Trump beats Gov. Kasich in rural areas in his home state, despite losing overall vote in Ohio

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday beat Ohio Gov. John Kasich in rural areas in his home state, despite Kasich winning the overall vote, Tim Marema and Bill Bishop report for the Daily Yonder. Overall, Trump dominated in rural areas Tuesday, while rural voters were split on Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Trump took the rural vote in all five states, while Clinton won the rural vote in four of five states. (Yonder map)

While Kasich won in metro and suburban Ohio, Trump edged him in rural areas, 39.6 percent to 38.9 percent, Marema and Bishop write. In Florida, Trump destroyed the field in rural areas, earning 51.1 percent, beating, earning nearly twice as many rural votes as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (26.2 percent) and easily beating Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who garnered 16.3 percent of rural votes in his home state. Trump also won in rural Missouri, beating Cruz 48.1 percent to 38.8 percent for Cruz. In rural North Carolina Trump beat Cruz 47.8 percent to 35.4 percent, and in rural Illinois Trump beat Cruz 44.2 percent to 35 percent.

Rural Democrats remain split on Clinton and Sanders, Mareman and Bishop write. Clinton won the rural vote by a wide margin in North Carolin but narrowly defeated Sanders in rural areas in Missouri, Ohio and Florida, while Sanders beat Clinton in Illinois. Clinton beat Sanders in rural North Carolina, 57.7 percent to 32.9 percent, in rural Florida 47.2 percent to 41.4 percent, in rural Ohio 51.6 percent to 45.9 percent and in rural Missouri 50.1 percent to 47.7 percent. Sanders won the rural vote in Illinois by a margin of 51.4 percent to 45.7 percent. (Read more)