Democrats Rebound in Rural America

The last two presidential elections were decided by rural voters in non-metropolitan voting precincts. In 2000, the candidate Bush had 22% greater support than Al Gore and in 2004, he enjoyed 19% more support than John Kerry.

A recently conducted poll of rural voters, undertaken by the Democratic polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, at the behest of the non-partisan Center for Rural Strategies shows Democrats out-polling Republicans in the countryside, and the biggest factor? No surprise, really – it’s Iraq. Fully ¾ of the rural voters surveyed know someone who is serving or has served in George Bush’s spectacular little vanity war.

"I don't like the way the war in Iraq is going as well as everybody else," says Judy VanAhlsen, a realtor in rural Jefferson, Iowa, who describes herself as a lifelong conservative Republican. "I think people are so disenchanted with the war, with Bush in general. I think people think anything is better — even Republicans [think that]."

Here is the kicker – Democrats don’t have to walk away with the countryside. They just have to be competitive. They just have to not lose by 19%. If this were MySpace, I would post a "Cautiously Optimistic" emoticon...

Perhaps one of our bloggers from Iowa will give us some insight?