Rural Democrat from Oklahoma,here. I'm running in an absolutely impossible district. 4800 Democrats to 17000 Republicans. But, I keep running because we can't let them win by acclamation.
Yes, your candidacy means the opposition has to work harder to organize a campaign, raise more money and discuss issues in order to compete. Your appearances, signs, and media coverage can serve as a beacon of hope for that minority of democrats in your district. Sending good vibes from Ohio!!
Jess, how do Democrats think they can overcome the Republican’s hold on the rural community when they don’t run for local offices anymore in red states? I feel like the Democratic Party has abandoned liberal voters in red states. If Democrats only run for offices they know they can win, they leave a wide swath of voters out as you stated in your piece.
In Alabama, most local elected offices are held by Republicans with no Democrats challengers. I campaigned for a Republican for the Public Service Commission, because no Democrat would even consider running. These three Republican commissioners greatly affect the pocketbooks of Alabamians, and they are beholden to a large and powerful corporation. We have no recourse as citizens, yet no Democrat will run. Like you said, Democrats may lose several election cycles before they win. Republicans played the long game and now it’s our turn in these deeply red states. They recognized the power of the rural communities who hold a voting majority, and they harnessed this power using right-wing billionaire and corporate money to get into office.
I am fairly new to politics, so maybe I have the wrong impression, but I feel like Democrats got too comfortable and complacent. We sat by as these people slowly corrupted our country. We allowed a dangerous clown like Trump get into office. I think we’re awake now, and I hope we’re not too late.
Thank you! I feel like I’m reading about Alabama when I read your Substack. It just shows that these Republicans are running the same con in all the deeply red states. Different state and people, same corrupt tactics.
The bills being passed currently in these state legislatures are terrifying, yet no one seems to bat an eyelash around me. They only seem to care when it hits too close to home - like the whole IVF debacle. This law actually affected the good, Christian citizens of our state. It was a bridge too far for even their rigid beliefs, so they were all up in arms. But, passing bills that punish only “sinful” people is A-OK. Hate has become an acceptable justification in law-making. “In God We Trust” has become “In God We Hate.”
Jess, you are my new hero. We can't afford to ignore rural communities as we have in the past. I'm from St. Louis, but my husband's family were Democrats from rural Iowa
Yes, people tend to snooze on politics until they are affected personally. Being affected personally has FINALLY happened for a lot of people. Yes, the same techniques have been applied from state to state to grab power and maintain control. Fear is a terrific motivator - the Republicans use it all the time. Now there are foreign interests that are trying to gain influence. Now that your eyes are open please join us in strengthening and protecting our democracy.
Trump woke me up. I don’t think any of us needed a crystal ball, or be especially political, to see that this was going to be a bad situation. I started attending ACLU meetings and even campaigned in a state election. This is so not the person I used to be. I voted in presidential elections and that was about it. Like you said, not only did his policies affect me personally, but they harmed my loved ones. I will not stand for that. I will paraphrase a quote a came across from Pericles, “You may not take an interest in politics, but politics will take an interest in you.” This is so true!
This is why I ran to be a delegate to the DNC Convention this year. I want to remind everyone at the DNC that Democrats in the rural states still matter! We matter! And we aren't asking for their money, we are asking for them to show up. Come meet with Democrats in the red states. Speak at fundraisers for rural candidates. We are still doing the work despite their neglect.
We Democrats ignored the signs, I'll give you that...but I've been reading like crazy to try and understand how my 'kids' (born in 1970 and 1975) got the short stick in life...and my reading points to the Reagan Revolution (1980s) when Republicans began dismantling the New Deal...slashing taxes, government regulations and blaming the social safety net FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, yes, a Republican but a Republican who saw how fascism had destroyed Europe, LBJ and Civil Rights etc. that we had enjoyed up until Reagan. Republicans wanted to kill Social Security but that one continues to stymy them because people really like Social Security... The people who got left out during the 1980s (when my kids became adults) are the ones who have the most resentment about their situation...and were looking for someone to blame. Trump told the lie that it's the evil Democrats, women, black and brown people, immigrants, LBGTQ+ who have caused all their trouble and he, a strongman, is the only one who can fix it. Trump used fear and resentment to tap into rural America. Rural Americans were looking for someone to blame and he gave it to them. But 40 years of Republicans dismantling of our democratic institutions...(think Supreme Court and our judicial system with Federalist Society approved judges) has also done a job on our democracy. Jess Piper, whom I only encountered recently, and others like her are working hard to make sure we have a democracy to pass on to our kids and grandkids. I've spent hours and hours and probably thousands of dollars now on post cards and letters and stamps to write to my Senator (Blunt while he was still there) and Sam Graves to communicate my distress over what government was doing. I've even written to Gov. Parson...but I think my letters to the editor (which actually get published) is a better way to stay involved now since my representatives don't seem to care what I think. Glad to see people are waking up. Finally.
