俄亥俄州农村地区的养牛农民克里斯·吉布斯表示，他已经连续近三年处于亏损状态。
Chris Gibbs, a cattle farmer in rural Ohio, says he's been in a deficit for almost three years.
凯伦·卡里翁/美国国家公共电台 在俄亥俄州雅典市的工作日农贸市场上，色彩斑斓的蔬菜摆放在摊位上供顾客选购，社区成员与摊主及彼此互动交流。感觉到场的大多数人在一定程度上都彼此相识。对于像雅典这样的小镇来说，农贸市场是一个聚会场所。
Keren Carrión/NPR At the weekday farmers market in Athens, Ohio, colorful vegetables are on display for patrons to purchase, community members interact with each other and vendors and one another. It feels like most people in attendance know one another on some personal level. For a small town like Athens, the farmers market is a gathering place.
“我们周六的市场一直爆满，”雅典农贸市场推广经理佩奇·沃尔特斯说。
"Our Saturday markets have been fully at capacity," said Paige Walters, the Athens farmers market promotions manager.
俄亥俄州雅典市是俄亥俄大学所在地。这座城市和许多大学城一样，政治倾向相当自由。但该地区大多数阿巴拉契亚社区的情况并非如此。
Athens, Ohio is home to Ohio University. The city is, like many college towns, pretty liberal. But that's not the case in most of the Appalachian communities in the region.
沃尔特斯注意到，今年是有一阵子以来，雅典县共和党首次在市场上设立了摊位。
Walters noticed that this year, for the first time in a while, the Athens County Republican Party has set up a table at the market.
“我认为这确实反映了当前的政治气候——竞争相当激烈，”她说。
"I think that does speak to the political climate right now – that it's pretty competitive," she said.
尽管俄亥俄州过去是一个摇摆州，但现在被认为是可靠的共和党州。不过，这次选举略有不同。随着州长和联邦参议员的竞选陷入胶着，民主党有机会在全州范围内获胜。
Despite its past as a swing state, Ohio is now considered to be reliably Republican. This election is a little different. With toss-up races for governor and U.S. Senate, Democrats have a chance to win statewide.
但如果民主党想要获胜，就必须争取过去投给共和党的选票。这包括历史上倾向保守的俄亥俄州农村选民基本盘。
But if Democrats want to win, they have to capture voters who voted for Republicans in the past. That includes the rural Ohio voter base, which historically leans conservative.
虽然全国农村选民过去一直投红票（他们在2024年以40个百分点的优势支持特朗普），但最近的民调显示，在高通胀、关税和伊朗战争的影响下，他在农村地区的支持率大幅下降。
While rural voters nationwide have voted red in the past (they backed Trump in 2024 by 40 points), recent polling has shown his approval rating in rural America dropping dramatically amid high inflation, tariffs and the war in Iran.
民主党正试图在意想不到的领域取得进展。这一点在竞争激烈的参议院选举中尤为明显，共和党提名人、参议员乔恩·赫斯特德和前民主党参议员谢罗德·布朗都在大力投入对该州农村地区的外联工作。
Democrats are trying to gain ground in the unexpected areas. That's especially true in the competitive Senate match up between Sen. Jon Husted, the Republican nominee, and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown as both candidates invest in outreach to rural parts of the state.
“无论是汽油价格、柴油价格、关税，还是战争，俄亥俄州农村地区有很多人都不满意，”来自雅典的马修·怀特在农贸市场告诉美国国家公共电台（NPR）。
"There's a lot of people in rural Ohio that are not happy, whether it's gas prices, diesel prices, the tariffs, the war," Matthew White of Athens told NPR at the farmers market.
物价承受力成首要考量 牛皮菜椒、洋葱和南瓜五颜六色地摆放在考德里农场的摊位上。虽然工作日的市场人流通常较慢，但农夫拉里·考德里还是卖出了不少农产品。
Affordability top of mind Multicolored bell peppers, onions and squash line the table at the Cowdery Farms booth. While the weekday market usually has slower foot traffic, farmer Larry Cowdery sold a good amount of produce.
他在俄亥俄河畔的朗博托姆拥有一座小型蔬菜农场。考德里心中有两大担忧。首当其冲的是医疗费用。
He owns a small vegetable farm along the Ohio River in Long Bottom. There are two big concerns at the top of Cowdrey's mind. The first is the cost of healthcare.
“我们面临的最大、最大的问题是，既然我们是自雇人士，就得想办法找医疗保险，”他告诉美国国家公共电台。“明年会贵得多。”由于联邦补贴到期，预计俄亥俄州《平价医疗法案》市场的医疗保费将上涨约15%。包括哈斯特德在内的共和党人投票取消了这些补贴，这是特朗普支持的“一个宏伟美好法案”的一部分。由于价格冲击，俄亥俄州去年市场参保人数下降幅度最大——与俄克拉荷马州并列全国第一——参保人数下降了近33%。
"The big, big issue that we run into is since we're self-employed, we have to find health insurance somewhere," he told NPR. "It's going to be much more expensive next year." Healthcare premiums on the Affordable Care Act marketplace are expected to increase by roughly 15% in Ohio in part because of the expiration of federal subsidies. Republicans, including Husted, voted to eliminate the subsidies under the Trump-backed "One Big Beautiful Bill." As a result of sticker shock, Ohio saw the biggest drop — tied with Oklahoma for the most in the nation — in the number of people enrolled in the marketplace last year, with a nearly 33% decline in enrollment.
