[eigenstuff]

That second group of states is half states in the black belt. Those state governments are bought and paid for and their people largely disenfranchised, same for much of Appalachia. (Like, c'mon, Mississippi is around 40% African American, you really think them electing Donald Trump reflects the true will of the people? Of course not!) They're run by shitty rich people with shitty agendas who are just out to further enrich themselves and have a vested interest in maintaining the power structures that be. That's why the South "votes against its own interests." It's literally a narrative invented by the coal industry so it could justify and get away with brutalizing West Virginia and leaving it far worse off than it was before. Coal owns WV all the way down to the school boards and sherrifs.