most liberal rural congressional district?

[WalterMitty]

excluding vt-al

id say ma-01

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

MN-08

[Torie]

MA-1 going away I think. Next to Stark, the local congressman there is the only out of the closet Atheist more or less, or close to it.  That dog won't hunt most places, whether "rural" or not. MN-8 is labor dominated with some conservative areas appended down south, and the congressman there reflects that, evincing a tinge of social conservative Catholicism. He's pro life, and voted in favor of parachuting in the federal courts de novo in a misguided effort to interfere with the Terry Schiavo matter (it turned out there was no federal issue, which anyone who knew a damn thing about the law should have known).

Of course, some might assert that MA-1 is not "rural." I guess "rural" here means without being dominated by a relatively large MSA. There are few really true "rural" district. Most folks don't farm, or are vendors serving farmers, or live in such areas as retirees.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

MA-01

[nclib]

After VT-AL and MA-1, the only other left-of-center rural districts are NM-3, OR-4, and (depending on your definition of rural) CA-1.

[Erc]

My old district, MA-1.  Though there are definitely non-rural parts.

[Smash255]

Although portions of both aren't rural MA-1 and VT-AL

[Mr.Phips]

NC-01

[The Mikado]

My old district, MA-1.  Though there are definitely non-rural parts.

Isn't that essentially the Berkshires?

[Mr.Phips]

My old district, MA-1.  Though there are definitely non-rural parts.

Isn't that essentially the Berkshires?

Yes and the Pioneer Valley and the Western Springfield suburbs. 

[Brittain33]

My old district, MA-1.  Though there are definitely non-rural parts.

Isn't that essentially the Berkshires?

Yes and the Pioneer Valley and the Western Springfield suburbs. 

Yeah, the Berkshires have gotten so depopulated (or never were that populous in the first place) that this district takes in at least four areas. The Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, parts of Metro Springfield, and the Fitchburg area, which is ironically one of the most conservative spots in the commonwealth.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

MA-1 going away I think. Next to Stark, the local congressman there is the only out of the closet Atheist more or less, or close to it.  That dog won't hunt most places, whether "rural" or not. MN-8 is labor dominated with some conservative areas appended down south, and the congressman there reflects that, evincing a tinge of social conservative Catholicism. He's pro life, and voted in favor of parachuting in the federal courts de novo in a misguided effort to interfere with the Terry Schiavo matter (it turned out there was no federal issue, which anyone who knew a damn thing about the law should have known).

MN-08 is not that Catholic. And the conservative exurbs near the bottom make up a very small and insignificant part of the district, easily canceled out by the Duluth area. Duluth proper is very socially liberal too (of course, the Duluth area is also hardly rural.)

[Torie]

Here is how MN-8 voted in 2004: Kerry 52.60%,   Bush  46.06%. I didn't say the district was Catholic; I said the Congressman evinced a tinge of Catholic social conservatism.

[Hash]

OR-4

OR-4 has a Democratic congressman with a quite imposing majority, but the district voted for Bush in 2000 and probably 2004 (I don't know the 2004 results there). The district has a D +0 PVI.

[nclib]

OR-4

OR-4 has a Democratic congressman with a quite imposing majority, but the district voted for Bush in 2000 and probably 2004 (I don't know the 2004 results there). The district has a D +0 PVI.

According to polidata, OR-4 went for Kerry. Also, Nader ran well there in 2000, leaving Bush a plurality.

[Verily]

Even though it contains Bangor and Lewiston-Auburn, I think ME-02 could qualify as rural. Most of the population lives outside of the "urban" areas of both cities.

[Nym90]

I would say that even including VT-AL, it's still MA-01.

[Brittain33]

Remember that MA-01 nearly elected Jane Swift as a representative in '96, when the Republican Congress had become unpopular in the northeast.