On May 1, 2025, Dr. Suzanne Mettler, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University, presented a virtual lecture to Geneseo faculty and students on the rural/urban divide in contemporary American politics.
Relying on a wealth of data that covers the period from 1972 to 2024, Dr. Mettler demonstrated that until the past two decades there had been little difference between urban and rural areas in the United States with respect to their partisanship. Up until the 2000s, rural areas were only slightly more Republican than urban areas. For example, in 1992, there was only a 2% partisan difference between rural and urban areas: today, it's 20%. In recent years, population and economic growth have been concentrated in urban areas. American citizens living in rural areas have felt left behind, and in fact have not enjoyed the benefits of American economic growth. The consequence of the rural/urban divide is magnified by American electoral rules. American electoral rules provide disproportionate influence to rural areas at the expense of urban areas.
Dr. Suzanne Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University and conducts research and teaches on American political development, inequality, public policy, political behavior, and democracy. She is the author of numerous books and articles on American politics. Mettler’s latest book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman.
Dr. Mettler's lecture was supported by a grant from Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honors society in Political Science, and the Department of Political Science and International Relations.