I think rural resentment won the election. Rural people resented their position, and blamed the government. Clinton felt like a continuation of that, and Trump felt like change.
Here's an excerpt from a great article on the topic (though the whole article is worth reading):
http://www.citylab.com/politics/2016/11/the-reality-of-rural-resentment/507659/"The main things that I heard was this feeling of [rural voters] not getting their fair share of power or attention. They felt like the important decisions, whether in government or industry, were made in cities. And then they had to deal with those decisions, and no one was listening to them or their concerns.
It?s partly about resenting that lack of power.It was also about this feeling of a lack of resources. They feel like they?ve really been getting the short end of the stick with respect to taxation. They felt like they?ve paid in way more taxes than they got back in return. For education, for example, they perceive that the bulk of the money was going to Madison and Milwaukee, and that their community just wasn?t seeing it in return.
And then finally, and this is the one I?m really piecing together these last few days, there?s this
feeling of a lack of respect: People in cities look down on us, they think we?re stupid, they think we?re racist, they think we?re voting against our own interests. And I see that in the appeal of Trump so much, using the country vs. city thing to appeal to that resentment. People really resent being looked down on, and they feel like city folks just do not get what rural life is like, or what people value. It?s not all just resenting people of color, and it?s not just resenting urban elites. There is also this general sense that the rest of you out there don?t give a hoot about people like us.
