Rural voters, key for Clinton now, have actually given most of their votes to Obama, analyst says

Though rural voters have been a key part of Sen. Hillary Clinton's comeback in the Democratic race for president, Sen. Barack Obama actually has amassed more rural votes since the caucuses and primaries started Jan. 3, Al Giordano reports in The Field, the blog of RuralVotes.com. And he offers this nice map:
Giordano writes:

The greener the area, the more support for Obama. The bluer, for Clinton (that’s why Michigan is all blue; the map uses its “straw poll” results from when Obama wasn’t on the ballot: I likewise think the Florida “results” don’t reflect what a real contest there would have shown). The few splotches of red represent votes for John Edwards. And the turquoise - that stretch from southern California to Texas - represents areas where both Obama and Clinton were competitive.

In terms of rural America, both candidates have been competitive in a majority of rural United States counties. Obama has more overwhelming rural support in the midwestern and western plains and in the deep and coastal south. Clinton has it along the Appalachian Mountain trail. Overall, Obama has won more support among rural voters than Clinton. (Read more)