Biden Now Leads in Polls Among Rural, Older Voters

     Two tropes have long dominated many Americans' views of Trump supporters and conservatives in general. Of course, older people have to be more conservative, right, as do rural Americans? A series of polls put out this month should put to bed once and for all this tired belief, one that not only denigrates the people of rural America and older Americans but also actively hurts efforts by liberal candidates to win in elections.

     Rural America is what I've known. I grew up riding three-wheelers and Gators, catching snakes and insects, and boating in some of the over 15,000 lakes Wisconsin has to offer. My own observations led me to believe the aforementioned trope was just that: a trope. For sure, the conservatives of rural America and among older Americans tend to be a lot louder in their beliefs and a lot crazier in their convictions. However, as with many liberals in every demographic group, that doesn't mean that rural America and older Americans are overwhelmingly conservative. It's simply reflective of the fact that liberal Americans tend not to shout it from the rooftops.

     Three pieces of news in June 2024 gave me the confirmation I needed to back up 21 years of instinct. Now, I have my own problems with polls. They vary widely, the sample sizes are often too small, the questions often yield biased answers, etc. However, when multiple polls from multiple sources in a short period of time yield the same results, that's a fairly solid indicator that the trend the polls display are true. 

     According the the polls I've been teasing, Biden is now leading among both rural and older voters. The latest polls come from FOX News, which, if anything, would be as eager as possible to hold Biden's feet to the fire. When a FOX News poll gives President Biden good news, you can take it to the bank. Per the latest FOX News poll, Biden leads among rural voters by a narrow margin of 50 to 48. Per another FOX News poll, Biden leads among people ages 65 and older by a staggering 57 to 42. Per these polls, urban voters are actually about as evenly split as rural voters. White women with degrees prefer Biden by a nearly two-to-one margin, while the groups that tend to support Trump are men, white men with no degree, and white evangelicals.

     This isn't the only source to display similar results. An article in The Guardian last month highlighted the growing number of farmers lending their support to Drmocrats. Articles in The Hill and Newsweek have echoed these results. This comes as President Biden launched the "Seniors for Biden" initiative in numerous crucial swing states.

     The 2024 election is going to be decided by maybe tens of thousands of votes. For the Biden campaign and for America, these polls are good news.