Bernadine I have been doing the same thing. I have went back and read a lot of history, both American and European trying to figure out how all of this came about. I just bought the book Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior. It has been very enlightening so far.
Born in 1978, I am right there with your kids. I do not have children, but I have two young nieces. I fight for them as young women who have bright futures and do not deserve what Republicans are trying to do to them. I fight for my LGBTQ+ family. I fight for my minority friends. I fight for our democracy. I remember, as an 80’s kid, thinking how lucky I was to be an American. I want to feel lucky again.
SPOT ON Jess! Thank you for stating the apparently Not So Obvious! Rural America is the Dems new and much needed frontier and we need to start actively supporting Dem candidates there in whatever ways we can.
I have no doubt, Jess, that the issues you are facing in Missouri, are happening in rural areas all around the country. I would hope rural Americans everywhere can gain motivation and inspiration from what you are doing in your state. A situation is only hopeless when we stop fighting against hopelessness.
Thanks Jess,a highly informative read.I'm in Kentucky and I've wondered how our state went from Blue to Red as did Missouri and a lot of others.
I remember from my days working at my dads family grocery store,all local city & county politics were Democratic dominated and controlled,The city and county I grew up in completely flipped starting around the 80's .Maybe three is hope for reversal if the Dems keep plugging away.There's no hope if nobody runs. Thank you for giving me some hope.
Amen to all of this. Statehouses matter MOST to our daily lives—that is where hateful policies are now being promulgated to defund public schools and target minority communities—and it is also where voting districts are drawn and voting laws designed, with an eye to making it ever harder for anywho is not a Republican to win an election.
YAY!!! As a rural Democrat who won elections in heavily red areas you can do it. I found that people in my area think dems want their guns and to kill babies. They are sure who is really a Democrat,, either because the state and national parties don’t engage with rural people. Just showing up and listening to people is what won the elections for me. Be there even for the hard conversations and listen more than you speak. You know all this! You got this!!
Wow! I knew about the other bad bills, but making sure Missourians can’t sue the Bayer corporation for their Round-Up caused cancer is so bold. Talk about being in a corporation's pocket. Wonder how much grift they got for that one?!
As a resident of SW MO I will admit to being part of the 80%. Why, because I only vote for contested races, in my county they are only Republicans on the ballot. I have voted for a few uncontested people, one example is we had an issue with our mortgage company and the current office holder worked on getting our lein released and dropped the clean deed by our house.
I always go through the entire ballot just don't vote for all the races.
In my; view, the only thing you have to 'know' when marking your ballot is that if you want any kind of progress you mark your ballots for Democratic candidates. I think Democrats at the top are beginning to realize the near-fatal mistake they made in shrugging off rural America. It's an elitist view that should have no place in our party.
I just wanted to say, keep going. I really appreciate your newsletter and how you advocate for rural America. I grew up in a very small town, and even though I’m in Los Angeles now, I care about what happens to those towns and those people. Rural America makes up the majority of the U.S., it’s important for everyone to remember that, and I’m so glad you remind all of us!
Kudo's to you and everyone who's keeping the faith in rural America. If you contact SisterDistrict.org that organization supports local Democrat candidates. And, let's keep the heat on the Democrat committees to do their work in rural America--she says from highly populated/supported California.
I live in West Plains, Missouri and I tried to talk to the local Democrats about a candidate that was coming here. He had invited me to attend the meeting but the Democrat Board told me that only they were allowed to come. Because they were going to pick who they would endorse? They start way way way way too late here! That’s one of the biggest problems. I would love to volunteer but they don’t seem to be open for business. I know a ton of independents and democrats who just need to know they ARE NOT ALONE!
