CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — Most elections pollsters and political insiders were wrong when it came to predicting the outcome of the race. They were not counting on so many rural voters showing up to hand the victory to Donald Trump.
Political expert Scott Huffmon told Channel 9 that pollsters overestimated the amount of voters who would come out in urban areas like Charlotte and simultaneously underestimated the power of
rural American voters pulling for Trump.
Bobby Ervin is one of those Trump supporters.
After decades of working in steel factories, he makes ends meet by selling peanuts from his roadside stand.
"Had a fire, lost my house, which was all paid for, and I had to start over," Ervin said.
Three months shy of his 80th birthday, Ervin supports Trump.
"He speaks what’s on his mind, and that's how I am," Ervin said.
Like many of his customers, Ervin believes Trump's boldness will help him boost the economy.
"I really think things are going to change with him as far as jobs," Robert Hinson said.
Jobs are top priority for people in the area, many who feel it's getting harder to make a living.
"Hard-working people, little towns like this," Trump supporter Rhonda Beamon said. "We got a lot of people who get their hands dirty."
In Cabarrus County, Trump garnered 58 percent of the vote, compared to the more urban Mecklenburg County, where he won 32 percent.
Huffmon said the polls were right about Clinton winning the popular vote, but miscounted blue collar workers in many states that would hand Trump the Electoral College.
"This election showed a big divide between rural and urban America," Huffmon said.
Dennis Patterson said everyone he talked to supports Trump, and they want the same thing.
"I think it's just change," Patterson said.
Political experts believe pollsters may not have accurately captured the rural vote in their data.
Now, they're focusing on how to refine the polling process and looking for the best way to define a "likely voter."
Cox Media Group
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