Oh yes, they knew what they were doing. Rural votes typically vote more conservatively and urban votes typically more progressively/liberally. Giving rural votes more weight was definitely the strategy to get more weight to conservative votes. The cities versus rural counties "Cold Civil War" is absolutely the intentional consequence of the Republican strategy over the last many decades. The next question is how long this particular civil war stays cold, given how much increasing ammo (lit. and fig.) is being stockpiled by each side.

Honestly, everybody knows what the game is. The left should get their shit together and play the game that counts (winning elections), rather than the one that doesn't (% of popular vote).