As a Virginian, I can empathize. Republicans will visit every corner of our state. But the Dems? They notoriously avoid the red spots.
Voters appreciate people who show up and listen. Dems consistently fail on the showing up part.
I will say that Abigail Spanberger, who is my congresswoman and is running for governor in 2025, hasn’t shied away from visiting every part of her district (both versions). I am really hoping she makes the effort to visit every part of the state in the coming year as well. That would really set her apart from the Dems who have run for governor in the past.
People notice that sort of thing and it does matter.
Dems poured a ton of money into my state senate race last year. It was between a MAGA, a Dem who campaigned like a MAGA (but avoided my red part of the district), and an independent.
The Dem lost 🤷🏻♀️
I felt from the beginning the majority of that money was wasted. The Dem didn’t show much integrity and we were being told to follow him blindly. It was icky and once it was out that he was blocking his own voting base on social media I knew he’d lose.
I followed two other races in rural VA with amazing Dem candidates who got ignored by the party. Those Dems lost but their races ended up being close. One much closer than anticipated. Money and resources would have helped. I’d wager VA Dems would have ended up with at least one of them in state legislature had they been given that help.
The fact that our Democratic Party gave you no money to run because you weren't going to win immediately is a shock to me. I'm an average voter in a Blue zone and clearly live in a cloud.. No business expects to turn a profit immediately-- we give a new business owner three years to do so. I'd think that would be transferable knowledge for races. Thank you so much for teaching me what is really going on in rural areas, and I hope some Democratic strategist somewhere is hearing you loud and clear. Also could you put a big Donate link or button somewhere near your nonprofit's name so people can send you small donations to help fund your work? Thank you.
Rural Democrat from Oklahoma,here. I'm running in an absolutely impossible district. 4800 Democrats to 17000 Republicans. But, I keep running because we can't let them win by acclamation.
Yesssss!!! We see you, friend! Thank you for doing the work!
Yes, your candidacy means the opposition has to work harder to organize a campaign, raise more money and discuss issues in order to compete. Your appearances, signs, and media coverage can serve as a beacon of hope for that minority of democrats in your district. Sending good vibes from Ohio!!
Good for you. We need a lot more just like you. Thanks.
Good for you!
Jess, how do Democrats think they can overcome the Republican’s hold on the rural community when they don’t run for local offices anymore in red states? I feel like the Democratic Party has abandoned liberal voters in red states. If Democrats only run for offices they know they can win, they leave a wide swath of voters out as you stated in your piece.
In Alabama, most local elected offices are held by Republicans with no Democrats challengers. I campaigned for a Republican for the Public Service Commission, because no Democrat would even consider running. These three Republican commissioners greatly affect the pocketbooks of Alabamians, and they are beholden to a large and powerful corporation. We have no recourse as citizens, yet no Democrat will run. Like you said, Democrats may lose several election cycles before they win. Republicans played the long game and now it’s our turn in these deeply red states. They recognized the power of the rural communities who hold a voting majority, and they harnessed this power using right-wing billionaire and corporate money to get into office.
I am fairly new to politics, so maybe I have the wrong impression, but I feel like Democrats got too comfortable and complacent. We sat by as these people slowly corrupted our country. We allowed a dangerous clown like Trump get into office. I think we’re awake now, and I hope we’re not too late.
Yes, yes, and yes! You stated it quite well!
Thank you! I feel like I’m reading about Alabama when I read your Substack. It just shows that these Republicans are running the same con in all the deeply red states. Different state and people, same corrupt tactics.
The bills being passed currently in these state legislatures are terrifying, yet no one seems to bat an eyelash around me. They only seem to care when it hits too close to home - like the whole IVF debacle. This law actually affected the good, Christian citizens of our state. It was a bridge too far for even their rigid beliefs, so they were all up in arms. But, passing bills that punish only “sinful” people is A-OK. Hate has become an acceptable justification in law-making. “In God We Trust” has become “In God We Hate.”
