Rural voters pick Trump on Tuesday; Republicans not rallying around an alternative candidate

Rural voters helped businessman Donald Trump win seven of 11 contests on Super Tuesday, as he increased his delegate lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to 319-226—1,237 delegates are needed to win the nomination. Trump earned 49 percent of the rural vote in Tennessee, 48 percent in Georgia and 47 percent in Virginia, Tim Marema and Bill Bishop report for the Daily Yonder. Trump received twice as many rural votes as Cruz in Georgia and Tennessee and nearly triple the votes in Virginia. Trump received twice as many rural votes as Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in Virginia and nearly triple the number in Georgia and Tennessee. (Yonder map)

Cruz edged Trump in rural voting in Oklahoma—36 percent to 32 percent—and won big among rural voters in his home state of Texas—47 percent to 31 percent, Marema and Bishop write. The Yonder defines rural areas as counties that do not have a city or town with more than 10,000 people. Overall, Trump won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. Cruz won Alaska, Oklahoma and Texas. Rubio won Minnesota.

One story on Super Tuesday "was the failure of Republican voters to coalesce around an alternative to Trump," Marema and Bishop write. "In the seven states Trump won on Tuesday, second place went to three different candidates (Cruz in Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee; Rubio in Virginia; and Kasich in Vermont. Cruz and Rubio tied for second in Georgia; Rubio and Kasich tied for second in Massachusetts)." (Yonder map)