New Polling Reveals economic Concerns and political leanings of rural swing state voters

A poll of 600 rural voters in Senate battleground states shed new light on the politics of rural communities, their economic concerns, views on democracy, on faith, tariffs, the war with Iran, and more.

The Center for Rural Strategies worked with Lake Research Partners to conduct the survey from March 18 to March 26, 2026, and came up with several key findings. Among them: while rural voters remain divided along partisan lines, they share anxiety about pocketbook issues.

Key Findings

Economy and health care

• Rural voters are pessimistic about the state of the country and of rural America, with especially strong concerns around cost of living. They think things have gotten worse and are in the mood for a change.

• Cost-related issues are top of mind for rural voters right now. They believe politicians (including Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress) are not doing enough to lower costs and that the economy is getting worse.

• Rural voters support all tested economic policies, but especially those that protect Social Security benefits, increase local manufacturing jobs, crack down on price gouging, and make health care more affordable.

democracy and core values

• Most rural voters worry that democracy is not working well right now, but they have mixed views on what democratic government has to offer and how it should play a role in their lives.

• Voters are much less likely to say they prefer the government to “get out of their way” now than in past research, perhaps reflecting worsening economic conditions over time that demand more of a response from the government.

• Faith, family, and freedom are consistently key values for rural voters. Faith plays an important role in their communities, during challenges or crises, and in voting decisions.

• Rural voters have more populist views — they have strong economic concerns, dislike large corporations and corruption, and support economic policies that protect local jobs and take on price gouging.

Trump and partisanship

• Rural voters like Trump and Congressional Republicans, while Democrats in Congress are very unpopular — though there are warning signs that Congressional Republicans may be in a tougher spot heading into the midterms. Negative partisanship is strong on both sides.

• When it comes to Trump’s policies, rural voters have doubts about his foreign policy actions, from tariffs to the war in Iran to cutting international aid. They tend to support current immigration policies but are polarized along party lines.

• Republicans have an advantage in the ballot, in being better for rural families, and on the economy and values — though their advantage underperforms partisanship and has weakened over time.

• Rural battleground state voters are net-Republican in party ID by 23 points but give Republicans a 20-point advantage in the Senate ballot and 17-point advantage in who is better for rural families (down from +25 in 2023). Fewer than half side with Republicans on the rural economy and values.

 Contact Us

Are you interested in writing about or citing this survey and want to learn more? We can help arrange interviews with both Center for Rural Strategies President Dee Davis and pollster Celinda Lake, and provide further information about our work.