From the White House to the county courthouse, we have you covered on rural politics and policy. Look no further for election analysis and rural voter data, reporting on how policymakers and federal programs are aiming to serve rural communities, or simply the many roles rural people and places play in democracy and civic life.
Study: Rural, Urban Communities Agree on More Issues Than Expected, but Differences Remain
A survey found that urban and rural communities feel similarly on a large number of political and economic issues, with inflation being a number one concern for both.
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Q&A: How Does Geography Play a Part in Rural Identity and Politics?
Rural people have often been ascribed with a resentment toward nonrural communities that bleeds into rural identity and politics. Political scientist Kal Munis explains why this is the case.
Rural Voters Shift Toward Democrat in Kentucky Governor’s Race
Incumbent Andy Beshear won reelection and gained ground with rural voters in a state that went for Donald Trump by 25 points in 2020.
Rural Voters Swing More than 20 Points from Trump in 2020 to Abortion Rights in 2023
Donald Trump won Ohio by 8 points, but Republicans failed to block an abortion-rights amendment to the state constitution. Rural voters were among the groups with the largest shift from 2020.
Rural Health Care Figures Prominently in 2023’s Limited Political Races
The importance of health care in campaigns this year could mean a broader debate in 2024, when the nation will vote for a much larger range of federal and state offices.
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Rural Voters in Swing States Present Untapped Potential, New Poll Suggests
New poll shows rural areas contain a much higher number of swingable voters than strategists might expect.
House Speaker Debacle Could Spell Trouble for Republicans in 2024
The GOP’s failure to promptly nominate a new Speaker of the House is indicative of larger disunity within the party, and carries far-reaching policy concerns along with it.
Q&A: Carbondale, Illinois’ New Councilwoman Fits Right into this “Ungovernable” Rural Region
Southern Illinois is “rowdy” in nature, according to Carbondale’s new city councilwoman, Clare Killman. It’s a quality she loves.
Commentary: Democrat’s ‘Uphill Climb’ to Governor’s Office Runs through Rural Mississippi
With personal appeal, an unassailable working-class background, and strong stances on popular issues, Brandon Presley may have a shot in the Mississippi governor’s race. Could Elvis Presley’s second cousin help bridge the nation’s political divide?
Progressives Hope ‘Rural New Deal’ Will Address Economic Issues and Appeal to Voters
Organizers see the document as a blueprint for rebuilding trust with rural voters and focusing the Democratic Party on key rural issues.
Study: Rural Communities Still at Disadvantage When Competing for Govt. Grants
Despite efforts by the Biden Administration to level the playing field for low-capacity communities, applying for government funding remains a tougher challenge for rural communities.
Government Shutdown Averted, Natural Disasters Continue
FEMA funding was in limbo during the near-government shutdown, underscoring the vulnerability of communities endangered by climate change.
USDA’s Vilsack Warns of Rural Fallout with Government Shutdown Likely
Funding for many of the biggest and most impactful USDA welfare programs, like SNAP or WIC, will likely stop if the government were to shut down, according to the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Rural Development in the Farm Bill: What the Research Says
Without a budget compromise, major portions of the Farm Bill will expire on September 30, 2023. A small but important part of the bill is Rural Development, which helps communities with broadband, water treatment, business development, community facilities, and much more. The Journalist’s Resource reports what academic research says is at stake if these programs languish.
It’s Shutdown Season
A government shutdown might have unforeseen consequences in rural areas, especially communities heavily reliant on USDA funding.
Commentary: The Time an Iowa Democratic Committee Sponsored a Stock-Car Race
“I thought about things I enjoy doing where I never see my progressive friends, and right away I knew I wanted to bring the Democrats to a stock-car race.”
Organizing Against Culture Wars Trying to Reshape Public Schools
Parent-driven Down Home North Carolina organizes to counteract aggressive attempts at book bans and other far-right inspired changes to public schools pushed by Moms for Liberty.
Election Deniers Focus Recruitment in ‘Out of the Way Places’
Experts worry that grassroots organizers questioning election integrity since the 2020 presidential election could hurt progress to civic infrastructure in rural America.
2nd Round of Wildfire-Prevention Funding Will Have Tools to Help Rural Applicants
A report from Headwaters Economics showed that communities with fewer staff and less expertise were less likely to win grants from a federal wildfire-defense program. The Forest Service is trying two new tools to help these places, which tend to be rural, be more successful.
Commentary: When We Listen to People Carefully, the False Dichotomy of Rural and Urban America Evaporates
The rural/urban divide is too simplistic to apply to real lives, says a researcher who studies political and social divisions. Flagship universities, where a wide range of students meet, could be one place the nation starts healing our perceived fissures.
Forget Banning Books — A Rural Washington County May Close Its Only Library
After a fight over LGBTQ+ young-adult titles, a November ballot measure will decide the fate of the only library in Washington state’s Columbia County.
Like the Rest of Ohio, Rural Voters Were Less Impressed with Constitutional Amendment than with Trump
Rural voters voted nearly 2 to 1 in favor of a state constitutional amendment last week. But like the rest of the state, their enthusiasm for the amendment was weaker than their support for Donald Trump in 2020.
Report: Current Funding For Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Falls Short
Failure to secure sufficient funding would undo some of the progress made in making the program more accessible by removing the in-person appointments requirement, a change particularly helpful for those living in communities farther away from urban centers.
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