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Political commentators routinely treat rural America as an undifferentiated bastion of strength for Republicans. In fact, rural America is a deceptively simple term describing a remarkably diverse collection of places encompassing nearly 75 percent of the U.S. land area and 50 million people. Voting trends in this vast area are far from monolithic. Republican presidential candidates have generally done well in rural America, but there are important enclaves of Democratic strength there as well. In "battleground" states these differences within rural America may have a significant impact on tightly contested elections.

While other swing states shifted drastically in 2016, New Hampshire maintained its bellwether status. This article examines the underlying dynamics of that steady balance. After the fast-growth decades of the 1970s and 1980s, population increases stalled. Underneath a calm surface, significant changes have altered the state's political geography. The state's voters are politically divided along lines of educational attainment: Residents with a college degree are more likely to lean Democratic, while residents without a college degree were much more ambivalent toward Democrats during the Obama era. Geographically, less densely populated exurban and rural areas have grown faster than urban and suburban areas, to the mild advantage of the state's Republicans. With Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, Republicans reversed declines in several parts of the state, thanks to his popularity among rural voters, but suffered losses in areas where more residents possessed college degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While other swing states shifted drastically in 2016, New Hampshire maintained its bellwether status. This article examines the underlying dynamics of that steady balance. After the fast-growth decades of the 1970s and 1980s, population increases stalled. Underneath a calm surface, significant changes have altered the state's political geography. The state's voters are politically divided along lines of educational attainment: Residents with a college degree are more likely to lean Democratic, while residents without a college degree were much more ambivalent toward Democrats during the Obama era. Geographically, less densely populated exurban and rural areas have grown faster than urban and suburban areas, to the mild advantage of the state's Republicans. With Donald Trump at the top of the ticket, Republicans reversed declines in several parts of the state, thanks to his popularity among rural voters, but suffered losses in areas where more residents possessed college degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the accuracy of forecasting presidential nominees during the early state polls in New Hampshire. The data used for the study is derived from the national media polling of presidential election campaigns within the period of 1980 to 2004. The poll results in the state has been interpreted to become better. Moreover, it mentions that the well-informed electorate of the state has led to the accuracy of results.