The Rural Voter - by Nicholas F Jacobs & Daniel M Shea

About the Book

This pathbreaking book pinpoints forces behind the rise of the "rural voter"--a new political identity that combines a deeply felt sense of place with an increasingly nationalized set of concerns.

Book Synopsis

The widening gulf between rural and urban America is becoming the most serious political divide of our day. Support for Democrats, up and down the ballot, has plummeted throughout the countryside, and the entire governing system is threatened by one-party dominance. After Donald Trump's surprising victories throughout rural America, pundits and journalists went searching for answers, popping into roadside diners and opining from afar. Rural Americans are supposedly bigots, culturally backward, lazy, scared of the future, and radical. But is it that simple? Is the country splintering between two very different Americas--one rural, one urban?

This pathbreaking book pinpoints forces behind the rise of the "rural voter"--a new political identity that combines a deeply felt sense of place with an increasingly nationalized set of concerns. Combining a historical perspective with the largest-ever national survey of rural voters, Nicholas F. Jacobs and Daniel M. Shea uncover how this overwhelmingly crucial voting bloc emerged and how it has roiled American politics. They show how perceptions of economic and social change, racial anxieties, and a traditional way of life under assault have converged into a belief in rural uniqueness and separateness. Rural America believes it rises and falls together, and that the Democratic Party stands in the way.

An unparalleled exploration of rural partisanship, this book offers a timely warning that the chasm separating urban and rural Americans cannot be papered over with policies or rhetoric. Instead, The Rural Voter shows how this division is the latest chapter in the enduring conflict over American identity.

Review Quotes

A pioneering work, based on solid evidence, shattering myths about rural voters and insightfully explaining their shift toward Trump support.--Gerald M. Pomper, author of Ordinary Heroes and American Democracy

In this important book, two political scientists--rural themselves--set the record straight on the rural voter. Based on a massive voter survey stretching from 1824 to 2020, Nicholas F. Jacobs and Daniel M. Shea carefully puzzle over reasons so many rural Americans now despair of the Democratic Party and even see it as the enemy. They add to this a brilliant analysis of Hollywood's view of rural Americans, shifting from quaint to backward to menacing and beyond. If you live in the city, read this book.--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right

For those seeking a comprehensive, thoroughly researched volume about rural voters with original data and insightful analysis, stop looking. The Rural Voter provides an unbiased account of rural voters that does not fall prey to partisan stereotypes. I have little doubt this pathbreaking book will reshape our understanding of a key change in American politics.--Joanne Connor Green, author of Government and Politics in the Lone Star State

Forget what you think you know about rural politics in the United States. With high-quality data and careful analysis, Jacobs and Shea demonstrate that rural voters are not particularly down-and-out or fired up by religion, racism, conservative media, and ideology. Instead, rural economic and civic struggles, which are not unique, have generated a sense of place-based grievance that reflects rural voters' beliefs about the value of rural life and a linked fate as rural residents.--Douglas D. Roscoe, author of The Promise of Democratic Equality in the United States

This book contains what surely must be the most comprehensive study of rural voters ever produced. Based largely on a massive new database, Jacobs and Shea's analyses provide a treasure trove of new findings and along the way modify or overturn a number of popular generalizations about urban versus rural voters.--Morris P. Fiorina, author of Unstable Majorities: Polarization, Party Sorting, and Political Stalemate

It's a rare book on American politics that has a sense of place. The authors, who hail from rural communities and know their neighbors, show that "geography matters"--but not at all in the ways our stereotyped notions of rural (and urban) tell us.--Bill Bishop, author of The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart

The thing that stands out the most is the way Jacobs and Shea examine and often dismantle long-standing stereotypes and conventional media narratives with empathy. The data and historical research are rigorous and important, but the nuance and curiosity the authors bring to the table are The Rural Voter's special sauce.--Amy Walter, publisher and editor in chief of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

About the Author

Nicholas F. Jacobs is assistant professor of government at Colby College. He is a coauthor of What Happened to the Vital Center? Presidentialism, Populist Revolt, and the Fracturing of America (2022).

Daniel M. Shea is professor of government at Colby College. His books include Why Vote? Essential Questions About the Future of Elections in America (2019).