Rural Poll in the New York Times

Rural Democracy's latest poll of likely voters revealed shifting attitudes in rural communities and small towns across the country. The change to the Democratic ticket from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris has generated newfound excitement among voters in numerous battleground states.

New York Times journalist Farah Stockman recently took note of the changes we've detailed in our research. Stockman's reporting is part of a larger analysis of "The Crushing Power of Corporate Meat," which features grantees Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Farm Action Fund. This article demonstrates the federal policy progress we've seen with the current administration reining in corporate power, as we point out in our Rural Policy Action Report.

This coverage also illustrates the necessity of engaging rural voters in the final month before the election, since swings in just 3-5% of the rural vote can determine an election

"Ms. Harris is doing surprisingly well in rural areas anyway," Stockman wrote. "She received 39 percent support in a new poll to be published Monday by the Rural Democracy Initiative, which surveyed 3,125 likely voters in 10 battleground states, 1,944 of whom were from rural areas and small cities. Compared with the 30 percent support that Mr. Biden scraped together in a poll this spring, it’s a big shift, led by Black people and people of color, women and young voters."

Voters of color, particularly rural Black voters, showed particular enthusiasm in our recent poll for turning out to vote. With a close race for the presidency, the work of RDI grantees to turn out rural voters will prove crucial.