Writing in The New York Times Magazine, Matt Bai suggests that if Democrats can figure out ways to connect with voters who resemble Hank Hill, they can start making inroads in the small and exurban towns and “red states” which have gone heavily Republican in recent years.
According to Bai:
If Hank votes Republican, it’s because, as a voter who cares about religious and rural values, he probably doesn’t see much choice. But Hank and his neighbors resemble many independent voters, open to proposals that challenge their assumptions about the world, as long as those ideas don’t come from someone who seems to disrespect what they believe.
…North Carolina’s two-term Democratic governor, Mike Easley, is so obsessed with the show that he instructs his pollster to separate the state’s voters into those who watch ”King of the Hill” and those who don’t so he can find out whether his arguments on social and economic issues are making sense to the sitcom’s fans.
…According to Nielsen Media Research, the largest group of ”King of the Hill” viewers is made up of men between the ages of 18 and 49, and almost a quarter of those men own pickup trucks.
Something for Democrats to think about.
