J.D. Vance thinks he knows rural America. Tim Walz begs to differ. | Food and Environment Reporting Network

Tim Walz is making a bold play to claw back the narrative by telling a different story that harks back to the prairie populists of the 20th century .

The rural Nebraska counties where Mr. Walz grew up and which comprise part of the Third Congressional District went 80 percent to 90 percent for Mr. Trump in the last two elections.

The question is whether Mr Walz and Ms. Harris can convince voters that they have a better vision to restore rural America .

Tim Walz was elected to six consecutive terms in the House from Minnesota ’s First District by campaigning hard on his rural upbringing.

He grew up in Nebraska , where his father, a Korean War veteran, taught in the public school.

He sponsored legislation that offered veterans like his father access to farm education programs and crop insurance subsidies.

John Avlon : Negan Walz is uniquely well positioned to tell the truth about rural America .

He says the abandonment of farming and ranching communities has left rural Americans isolated and embittered.

Avlon says Walz has a direct way of speaking that feels authentic and a teacher's knack for making a message simple and memorable.