Part of the problem is the very attitude of "coastal elites" and urban folks regards rural USA.
Red States and rural USA are far from monolithic. There are Democrats of all flavors (liberal, leftist, progressive and moderate). They are ignored and not supported well by the national party.
I live in eastern Humboldt county on the north coast of California, an extremely rural area with at least 50% Native American population. This was my childhood home and my home in old age but I left for university and have lived much of my working adult life in the SF Bay Area, Redding, and Portland and Corvallis, OR; except for Redding, liberal Democratic dominated areas.
In the 2016 POTUS primary and general election I did not see a single local sign or bumper sticker for HRC, I did not receive a mailer nor a phone call from HRC nor the Democratic party. There was essentially zero effort in this and adjacent zip codes by the Democratic party. I have been registered and voted Democratic since 1971 and have never voted for any candidate that was not Democratic (except for 1980 CA POTUS primary voted for John Anderson as a direct vote against Reagan). I sent $1000 to POTUS Obama. In the POTUS primary Sanders was first and HRC 2nd, both far ahead of Trump and HRC did win the POTUS in Humboldt county but it turned out much closer and I strongly suspect the vote local to me was overwhelmingly Trump. I am actually not that befuddled as to why many people especially the Native Americans voted for Trump even though it was a poor decision on their part. One would be amazed about how much education there is among the local population, not in the oldest and "Boomers" (like me) but in those that came here to work for the government and stayed or came as part of the back to land movement (and their children) and many younger NAs have various degrees and work for the three local Tribes (two nearby Reservations and where I am is "Ancestoral Territory" for a 3rd Tribe within National Forest.
There is an element of local distrust towards the government towards the US Forest Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs and more recently county planning. At the county level, the candidates for any party do not visit nor address the area even for the one of 5 county Districts where we are included.
My Dad and I never saw eye to eye on politics; part was the times (Vietnam) and part was I wanted to leave (and did) where he was born and spent his entire life except WWII. But he hated the Feds and gave money to the Bushes (and Dole), loved Reagan yet also loved FDR. He would be a Trump supporter if he was still alive.
There was a CCC camp here in the 1930s. That CCC camp is fading into history now but it was beloved and brought local people together and brought in the outside world, not like the other subsequent government institutions that treated the area like a colony to extract natural resources (mining, timber, fish). There was much more tourism. The last 4 men that came here with the CCC (and stayed) passed on 10-15 years ago. The evidence of the CCC work is all over in roads, camp grounds, etc. that were built. In the past 20 years the Feds have put much money in improving the NA situation (housing, clinics, natural resource programs). There was much more tourism. Now besides the Tribes and a skeleton crew at the USFS, the main source of income is the now legal marijuana (which really isn't working out that well for locals). The town cannot support a decent store and there is not even a restaurant nor motel or resort now. But there are endless projects that could be done in environmental restoration (nearby has been subject to forest fires) and as part of a green new deal (like what was the CCC).
Part of the problem is the very attitude of "coastal elites" and urban folks regards rural USA.
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