Meet the Rural Voters Who Could Swing North Carolina’s Election - The World News
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Meet the Rural Voters Who Could Swing North Carolina’s Election

August 23, 2024

The most rural of the battleground states this year is North Carolina. About 3.4 million people, or roughly a third of the state’s population, reside in a rural area, more than in any other state besides Texas.

Democrats have seen their support slip in rural areas, ceding ground to Republicans. As such, rural voters in North Carolina could determine which way the state goes on Election Day, as Democrats hope to curb their losses in these communities and Republicans seek to solidify their grip.

But in interviews with more than 30 people in Wilson County, about 50 miles east of Raleigh, where backcountry roads weave in and out of tobacco fields, many residents told us that they felt both parties often overlooked their concerns, about high prices, underfunded schools and rapid growth from the state capital that is stretching into town.

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The ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee has excited many Democrats in Wilson County, which narrowly voted for President Biden in 2020 and has about 78,000 residents, 40 percent of whom are Black. But voters across the county say that the animus that has plagued national politics feels draining, especially in a small place where people value being able to get along.

The Struggle for Rural Votes

The new chair of the state Democratic Party, Anderson Clayton, has prioritized reconnecting with rural voters since taking office in 2023, arguing that Democrats cannot rely only on cities and suburbs to win.

David Sherrod, a conservative in Wilson who worked at a farm most of his life and is now a mechanic, said that “the politics of both parties have flaws,” including not engaging enough with voters outside major cities. His support, though, is fully behind former President Donald J. Trump.

“I don’t agree with everything he does,” Mr. Sherrod said. “But I feel listened to.”

Even a Democratic voter like Jamar Jones, 29, said he sympathized with neighbors who felt fed up with both camps.

“You should be able to get an abortion and you can own a gun,” Mr. Jones said. “If the two parties are going to be polar opposites on every issue, then it’s just a scam.”

Mr. Sherrod, however, is the kind of voter that North Carolina Democrats have struggled to persuade. Since the ’90s, Republicans have mostly won the state’s rural counties, partly through a message about being left behind. Mr. Trump has continued that trend, even though many voters we spoke to in Wilson acknowledged his flaws.

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Voters in Wilson described feeling alienated and worn down by the emphasis on race and identity in politics. Some white, conservative-leaning voters said they were tired of the Democrats’ focus on race. Mr. Trump has tried to appeal to those voters by stoking resentments about their economic fortunes, at times using racially charged language.

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But many Black and Hispanic voters in Wilson said that addressing racial inequality was important for the country, and that Ms. Harris represented a more racially inclusive America.

“It matters to me that there’s a woman of color with an immigrant background running for president,” said Flor Herrera-Picasso, 33, who remembers her Mexican American family encountering racism while she was growing up in Wilson.

“Obviously it’s not going to mean equality for all yet,” she said, “but it’s a step in the right direction.”

L.G.B.T.Q. Issues and Abortion Stir Debate

Some Democrats we talked to said they worried about preserving gay rights. Many conservatives voiced concerns about the acceptance of transgender people in schools and sports, an issue that has resonated with large swaths of the Republican base.

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Across the political spectrum, however, voters expressed divergent views on one of the top issues in this election: abortion.

Morris Worelds, 72, said he was voting for Ms. Harris because of his support for abortion rights, and dedicating his vote to his four granddaughters.

“To me, Wilson is still a country town, but some things like abortion are irrelevant to country or city,” Mr. Worelds said.

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Despite their differing opinions, many Wilson residents said they valued getting along with their neighbors, in part because there was no political bubble to hide in. Cecilia Coleman and her sister, Megan Coleman, said that at Sylvia’s Family Restaurant, which their parents own, the salesmen who deliver them products were Republicans and their clientele were mostly Democrats.

“Never any problems,” Cecilia Coleman said.

Cecilia and Megan Coleman

This month, hundreds gathered at the Wilson County Fair Truck and Tractor Pull, where drivers in modified vehicles compete to see who can drag a heavy metal sled the farthest on a dirt field.

Watching it all was Kimberly Wade, 46, an independent who said her thoughts about the presidential race could be summarized in one word: “Iffy.”

Ms. Wade, who is undecided, says she has long grown tired of the hyperpartisan attacks clawing away at the country. Ms. Wade’s husband is disabled, and her biggest concern is increasing disability benefits.

But she said one overarching thought would guide her through November: “I just want my community to be OK.”

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Matthew Sexton

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