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Is the Democratic Answer for Winning Rural Voters . . . Mamdani?

Plus: The best Leopard–Face-Eating Chart, ever.

Jonathan V. Last's avatar
Jonathan V. Last
Apr 29, 2026
∙ Paid
What if this is how Dems win Iowa? (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)

1. Table Stakes

Some reminders:

  • The United States is still at war with Iran.

  • On Monday three (3) ships transited the Strait of Hormuz.

  • The average gas price in America is $4.229.

  • The Epstein files have still not been fully released.

In the face of this, the Trump administration’s two highest priorities—at this very moment—are:

  1. Building a $400 million ballroom for President Trump.

  2. Prosecuting a former director of the FBI for posting a picture of seashells on Instagram.

I just feel like you have to start from the big picture before you zoom in on specifics. And the specific we’re going to look at today is the economic plight—and political opinions—of American farmers.

Do you want the short version? I will give you the short version.

Rural Americans are being hurt by Trump’s policies—specifically tariffs and the Iran war—more than any other group of Americans.

Also: Rural Americans overwhelmingly approve of the job Trump is doing.

You may want to bite down on stick before you read the long version . . .

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