Make no doubt about it. Rural voters provided the margin of victory for the Trump- Vance ticket as they have apparently won at least 277 Electoral College votes that will propel the 45th President of the US into the Oval Office again in 2025 as the 47th President. Fox News declared Trump the victor shortly after midnight central time after calling Wisconsin for the former President. (Update at 4 AM Central– Reuters shows the former President with 266 Electoral Votes- but with leads that are unlikely to be overcome in four states- Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Alaska- and a small lead in Arizona- which could push the Trump-Vance ticket to over 300 electoral votes.)
Rural counties in states like Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina overcame the suburban and urban vote that went to Vice President Kamala Harris. Oklahoma contributed seven electoral votes to the Trump win with just over a million Oklahomans voting for the former President to give him 66% of the vote in the state.
According to the 2024 DTN/Progressive Farmer Pulse of Rural America poll, a survey of 1,393 rural Americans shows nearly 70% say they support former President Donald Trump. Another 19% say they support Vice President Kamala Harris. There were 9% of rural residents who were undecided, and a wild card 2% say they back Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has since ended his campaign and is supporting Trump.
If the results across the US stand- Kennedy is hopeful that the President will give him a role in either the USDA or the FDA to fulfill his campaign rhetoric to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Politico suggested three names that might be considered by a Trump-Vance administration to be their Secretary of Ag- farmer Kip Tom, USDA undersecretary in the first Trump term Ted McKinney and Texas Ag Commissioner Syd Miller
