Exiting polling canceled in 19 states and DC

I am not sure what is meant by this statement:

The aim, he said, “is to still deliver a quality product in the most important states,” in the face of mounting survey costs. . . .

The issue that I have is that the rule doesn't seem to be applied equally across states.  For example, 16 of the 19 states are clearly Republican leaning states, and one could argue that the presidential race won't be close in any of them.  But there are lots of other Democrat states where the race won't be close and that don't have close Senate races (e.g., Vermont, Minnesota, Oregon).  At least one of these Republican excluded states may have a close Senate race (South Dakota).  On the other hand, there is still the chance that the very Democratic state of Hawaii will have a close Senate race though the odds of that are lower.  So what is the rule that determined why so many more of these Republican states were excluded?  Any guesses?

Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.