Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 8/20/19

Democrats vying to take on Trump in 2020 have paid far more attention to agriculture and rural issues than usual in the party's primary. Despite a parade of farm policy plans covering everything from ag industry consolidation to rural broadband and health care, the candidates are having a hard time keeping rural issues front and center, our Catherine Boudreau and Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider write this a.m.

During the first two Democratic primary debates, the word "rural" was uttered just 10 times in more than 10 hours on stage, and there was only one question focused on farmers. And in a presidential campaign dominated by Trump-fueled controversies and cultural issues, policy plans like those rolled out by many of the Democratic contenders don't pack the same punch for voters.

"There's good reason to worry, because the reality is this: There's a fundamental values gap between the mainstream Democratic Party ... and rural and small-town voters," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, a veteran of races Midwestern races including in North Dakota and Wisconsin. "Unless a candidate can build bridges across that gap on the basis of values, it's very difficult to make any policy proposal matter."

On the other hand, Democrats were able to chip away at Republican support in rural areas during the 2018 midterms, flipping GOP-held seats in states like Iowa. They're hoping to build on those gains in 2020, especially as some of Trump's policies have negatively affected farmers and ranchers — namely his trade war with China.