If he wants their votes, Tim Walz will have to dig deep to connect with the needs of rural voters and win their trust first

A Harris-Walz camo hat (Campaign photo)

Just because Tim Walz sports a camo hat and comes from a small town doesn't mean rural people will vote for him. It's "hard to deny that many rural advocates and writers genuinely feel seen and represented with the choice of Walz – a feeling not felt in quite some time," writes Nicholas Jacobs for The Conversation. "But a closer examination reveals that such expectations may be overly simplistic and optimistic."

Media coverage of Walz as a "corn dog-eating, dad-joking, 'Midwestern Nice' [guy] does little to explain the real issues that have made rural voters a sizable force in recent American elections," Jacobs explains. "Walz’s performance within his home state of Minnesota is a relevant bellwether for his national appeal among rural voters. Though Walz has deep rural roots, rural voters have not always supported him as much as his backstory might quickly suggest. . . . Walz’s performance has decreased among rural voters since he last ran for reelection to Congress in 2016."

Looking around the Midwest for Democrats that do well in rural counties, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and "even Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer outperformed Walz’s rural numbers," Jacobs writes. But Walz is a "clear counterbalance to the image constructed by another Midwestern, self-proclaimed spokesperson for rural America on the ballot: JD Vance." Democrats would do well to remember that Trump has never claimed to hail from rural roots, but instead, he taps into "the sentiments of rural discontent and align them with his broader political message."

To win support from rural residents, Walz will need to address deeper issues "that motivate rural voters, such as economic insecurity, perceived cultural marginalization and distrust in government," Jacobs adds. "Symbolic gestures – and camo hats – alone are not sufficient to sway their support."