Obama says Democrats need to do a better job of reaching rural voters

Obama at press conference (Saul Loeb, Getty Images)

In his first news conference since the election, President Obama said Democratic candidates need to do a better job of campaigning in rural areas, Jessica Taylor reports for NPR. He didn't mention Hillary Clinton but said, "We have to compete everywhere. We have to show up everywhere. I won Iowa not because the demographics dictated that I would win Iowa. It was because I spent 87 days going to every small town."

Obama said that "when he was campaigning he went to many rural places in a very white, blue-collar state like Iowa and ended up winning twice," Taylor writes. In 2012 Obama beat Mitt Romney in Iowa 52 percent to 46 percent. Donald Trump beat Clinton this year 51.8 to 42.2.

A rural outpouring for Trump this year led to similar results in other states that Obama won in 2012, such as Michigan, Ohio Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Overall, Trump won big in rural areas, where he campaigned heavily, while Clinton spent far less time meeting rural voters or advertising in those areas.