考德里的第二个担忧是他这个多代传承的家庭农场能否生存下去。经营成本变得太高了。他说电费和汽油费是主要因素。此外，他种菜依赖化肥。“我不确信明年我们甚至能不能买到化肥，”考德里说。
Cowdery's second concern is the survival of his multigenerational family farm. It's becoming too expensive to run. He said the cost of electricity and gasoline is a big factor. Plus, he relies on fertilizer to grow his vegetables. "I'm not convinced we're even going to be able to get fertilizer next year," Cowdery said.
这是因为伊朗战争。化肥所用的大部分氮要经过霍尔木兹海峡，这是中东一条由伊朗控制的关键航运通道。该海峡的通航情况一直动荡不安。
That's because of the war in Iran. Most of the nitrogen used in fertilizer travels through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping channel in the Middle East controlled by Iran. Travel through the Strait has been volatile.
由于医疗和生意上的困境，考德里今年不想投票给共和党。他补充说，过去几年他对共和党主导的俄亥俄州议会不满，也不喜欢赫斯特德。
As a result of the healthcare and business hardships, Cowdery isn't keen on voting Republican this year. He added that he hasn't been happy with the Republican-led Ohio legislature for the last few years and he doesn't like Husted, either.
“我完全不信任乔恩·赫斯特德。我认为他是个骗子，”考德里说。
"I don't trust Jon Husted at all. I think he's a crook," Cowdery said.
迪恩·费雷尔在农贸市场与人闲聊、四处走动。这位62岁的男子、雅典终身居民表示，汽油、水电和杂货的费用已成负担。他不得不减少购买某些食物，因为买不起。
Dean Ferrell is at the farmers market chatting with people and milling around the market. The 62-year-old man, a lifelong resident of Athens, said the cost of gas, utilities and groceries have become burdensome. He has had to cut back on buying certain foods because he can't afford it.
“我是说，谁会想到你得花十美元一磅买绞肉？那过去是菲力牛排的价格，不是绞肉的价格，”他说。
"I mean, who would ever thought you'd be paying ten bucks a pound for ground beef? That used to be filet mignon prices, not ground beef," he said.
费雷尔试着往好处想自己的财务现实。他说自己年纪大了，不像以前吃那么多，这样能省点钱。他补充说，他希望政客们能“花一两周过我这种日子。”
Ferrell tried to look on the upside of his financial reality. Since he's older, Ferrell said he doesn't eat as much as he used to, so he can save some money that way. He added that he wishes politicians could spend "a week or two living like I do."
“他们的态度会大不相同。我是说，我得哪儿能省哪儿省，买打折和特价商品，”费雷尔说。“我全价买的东西屈指可数。你得这么干，才能活下去。”费雷尔自认为是独立选民。虽然他还没决定投给谁竞选参议员，但他说倾向于赫斯特德。他不喜欢民主党的发展方向。“极左派基本上绑架了民主党，”他说。
"Their attitude would be a lot different. I mean, I gotta save money wherever I can, buy reduced and on sale items," Ferrell said. "There's very few things that I pay full price for. You got to, to survive." Ferrell considers himself to be an independent. While he hasn't decided who to vote for the Senate, Ferrell said he is leaning toward Husted. He doesn't like the direction the Democratic party is headed. "The far left has basically hijacked the Democrat Party," he said.
农民的沮丧 在俄亥俄州中部农村一个凉爽的秋日，农民克里斯·吉布斯爬上他的约翰迪尔多功能越野车，出发去巡视土地。
A farmer's frustration On a crisp fall day in rural central Ohio, farmer Chris Gibbs climbs into his John Deere utility terrain vehicle, setting out to survey his land.
“1983年我们白手起家，有2500美元、一辆皮卡和一个两岁的女儿，”吉布斯笑着说。“所以我们把它发展到了560英亩。”吉布斯是谢尔比县的第一代农民，种植玉米、大豆、苜蓿干草，还养着几十头牛。
"It started in 1983 on our own with $2,500, a pickup truck and a two-year-old daughter," Gibbs said with a chuckle. "So we built that up to 560 acres." Gibbs, a first generation farmer in Shelby County, grows corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay and has a few dozen cows.
农业在最好的时候也是个艰难的行业。农场受制于市场波动、国内政策、国际关系和大自然。加上高昂的燃油和化肥价格，以及特朗普的关税，生产成本超过了利润。
Farming is a tough industry at the best of times. Farms are at the behest of market fluctuations, domestic policy, international relations and mother nature. Tack on high fuel and fertilizer prices, along with Trump's tariffs and the cost of production exceeds the profit.
