The majority of close races this year are in rural, Western and southern areas, where gun ownership and hunting are more popular.

CNN: Attacks puts fresh focus on gun control

Despite the claims of Western politicians, burkhas remain the norm in rural areas of Afghanistan and a common sight on the streets of the cities.

BBC: NEWS | South Asia | Gangsta rap, Afghan style

C. and Baltimore, but stresses that he's also reaching out to more conservative and rural areas, like the eastern shore and western Maryland.

NPR: Obama, Clinton Target Maryland's Black Vote

But as China's coastal provinces -- which were first opened for Western-style economic reform in 1979 -- grow more expensive, more companies are moving factories into rural areas, sparking a new wave of development and giving workers more options closer to home.

CNN: China's workforce at a crossroads