Get out from behind your keyboards
The mandate for Howard Dean’s 50-state plan field organizers was to turn rural county parties that had devolved into social clubs back into functioning political organizations. That need still remains widely unmet.
Statewide Democratic campaigns have too long forsaken rural counties for cities where they can more easily find blue votes in bulk. Too often that means they clean up in the cities but lose statewide elections — and congressional seats and state legislatures — in rural counties. Often, too, state parties cater more to statewide candidates and treat others running in local districts as extras in the fall campaign drama.
Two stories spotlight efforts here to reverse that. North Carolina’s New Rural Project led by Cynthia Wallace is working to increase minority turnout in several rural counties. In Anson County (22k pop., 47% Black), North Carolina, 2,500 non-white voters sat out the 2020 election, NBC reports. Democratic candidate for Senate Cheri Beasley lost her bid for reelection as chief justice of the state Supreme Court in 2020 by 401 votes.
“Ain’t gonna do nothin’ for us,” one Anson resident told a “Meet the Press” film crew. In tiny towns, who is in office makes no difference. The New Rural Project has convincing to do.
In Chattooga County, Georgia, white voters (84%) represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene feel seen. Very seen.
In Person County, North Carolina (22k pop., roughly 50% non-white) , Democrats’ young county chair, Anderson Clayton has Republicans nervous.
Clayton helped elect Roxboro’s first-ever majority-minority city council, including its first two Black women. Even when the day goes sour, she’s still smiling.
“People keep saying, ‘How do we reach rural voters?’ and I’m like, “How do we reach rural Democrats?” Clayton says. “There are people in these communities that are just not voting our way and that are not voting at all because they don’t feel like they have power in their vote, and that’s a problem. Their votes were being left on the table. With the Person Dems, I was just kind of able to help build that energy back up.”
Democrats can’t “leave it all on the field” if they leave rural votes on the table.
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