s election in 1980."

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/thermal-delight/

Interesting. Can you say more about that? People have lived in hot environments like Arabia for centuries.