Bridging the dirtroad divide: Progressive politics in rural America

Rural America votes Republican. This adage has been true since the 1990s, when a sharp rural-urban political divide emerged. In fact, it's been a frequent discussion on this blog - read more here, here and here. Donald Trump's victory in 93 percent of rural counties in 2024 clearly illustrates how strong this divide has become. Rural America hasn't always been such a Republican stronghold, however, and some rural progressive thinkers are devising ways to return to more left-leaning roots. 

A sign in Plumas County in 2013. © Lisa Pruitt

How did it get like this?

In the 1930s, rural progressivism was at its peak. The Great Depression and a farm crisis in the 1920s had left rural America feeling completely sidelined. Franklin Delano Roosevelt noticed this unrest and centered his initial campaign around the issues affecting lower and middle-income Americans, rural and urban. He planned a "rural renaissance", focused on electrification in rural America and raising crop prices. This was incredibly popular, and rural voters, who had previously voted Republican, largely backed Democrats for the next 40 years.

Between the 1970s and the 1990s, rural and urban America voted in relative sync. Trevor E. Brown and Suzanne Mettler explored this trend in their 2023 article Sequential Polarization: The Development of the Rural-Urban Political Divide, 1976–2020. Their research shows that until the 1990s, rural Americans were barely more likely to support a Republican candidate than their urban counterparts. Now, the partisan gap between rural and urban voters ranges from a 21-point difference in the Midwest to a 14-point difference in the Northeast. 

What changed? 1992-2004 were marked by political and economic upheaval in the United States as urban areas prospered and rural areas suffered from divestment and shrinking industry. No longer feeling seen by the Democratic Party, rural voters defected to the GOP in droves. The divide persisted through 2008-2020. Brown and Mettler state that it was primarily driven by nationalist sentiment. Anti-Black rhetoric during Barack Obama's campaign and presidency, and lack of higher education, led rural voters to identify themselves in opposition to "urban" ideals. 

These trends have led to the highly partisan United States we have today, a hyper-divided United States, where the majority of rural America is Trump country. It should be noted, however, that rural voters aren't all happy with their representation either. A 2020 poll revealed that 87% of non-metro voters feel like the government does not represent people like them. 

So, what now?

When Democrats lost the popular vote in 2004, there was a major party platform shift. Steve Inskeep notes that during that time, the party focused on shoring up both rural and urban voters and turning red districts purple. Inskeep points out that the trend has reversed over the last decade, with Republicans succeeding in turning purple districts red.

Some progressive thinkers and leaders have noticed this trend and want to turn it back around. They believe that rural Americans can still return to their more progressive roots; they just need to hear the right messaging. 

A "Boycott Carrots" sign in Cuyama, CA, a movement to boycott carrots grown by corporate carrot growers over excessive groundwater use. © Lisa Pruitt.

One program seeking to mend the divide is the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative. Founded by Anthony Flaccavento, a farmer and former candidate from Abingdon, Virginia, their goal is to help America think differently, talk differently, and act differently. They reach out to urban political leaders and ask them to consider how to meet the needs of rural communities. 

Their website primarily focuses on convincing left-leaning leaders of the problems in rural areas and how they can help solve them. Their guide cites political scientists and legacy media to explain why rural voters don't take progressives very seriously. There is little in the way of talking points, but it provides plenty of resources for someone just beginning to consider rural issues.

Similarly, Dirtroad Organizing forms yearly cohorts of rural candidates and staffers. They "provide in-depth, personal, community-oriented, long-term support to ensure vitality, stability, and integrity in rural organizing."They focus on free training and supporting rural progressive candidates and staffers. It was founded by Chloe Maxmin, former Maine State Representative and State Senator, and Canyon Woodward, her campaign advisor.

Over 40 graduates of this program have been on the ballot, and some are making real headway in their elected positions. For example, Sarah Keyeski, a Wisconsin State Senator, has sponsored over a dozen bills in her first year in office. Several bills relate to healthcare access, an issue that deeply affects rural populations.

Whether either of these programs will create meaningful change in 2026 and beyond remains to be seen. It's clear, however, that many liberal and progressive thinkers haven't completely written off rural America as Trump-land. Platforms focused on economic resilience and healthcare access can reach rural voters and help them feel less disenfranchised. Candidates from rural areas can lead their communities in a way that represents their unique needs and backgrounds. Either way, it seems Democrats have turned their attention back to rural areas and look to level the playing field this cycle.