Is there a U.S. equivilent to "Middle England"?

Question

Sounds a simple enough question, but I don't want Americans to just thing Geographical and give me a load of States in the middle of USA.

"Flick through any (UK) newspaper and it soon becomes clear that Middle England is a force to be reckoned with. Politicians are desperate to woo it, asylum seekers had best avoid it, and anyone who sees themselves as an upstanding citizen could do a lot worse than move to it."

a) What and who are "Middle England"

b) What and who are the U.S. equivilant?

Answer 1

a) non-urban middle class.
b) In the US this would refer primarily to midwest states. Politicians consider this region important because they can swing democratic or republican.

Answer 2

If I understand what your quote says, "Middle England" would seem to be the majority of the populace - not the rich and famous, but the average citizen who believes in what they understand England to stand for. They might also be called "swing voters" - the ones who aren't specifically committed to any particular party or candidate, but who will vote for whomever seems best at the time.

If that's right, then there are approximate equivalents here. You sometimes hear about the "Silent Majority", a phrase that had its origins in a speech by (I think) Vice-President Spiro Agnew (I swear I am not making that name up) in the late 1960's. They are supposedly the decent, hard-working middle class citizens who never get their names in the papers. "Middle class" might also be an analogous term. Although technically that should be an economic term, in the last few years it seems to've become the mantra of both the Democrats and the Republicans, both of whom claim to be looking out for them.

Of course, if I've misunderstood your quote, just ignore the rest of what I said.