This week on our live show, David Dayen and our writing fellow Janie Ekere talk about rural voters. For our October print issue, Janie wrote about how Donald Trump enjoys a lot of support in rural areas, even though Trump’s agenda will hurt those communities. Project 2025 proposes cuts to Medicaid funding, discontinuing antitrust enforcement that would take on Big Ag, major cuts to SNAP, and rolling back environmental protections. While these policies would be disastrous for all Americans, rural voters who are generally more likely to live in poverty and lack access to important social services will be hit the hardest.
They also discuss what’s going on in North Carolina, where Janie is based. Hurricane Helene hit the state hard, and the post-hurricane recovery response, which is still ongoing, has been politicized by Republicans looking to attack the Biden-Harris administration. There will be political aftereffects; many of the hardest-hit parts of the state are deep-red communities, and it’s still unclear whether the voting infrastructure will be rebuilt in time to empower those people to vote. Mark Robinson is still running for governor despite his scandals, so he is a liability for Republicans statewide and for Donald Trump. If Kamala Harris wins North Carolina, her chances of winning the presidency become much more likely, and so both campaigns have zeroed in on the state.
As we head into the homestretch of a contentious election season, we’ll be livestreaming every Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET to give you the information you need to understand the week in news. Join us next week by subscribing to our YouTube channel today!
