State maybe red according to its residents - all despite Obama’s leadership (8)
I believe the answer is:
colorado
'state' is the definition.
(I know that Colorado is a state)
'residents all despite obama's leadership' is the wordplay.
'residents' becomes 'color' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'leadership' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'all despite obama' is 'ado'.
'color'+'ado'='COLORADO'
'maybe red according to its' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for colorado that I've seen before include "State in the Rockies" , "US state has a strangely cool road" , "American river" , "Beetle whose larvae destroy potato plants" , "Denver's state" .)