The virtue of the "rural" vis a vis national politics

Here are the first couple of lines of coverage of Senator Joni Ernst's response to President Barack Obama's state of the Union address:

Joni Ernst, who in 2014 became the first woman elected to the Senate from Iowa, offered the Republican response to the State of the Union last night and introduced herself to the nation. 

In a speech that referenced her thrifty upbringing in rural Iowa and her 20 years of service in the armed forces, Ernst often echoed the themes of the president's speech — increasing exports, reforming the tax code, going after the Islamic State and combating cyberattacks — and his call for cooperation in areas where there is agreement. 

But she also reinforced Republicans' intentions to take a more active and aggressive stand against Iran's nuclear plan and to continue efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act.

More about Senator Ernst here.