Rural voters say Trump's tough talk on jobs resonated with them

THOMASTON, Ga. - Donald Trump's road to the White House led through rural communities like Georgia's Upson County.

With over 11,000 ballots cast residents there voted two-to-one for the Republican candidate, mirroring election returns seen in many rural areas and small towns across the country.

“For our community I think we see a future. We heard the things we wanted to hear again. He knows that we are hurting and he’s going to help us,” said Trump supporter Kayla Thompson.

Thompson, a longtime Thomaston resident, and her friends voted for Trump, encouraged in part by his economic plan which includes creating 25 million jobs over the next decade, and what that might mean for their own families.

“He’s going to create jobs. There’s no jobs where we live. You have to go out of state to work,” said Trump supporter Megan Epps.

Thomaston was hit hard when the old textile and tire cord mills shut down more than a decade ago, putting thousands out of work.

“Many good people around here, especially in this town in this county, they want a good job and I think President-Elect Trump will be the one who can help bring some of this back to America,” said Thomaston Mayor John Stallings.

The Thomaston mayor is an ardent Trump supporter. He believes Trump will make good on his campaign promise to repeal NAFTA and bring jobs back to the United States, back to economically depressed communities.

“We’ve had high unemployment rates here and I think having someone in the presidency that’s a businessman and that’s mentioned doing away with NAFTA brining these jobs back from overseas putting these people back to work, that’s what people want,” said Stallings.