坐在他那台曾用于收割玉米和大豆的巨大联合收割机里，吉布斯说，在特朗普政府时期和伊朗战争期间，运行机械的柴油价格上涨了50%。他在收割季给联合收割机加油大约七次。
Sitting in his huge combine that used to harvest corn and soybeans, Gibbs said the diesel fuel to run the machinery has increased 50% under the Trump administration and the war in Iran. He fills up the combine about seven times during the harvest season.
“想一想，150加仑，每加仑7美元，就是1000美元，那只能跑一天半，”吉布斯说。“那就是价值7000美元的柴油。”在政治上，农民倾向于投票给共和党。吉布斯一度也是那些共和党人之一。在过去的生活中，他是谢尔比县共和党主席。他在2016年投票给了特朗普。
"I think about 150 gallons at $7 is $1,000, and that'll run a day and a half," Gibbs said. "That'd be $7,000 worth of diesel fuel." Politically, farmers tend to vote Republican. Gibbs was one of those Republicans at one point. In a past life, he was the chair of the Shelby County Republicans. He voted for Trump in 2016.
“回想起来，我肯定是‘买后悔’，”吉布斯谈到给特朗普投票时说。
"I'm looking at certainly, buyer's remorse," Gibbs said about voting for Trump.
吉布斯无法支持特朗普的品格、他在国际舞台上的形象，也无法支持那些他所说伤害了“美利坚合众国软肋”的惩罚性关税，指的就是农业。他在2018年远离了特朗普。
Gibbs couldn't stand behind Trump's character, his persona on the global stage or the punitive tariffs he said hurt "United States of America's soft underbelly," referring to agriculture. He moved away from Trump in 2018.
现在，在2026年，吉布斯是俄亥俄州民主党农村核心小组主席，他想让民主党人谢罗德·布朗重返参议院。
Now, in 2026, Gibbs is the chair of the Ohio Democratic Party Rural Caucus and he wants to send Democrat Sherrod Brown back to the Senate.
吉布斯辩称，布朗拥有在联邦层面代表俄亥俄州农村选民所需的经验。“我们要让谢罗德·布朗过线。我对此充满信心，”吉布斯说。
Brown, Gibbs argued, has the experience necessary to represent rural Ohioans at the federal level. "We're going to get Sherrod Brown across the line. I have complete confidence in that," Gibbs said.
不要职业政客 在盖斯维尔的一次共和党活动上，梅丽莎·詹特说，她不想要职业政客在国会代表她，而这正是她对布朗的看法。
No career politicians At a Republican Party event in Guysville, Melissa Jant said she doesn't want a career politician representing her in Congress and that's exactly how she views Brown.
“我绝对不想让谢罗德·布朗回去。他在那里待了30年。我们看到了他推行的政策。他把国家搞垮了。他把俄亥俄州搞垮了。我们只需要新鲜血液进去，”她告诉美国国家公共电台（NPR）。
"I absolutely do not want Sherrod Brown back in there. He was there for 30 years.
她对布朗的不满不仅仅是因为他是民主党人。一些选民认为他是建制派，尽管他已不再是立法者。
We saw the policies that he put in place. He ran the country down. He ran Ohio down. We just need new blood in there," she told NPR.
门罗县的吉米·威廉姆斯持有类似看法。他说布朗已被选民投票淘汰，不应试图重返他的老地盘。相反，威廉姆斯视赫斯特德为反建制派候选人，尽管他是一位现任参议员。
Her displeasure toward Brown isn't just because he is a Democrat. Some voters view him as the establishment, despite not being a lawmaker anymore. Jimmy Williams of Monroe County feels similarly. He said Brown was voted out and shouldn't try and head back to his old stomping grounds.
“他是一名首任参议员，甚至还没在任足够长的时间去做电视广告里所说的那些事，”威廉姆斯谈到针对赫斯特德的广告时说。“人们需要足够聪明，看穿那些东西。”华盛顿县的鲍勃·拉奇告诉美国国家公共电台（NPR），他对俄亥俄州将继续保持共和党优势持乐观态度。他认为特朗普为该县做了很多好事，“而保持这种势头是俄亥俄州的责任。”拉奇认为，如果民主党赢得控制权，他们除了针对特朗普什么也不会做。
Instead, Williams views Husted as the anti-establishment candidate, despite the fact that he is a sitting senator. "He's a first-term senator there, and he hasn't even been in there long enough to do everything that they're saying on television," Williams said about ads aimed at Husted. "And people need to be smart enough to look through that." Bob Rouch, of Washington County told NPR he is optimistic that Ohio will stay Republican. He believes Trump has done a lot of good for the county and "it's Ohio's responsibility to keep up with that." If Democrats win control, Rouch thinks they won't doing anything aside from target Trump.
“我们将不得不面对这些该死的调查、这些企图弹劾以及我们经历过的所有废话，”他说，指的是上一次民主党控制国会、特朗普担任总统的时期。威廉姆斯辩称，维持共和党对国会的控制是当前的目标。“美国正处于危险之中，”威廉姆斯说。2026年中期选举
"We're going to have these damn investigations, these attempted impeachments and all the baloney that we went through," he said, referring to the last time Democrats controlled Congress while Trump was president. Williams argued preserving Republican control of Congress is the goal right now. "America is at risk," Williams said. 2026 midterms