Democrats have an elitist edge to them, which turns off lots of small town voters.
Democrats tend to be too liberal when running for pres. anyway. A footnote to the 2000 and 2004 elections were that there was a state with many more registered Dems. than Republicans that went Republican each time. That state is West Virginia. Those Democrats in West Virginia tend to be socially conservative, though supportive of Democrats running in state and local elections. So they have switched to vote for Republicans for president in big enough numbers to swing the state.
I mention West Virginia too, because while they have only 5 electoral votes, it was enough to tip the election to Bush in 2000. If Al Gore had carried West Virginia, the whole circus in Florida would not have mattered, because Gore would have won the election anyway.
Heck if Gore had carried his own home state in 2000 he would have been president. Tennessee also has lotsa Democrats but they are not so far out liberal/radical like the national Democratic party has gotten to be.
Since a liberal is made up of arrogance and ignorance,
if you take away their arrogance,
all they’re left with is ignorance.