Far too often, rural Americans feel ignored by presidential campaigns. While elites in Washington, New York and Los Angeles generate the headlines, focusing primarily on the two coasts, Americans outside major cities continue to fly under the radar. This needs to change, and the 2024 election could be the turning point.
Democrat or Republican, the side that appeals most to the man or woman in rural America is far more likely to win the White House. Deciding between the Trump-Vance and Harris-Walz campaigns, I’m putting my money on JD Vance to make that difference. After all, Vance became a household name because of his best-selling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” which delved deeply into the Appalachian values of his family from Kentucky and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.
From alcoholism to drug addictions and family strife, Vance beautifully illustrated the very real problems that affect so many Americans in “flyover country” — the places where millions of patriotic Americans still call home. Like Donald Trump at the top of his ticket, Vance now embodies that voice for the voiceless, speaking out for farmers. Even liberals acknowledge Vance’s “rural roots” and his compelling story.
Unsurprisingly, he makes a point on the campaign trail to address rural Americans specifically, knowing just how important farmers and other rural workers are to the economy. Remember: Nearly 20 percent o.