I live in New Mexico. We have a Democratic governor. Our state went blue for Biden and Harris last November, and Democrats picked up a few more seats in the state legislature. But there are still many counties that voted Republican, and most of these counties are rural. I often try to rack my brain into why the GOP consistently does better with rural voters in the US. I’ve chatted with neighbors and friends, and I’ve pored through articles online. And the common thread seems to be rural America feels the Democratic Party is out of touch with them. I cannot disagree. Take a drive through any hard-hit rural area in the US: Landscapes of collapsed barns and grain silos, vacant stores, crumbling roads, and main streets with empty storefronts.

It’s no secret that economic disparity between rural and urban America has increased. Small business growth has declined in rural communities since 2007. It has only gotten worse with Covid-19. As a result, dollars flow primarily to cities, and small-town communities are dominated more and more by large corporations like Walmart, and Dollar General. Family farms and ranches are swallowed up by large agribusiness firms which pay low wages, have no connection to the community, and pose a burden to taxpayers. A 2015 UC Berkeley Labor Center report revealed that a large chunk of our taxes goes to boost the bottom line of corporations that don’t pay their workers enough to live on. So, when you file your tax returns next month, think about your taxes helping subsidize the steadily rising profits of low-wage-paying companies that dominate rural America.

Wages and benefits for most American workers have stagnated while corporations continue to post record profits. These large companies employ low-wage workers. It’s they, not the unemployed, who make up the majority of those in need of assistance programs like food stamps, Medicaid, and childcare. Rural America is dominated by these businesses. It’s a pity that the $15 minimum wage bill failed to pass in the Senate, it would have helped rural communities immensely.

Fickle markets and trade wars have created chronically low commodity prices, leaving farmers and ranchers between a rock and a hard place. They either try to produce more by taking on more debt and expanding their operations, or they close their business.

When you take a road-trip through any rural community in the US, look out the car window. Take note of the storefronts and businesses. Who owns that corn processing plant, the feedlot, or the soybean fields you just passed? Most likely, it’s not family farmers or ranchers. In 2017, the USDA estimated at least 30% of American farmland is owned by corporations and non-operators who lease it. With many farmers retiring in the coming years, some estimate 92,000,000 acres will change ownership, likely passing into the hands of investors and corporations.

Not only low-paying jobs but a lack of infrastructure, including roads and high-speed internet are real problems in rural America. Studies show that limited access to the internet stifles economic growth. If you live in a rural community without reliable internet access, starting a business is next to impossible. And if you have children in school, distance-learning due to COVID-19, it’s even more frustrating.

Then there is health care. Since 2005, rural hospitals (mostly in Texas and areas of the South) have been steadily closing because it’s not profitable to operate in low-population, rural areas. We can look at the low availability of dental and psychological health services in rural areas as well. About 60% of the nation’s dental health shortages are in rural areas. Mental health needs have been largely neglected as well.

Roughly 46 million Americans live in rural counties, and many are struggling. The tragedy is, the dilemmas faced by rural communities are a direct result of bad policies by Democrats and Republicans. The message of the Democratic party resonates in big cities, but not so much in rural America. Rural voters tend to be more conservative on social issues than city folks and suburbanites. In general, Democratic candidates do not poll well in rural communities, especially when it comes to gun control, green energy, and small government.

Here in New Mexico and other states where oil and gas dominate many rural areas, many Republican lawmakers are condemning the shift towards renewable energy. Here in New Mexico, the oil and gas industry dominates rural counties and is the third-largest industry in the Land of Enchantment. Other states such as Texas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Wyoming also depend heavily on oil and gas, which reflects the dangers of oil-dependent economies when we face the devastating effects of climate change. Understandably, oil and gas workers and the towns they support are reluctant to embrace policies such as the Green New Deal.

Yesterday, the Democrats proved that they do care about rural America. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief (despite 0 votes from Republican senators), offers $350 billion in aid to cash-strapped states (many of which are rural), $75 billion for pandemic medical costs like vaccinations and testing, and $8.5 billion for rural medical providers. It also includes $129 billion for K-12 schools and also increases child tax credits ($3,600 per child under age 6 and $3,000 per child up to age 17) for parents earning less than $75k and couples earning under $150k.

The Covid relief package is a good start. If Democrats continue to reach out to rural communities, to work towards improving roads, infrastructure, internet access, healthcare availability, quality education, the party has a chance to transform rural America. Helping rural communities take back their economies by promoting small businesses and help attract new industries so that these communities are no longer dependent on single industries such as oil and gas can be done.

No, Democrats have not forgotten about rural America.

Many thanks to Thom Campbell for editing this blog.