Democrats hoping to recapture the Senate next year face some serious challenges in winning the hearts and minds of rural voters in many key states.

To date, thin bench syndrome has the party without any candidates in half of the nation's dozen most rural states: Arkansas (fifth), South Dakota (sixth), Kentucky (ninth), North Dakota (10th), New Hampshire (11th) and North Carolina (12th), although State Auditor Adam Edelen's (D) strong record on oversight and rooting out fraud and abuse makes him a top challenger to Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulSecond GOP senator to quarantine after exposure to coronavirus GOP senator to quarantine after coronavirus exposure The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by National Industries for the Blind - Trump seeks to flip 'Rage' narrative; Dems block COVID-19 bill MORE (R-Ky.) in the Bluegrass State and Gov. Maggie Hassan Margaret (Maggie) HassanCongress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery Senate Democrats demand answers on migrant child trafficking during pandemic Hillicon Valley: Feds warn hackers targeting critical infrastructure | Twitter exploring subscription service | Bill would give DHS cyber agency subpoena power MORE (D-N.H.) is currently freezing the field in the Granite State as she mulls a bid against freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte Kelly Ann AyotteBottom line Bottom line Bottom Line MORE (R). Hassan is expected to decide this summer after she puts her state budget to bed for the new fiscal year.

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Even in states where Democrats have recruited solid candidates, the task of not getting blown out in the rural precincts remains a tall order.

As recently as 2000, Democrats held a registration advantage in 11 of Arizona's 13 rural counties, but Republicans now hold the edge in seven of the 13. In 2012, Democratic nominee Richard Carmona lost 10 of the 13 rural counties to then-U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R) in an open seat Senate race. For Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Ann KirkpatrickArizona Rep. Tom O'Halleran wins Democratic primary Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick wins Democratic primary Cook shifts 20 House districts toward Democrats MORE (D) to defeat Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainMomentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day McConnell urges GOP senators to 'keep your powder dry' on Supreme Court vacancy McSally says current Senate should vote on Trump nominee MORE (R), she will have to exploit McCain's extremely weak record on rural issues such as agriculture, broadband and transportation funding.

Missouri is another state where Republicans are having much greater success at candidate recruitment and turning out rural voters than the party of native son President Truman. Asked how he planned to compete for rural votes in the Show Me State, Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) said showing his face is the best tactic. "My approach is I go there," Kander said of his quest for votes in small towns. Kander, who at 34 is the nation's youngest statewide elected official, is trying to topple Sen. Roy Blunt Roy Dean BluntMcConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Murkowski: Supreme Court nominee should not be taken up before election Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE, the Republican who once held the office Kander now occupies in Jefferson City. Recalling his 2012 race for secretary of state, Kander said "no candidate travelled more than I did; I put 90,000 miles on my campaign manager's car," as he shook hands at dozens of county fairs in outstate Mizzou.

In Nevada, where the Democrats must hold on to retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidDemocrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Graham signals support for confirming a Supreme Court nominee this year Trump signals he will move to replace Ginsburg 'without delay' MORE's seat, observers say former state Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto Catherine Marie Cortez MastoDemocratic Senate campaign arm raised nearly M in August VA problems raise worries about mail slowdown, prescriptions Cortez Masto touts mail-in voting in convention speech MORE (D) has to poll better outside of Reno and Las Vegas. "She's got to not lose as badly as [former Democratic Rep.] Shelley Berkley did," says political analyst Jon Ralston of "Ralston Reports." "The rural counties are always a problem," he notes, recalling what he termed Berkley's "rural wipeout" in losing rural Nevada by nearly 40,000 votes to Republican Dean Heller in the 2012 Senate race. Ralston said that despite championing the state's hard rock mineral industry and thwarting attempts to reform the 1872 Mining Act that allows wealthy mining companies to pay pennies for leases to extract gold, silver and copper on federal lands, "Harry Reid has written off rural Nevada. It got him lots of money in campaign contributions but not a lot of votes in places like Elko."

Democrats may have an edge in Ohio, where Ted Strickland is hoping to oust first term Sen. Rob Portman Robert (Rob) Jones PortmanMcConnell locks down key GOP votes in Supreme Court fight Romney undecided on authorizing subpoenas for GOP Obama-era probes Congress needs to prioritize government digital service delivery MORE (R) in the Buckeye State. Strickland, a popular former governor and congressman, is a son of rural Ohio and once represented a string of Appalachian counties on the state's eastern edge bordering Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Strickland has strong pro-gun credibility with the NRA and voted against NAFTA, a contrast to free-trader Portman who served as President George W. Bush's trade representative and is bullish on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership deal being pushed by President Obama.

Perhaps the biggest concern for Democrats flipping the Senate is not about the quality of their candidates or how many hamlets they visit. If Hillary Clinton becomes the presidential nominee, her thread-the-needle base mobilization campaign will take a huge detour away from most of rural America, and the consequences could be devastating to other Democrats sharing the ballot with her.

Barron is president of MLB Research Associates, a political consulting and rural strategy firm in Chesterfield, Mass.