Yeh-I can relate. I live a SE Mo. county that has a majority of that endangered species - the conservative Democrat. In local elections we don’t have Republicans for most of the offices. All the action takes place in the primary.
People here are pro life, pro guns, taxed enough already, except we are a poverty area and do have a lot of government dependents also.
Add in blue collar pro union segment. Teachers Unions by and large are non-existent in the rural areas. People still believe in local control of the school, but the largest school in the area is very dependant on Government dollars.
If not for my family, I would move back to SW Mo. in a hearbeat.
hearbeat = heartbeat