Romney counting on heavy turnout in rural areas

Romney in Van Meter, Iowa. (Getty Images)

In order to offset the urban electoral advantage of President Obama, Republican challenger Mitt Romney will need heavy voter turnout in the small towns and rural areas of Iowa, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University in Ames, told Bloomberg Businessweek. A poll of rural voters last week by the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, Ky., has Romney ahead by 22 percentage points in non-metro areas of nine states where the race is close. The new rural numbers go far in explaining why the presidential race is in a virtual tie now.

In the Rural Strategies poll, Romney outscored Obama by a large margin, 62-32, on the question of who would better improving the economy. The governor also led on topics including values, the economy, Medicare and Social Security, the who’s best for the middle class and the federal deficit. Obama drew very close on women’s issues and health care, where Romney held small two- and three-point leads. Nationwide, rural residents represent 16 to 20 percent of the population, dependign on how "rural" is defined. (Read more)