Jess, you are my new hero. We can't afford to ignore rural communities as we have in the past. I'm from St. Louis, but my husband's family were Democrats from rural Iowa
Yes, people tend to snooze on politics until they are affected personally. Being affected personally has FINALLY happened for a lot of people. Yes, the same techniques have been applied from state to state to grab power and maintain control. Fear is a terrific motivator - the Republicans use it all the time. Now there are foreign interests that are trying to gain influence. Now that your eyes are open please join us in strengthening and protecting our democracy.
Trump woke me up. I don’t think any of us needed a crystal ball, or be especially political, to see that this was going to be a bad situation. I started attending ACLU meetings and even campaigned in a state election. This is so not the person I used to be. I voted in presidential elections and that was about it. Like you said, not only did his policies affect me personally, but they harmed my loved ones. I will not stand for that. I will paraphrase a quote a came across from Pericles, “You may not take an interest in politics, but politics will take an interest in you.” This is so true!
This is why I ran to be a delegate to the DNC Convention this year. I want to remind everyone at the DNC that Democrats in the rural states still matter! We matter! And we aren't asking for their money, we are asking for them to show up. Come meet with Democrats in the red states. Speak at fundraisers for rural candidates. We are still doing the work despite their neglect.
We Democrats ignored the signs, I'll give you that...but I've been reading like crazy to try and understand how my 'kids' (born in 1970 and 1975) got the short stick in life...and my reading points to the Reagan Revolution (1980s) when Republicans began dismantling the New Deal...slashing taxes, government regulations and blaming the social safety net FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, yes, a Republican but a Republican who saw how fascism had destroyed Europe, LBJ and Civil Rights etc. that we had enjoyed up until Reagan. Republicans wanted to kill Social Security but that one continues to stymy them because people really like Social Security... The people who got left out during the 1980s (when my kids became adults) are the ones who have the most resentment about their situation...and were looking for someone to blame. Trump told the lie that it's the evil Democrats, women, black and brown people, immigrants, LBGTQ+ who have caused all their trouble and he, a strongman, is the only one who can fix it. Trump used fear and resentment to tap into rural America. Rural Americans were looking for someone to blame and he gave it to them. But 40 years of Republicans dismantling of our democratic institutions...(think Supreme Court and our judicial system with Federalist Society approved judges) has also done a job on our democracy. Jess Piper, whom I only encountered recently, and others like her are working hard to make sure we have a democracy to pass on to our kids and grandkids. I've spent hours and hours and probably thousands of dollars now on post cards and letters and stamps to write to my Senator (Blunt while he was still there) and Sam Graves to communicate my distress over what government was doing. I've even written to Gov. Parson...but I think my letters to the editor (which actually get published) is a better way to stay involved now since my representatives don't seem to care what I think. Glad to see people are waking up. Finally.
Bernadine I have been doing the same thing. I have went back and read a lot of history, both American and European trying to figure out how all of this came about. I just bought the book Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America by Sarah Kendzior. It has been very enlightening so far.
Born in 1978, I am right there with your kids. I do not have children, but I have two young nieces. I fight for them as young women who have bright futures and do not deserve what Republicans are trying to do to them. I fight for my LGBTQ+ family. I fight for my minority friends. I fight for our democracy. I remember, as an 80’s kid, thinking how lucky I was to be an American. I want to feel lucky again.
SPOT ON Jess! Thank you for stating the apparently Not So Obvious! Rural America is the Dems new and much needed frontier and we need to start actively supporting Dem candidates there in whatever ways we can.
I have no doubt, Jess, that the issues you are facing in Missouri, are happening in rural areas all around the country. I would hope rural Americans everywhere can gain motivation and inspiration from what you are doing in your state. A situation is only hopeless when we stop fighting against hopelessness.
Thanks Jess,a highly informative read.I'm in Kentucky and I've wondered how our state went from Blue to Red as did Missouri and a lot of others.
I remember from my days working at my dads family grocery store,all local city & county politics were Democratic dominated and controlled,The city and county I grew up in completely flipped starting around the 80's .Maybe three is hope for reversal if the Dems keep plugging away.There's no hope if nobody runs. Thank you for giving me some hope.
I’m in Kentucky too, but in Lexington. We have 2 fantastic Democratic reps here, Cherlynn Stevenson and Adrielle Camuel. Just a shoutout to them.
