Why can’t Democrats write off the rural vote?

Few questions have troubled Democrats as much as how—or even whether—to reverse their decline in rural and blue-collar America. Long gone are the days when the party was considered the natural home of the working class. The dominant narrative is that Democrats are a haven for urban, highly educated elites, while the Trump-led GOP is making inroads with working-class voters of all races, endangering the coalition that has sustained Democrats for decades.

With states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan on the edge this November, Democrats need every vote they can get. In today’s episode, we will therefore examine the party’s relationship with rural voters. We have three guests who live and breathe America — and they insist that it’s far from a lost cause for Democrats, with many rural and working-class voters who could be captured if the party made a serious effort to win them over.

Jane Kleeb is the chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party and author of Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Again in Rural America. Anthony Flaccavento is an organic farmer, co-chair of the Rural Urban Bridge initiative, and co-author of The Nation’s Rethinking Rural column.

And in a special bonus segment, we spoke with Sarah Taber, the Democratic nominee for North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner, about campaign and how he tries to bring together the urban and rural residents of his state.