Rural Election Hub: News, Analysis, Commentary
There’s a lot at stake for rural America after this election — from the White House, to your local school board. The Daily Yonder will bring the latest about the role of rural voters, rural issues, the results, and the road ahead.
Don’t miss the rural headlines.
The Latest
45 Degrees North: Just Asking Questions
At some point, sticking to safe topics feels like sticking your head in the sand. But you don’t want to argue. Maybe the answer is to just ask questions.
The Rural Vote in 2024
The Rural Voter
Review: Who Is the Rural Voter? Book Builds on Old Themes to Create New Understanding
With the help of the largest ever survey of rural voters, two political scientists explore the sources of division between rural and urban America. A heightened sense of civic pride accompanied by deep economic anxiety are two of the factors.
Commentary – New Book on Rural America Started with a False Conclusion, Then Looked for Evidence
“White Rural Rage” misuses data to villainize rural Americans as the greatest threat to American democracy. The real threat is that poorly supported and damaging stereotypes will drive a deeper wedge between rural and urban America.
This Year, Investment in Rural Votes Isn’t Just at the Top of the Ticket
Vice presidential candidates with rural bona fides have garnered plenty of attention this election cycle, but political strategists from both parties recognize that down-ballot races may prove just as important when it comes to rural votes.
Let’s Talk About Swing States and the Rural Vote
In swing states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, rural voters may hold the key to a razor-thin 2024 presidential election outcome.
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The Issues
More Stories
‘No Kings 3’ Highlights What’s Changed in Rural Minnesota
With ICE in their communities, a war in Iran, and cost of living on the rise, residents in small Minnesota towns took to the streets.
Commentary: I Never Thought I’d Participate This Much in Politics
Organizing against a data center in a small community provides an invaluable lesson in civics.
Lawmakers, Health Groups Resist Their States’ Rural Health Fund Plans
Some Republican state lawmakers and state health associations are pushing back against spending plans under the Trump administration’s $50 billion federal rural health fund. Federal administrators already approved states’ plans, but in many cases, state lawmakers must greenlight spending.
Commentary: A Violent Heart
A small town in France offers a model of pacifist resistance in the face of authoritarian threats.
Even more stories
U.S. Senate Primaries in North Carolina Show Democratic Surge
Participation in the Democratic party primary increased this season compared to 2022, even in rural areas.
USDA Staff Cuts Could Hinder Rollout of New Regenerative Ag Initiative
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has lost more than 2,000 employees since January 2025, potentially harming the department’s ability to roll out the initiative.
Rural Voters Lead Turnout in 2026 Texas Primaries
Here are the numbers on Texas’s record-breaking turnout this primary season.
‘We Saw This Coming’: Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Cuts
Idaho is positioning to slash Medicaid funding as state lawmakers grapple with the effects of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last year. On the table are in-home care services.
Jesse Jackson (1941-2026)
Remembering his trip to Hazard, Kentucky.
Advocates, Economists Question Effects of Rural Health Transformation Fund
Many experts point out that the program was designed with “innovations and new ways of implementing rural healthcare” in mind, not preserving rural hospitals by offsetting cuts to Medicaid from One Big Beautiful Bill.
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Looking Back on Election 2020
The rural vote in 2020
Trump Maintains His Large Rural Margin; Democratic Vote Grows the Most in Mid-Sized and Large Metros
A big drop in third-party votes means both the Democratic and Republican candidates get a larger share of the total vote than they did in 2016.
Breaking Down the Battleground States
In Georgia, Atlanta Suburbs Deliver for Biden, But Extra Rural Votes Are Part of His Lead
Biden did slightly better with rural voters than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, contributing to his narrow lead over Trump. But Trump won rural voters 2 to 1.
Major-Metro Suburbs Give Biden His Margin of Victory in Pennsylvania
Biden got beat 3 to 1 among rural voters. But he improved his rural turnout enough to allow his metropolitan advantage to give him the win.
Modest Gains in Rural Votes Help Biden Flip Michigan and Wisconsin
In Ohio, where Donald Trump maintained a nearly 50-point advantage with rural voters, the president won the race statewide by 8 points.
Electoral patchwork
Electoral Patchwork: Both Parties Look for Success in a South That Is Less Monolithic
Democrats are betting that demographic and economic change will improve their chances of success. Republicans are trying to preserve a Southern firewall.
Electoral Patchwork: The Midwestern Path to the White House
Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota are once again at the center of the presidential race. Joe Biden holds a steady lead, but many experts believe the vote is still in flux.
Electoral Patchwork: Where Does the Rural Vote Fit in National Elections?
Could a decrease in rural support be part of a disappointing season for Republican candidates? The Daily Yonder looks at presidential and congressional races in three states: Pennsylvania, Maine, and Montana.
The Rural Buzz: Rural Social Media Activity During the 2020 Election
This Yonder-exclusive series analyzes the political sentiments of rural social media users in six battleground states.
The Rural Campaign Trail
How the Party Conventions Dealt with Rural America
High-profile speeches made limited mention of rural policy concerns, but new formats elevated stories from rural people and places.