Amen to all of this. Statehouses matter MOST to our daily lives—that is where hateful policies are now being promulgated to defund public schools and target minority communities—and it is also where voting districts are drawn and voting laws designed, with an eye to making it ever harder for anywho is not a Republican to win an election.
Voters remember that every vote counts over the entire ballot. The Blue Wave needs to strike hard & send a clear message!
YAY!!! As a rural Democrat who won elections in heavily red areas you can do it. I found that people in my area think dems want their guns and to kill babies. They are sure who is really a Democrat,, either because the state and national parties don’t engage with rural people. Just showing up and listening to people is what won the elections for me. Be there even for the hard conversations and listen more than you speak. You know all this! You got this!!
They are NOT sure who are really Democrats. (correction)
Wow! I knew about the other bad bills, but making sure Missourians can’t sue the Bayer corporation for their Round-Up caused cancer is so bold. Talk about being in a corporation's pocket. Wonder how much grift they got for that one?!
As a resident of SW MO I will admit to being part of the 80%. Why, because I only vote for contested races, in my county they are only Republicans on the ballot. I have voted for a few uncontested people, one example is we had an issue with our mortgage company and the current office holder worked on getting our lein released and dropped the clean deed by our house.
I always go through the entire ballot just don't vote for all the races.
In my; view, the only thing you have to 'know' when marking your ballot is that if you want any kind of progress you mark your ballots for Democratic candidates. I think Democrats at the top are beginning to realize the near-fatal mistake they made in shrugging off rural America. It's an elitist view that should have no place in our party.
I just wanted to say, keep going. I really appreciate your newsletter and how you advocate for rural America. I grew up in a very small town, and even though I’m in Los Angeles now, I care about what happens to those towns and those people. Rural America makes up the majority of the U.S., it’s important for everyone to remember that, and I’m so glad you remind all of us!
Kudo's to you and everyone who's keeping the faith in rural America. If you contact SisterDistrict.org that organization supports local Democrat candidates. And, let's keep the heat on the Democrat committees to do their work in rural America--she says from highly populated/supported California.
I live in West Plains, Missouri and I tried to talk to the local Democrats about a candidate that was coming here. He had invited me to attend the meeting but the Democrat Board told me that only they were allowed to come. Because they were going to pick who they would endorse? They start way way way way too late here! That’s one of the biggest problems. I would love to volunteer but they don’t seem to be open for business. I know a ton of independents and democrats who just need to know they ARE NOT ALONE!
As a Virginian, I can empathize. Republicans will visit every corner of our state. But the Dems? They notoriously avoid the red spots.
Voters appreciate people who show up and listen. Dems consistently fail on the showing up part.
I will say that Abigail Spanberger, who is my congresswoman and is running for governor in 2025, hasn’t shied away from visiting every part of her district (both versions). I am really hoping she makes the effort to visit every part of the state in the coming year as well. That would really set her apart from the Dems who have run for governor in the past.
People notice that sort of thing and it does matter.
Dems poured a ton of money into my state senate race last year. It was between a MAGA, a Dem who campaigned like a MAGA (but avoided my red part of the district), and an independent.
The Dem lost 🤷🏻♀️
I felt from the beginning the majority of that money was wasted. The Dem didn’t show much integrity and we were being told to follow him blindly. It was icky and once it was out that he was blocking his own voting base on social media I knew he’d lose.
I followed two other races in rural VA with amazing Dem candidates who got ignored by the party. Those Dems lost but their races ended up being close. One much closer than anticipated. Money and resources would have helped. I’d wager VA Dems would have ended up with at least one of them in state legislature had they been given that help.
It’s so frustrating.
The fact that our Democratic Party gave you no money to run because you weren't going to win immediately is a shock to me. I'm an average voter in a Blue zone and clearly live in a cloud.. No business expects to turn a profit immediately-- we give a new business owner three years to do so. I'd think that would be transferable knowledge for races. Thank you so much for teaching me what is really going on in rural areas, and I hope some Democratic strategist somewhere is hearing you loud and clear. Also could you put a big Donate link or button somewhere near your nonprofit's name so people can send you small donations to help fund your work? Thank you.