Rural values could be a strong selling point for new Republicans, including minorities. Those rural values surround gun laws, faith and self-reliance. And they are said to be pretty convincing.
In a recent election for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, about half of the members of the Lumbee Tribe voted for Republican Dan Bishop over Democrat Dab McCready, despite most of the tribe being registered as Democrats.
A local health care executive and member of the tribe, Jason Locklear, told the Christian Science Monitor that the bottom line is the Christian faith and sense of self-determination of the Lumbee people.
Michael Bitzer, a political scientist for Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, said the behavior of minorities such as the Lumbees could be important to Republicans, who have been losing ground overall in the traditionally red state.
Lumbee businessman Jarrette Sampson added that his own Democratic friends have no problem embracing traditional Republican values like going hunting and practicing their faith.
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