More rural voters in Senate battleground states are pessimistic about the state of the country, including those in Texas.

A new report from the Center for Rural Strategies focuses on this negative outlook and breaks down some of the challenges people face.

Dee Davis, the center's president, said 55% of rural voters say the rising cost of living is their most important issue, with food prices topping the list of concerns.

"I remember when we were first starting to reach out, we would get a lot of, 'I'm gonna be OK, but I worry about my kids,'" he said. "Now I think we're getting more of, 'I worry about my kids, I worry about myself, I worry about my community.'"

Sixteen-percent of those surveyed were from Texas. Respondents said politicians aren't doing enough to lower costs and the economy is getting worse.

Davis said the number of voters who want government to "get out of their way" dropped from 42% in 2023 to 32% today. He said he believes the shift in voter attitudes toward government intervention can be attributed to prolonged economic pressure, and noted that in overall data, a slim majority of rural voters say the U.S. economy isn't working well for them personally.

However, Trump's favorability among rural voters in battleground states is at 52% favorable and 46% unfavorable, down from his 65% vote share in 2024.

"Nobody's shining, certainly not the Democrats," Davis said. "Nobody's feeling like Democratic Party is creating a positive alternative for Trump voters. I just think that there's going to be more and more people who are not excited about this election."

The survey of 600 rural voters was conducted online March 18-25 by Lake Research Partners. It included voters in 13 states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. The margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points.

Source: Public News Service