Trump Country: The Role of Alienated Voters in Alabama and Georgia

Abstract Since 2016, U.S. politics has galvanized by the Trump presidency. During his two previous, and now third, campaigns for president, Donald Trump has been successful in appealing to rural white voters through the nation, but most especially in the South. Methods. Using a variety of socioeconomic variables, we examined the 2016 and 2020 election cycles to see where Donald Trump was performing the best, and worst, in Alabama and Georgia. Results. Our analysis indicates that the oft-discussed rural/urban divide is alive and well in both states, with rural counties being much more supportive of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 and urban counties being much less supportive. Conclusions. The statistical analysis indicates that both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in Alabama and Georgia still revolves around race and geography. These findings have implications for the 2024 presidential election.