A Short Take Post
A recent article tells the story of the efforts of local rural Democratic candidates finding a lack of support and understanding from the National Democratic Party and from urban Democrats in general (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/16/north-carolina-democratic-farmer-jamie-ager-wants-win-back-rural-voters). It was particularly frustrating and distressing for me to read this a few weeks after I published a post on the need for Democrats to wake up and recognize that (1) the growing unpopularity of Trump has not significantly increased the popularity of Democrats and (2) winning elections will require them to gain the votes of those not registered as Democrats in an environment in which many do not trust the Democrats to lead (https://michaelnill.com/positioning-democrats-to-earn-the-support-and-confidence-of-more-voters/).
About the article
The article focuses on Jamie Ager, the Democratic nominee to represent his North Carolina rural district in the House of Representatives. He is a long-time farmer with a commitment to sustainable agriculture and environmental preservation. Although voters in his district do not align with the national brand of Democrats on social issues, he sees an opening for potential success in November because Trump’s tariff and war in Iran have had outsized negative consequences for agriculture.
What he has found, though, is that within the Democratic Party nationally there is little interest in or knowledge of what really goes on in rural areas of the country. As he sees it, Democrats seem to have lost sight of the fact that they used to be a party of working people, including farmers, and now are mostly urban and academic. Agreeing with this concern, a Democratic strategist who focuses on rural districts is reported in the article as having said that the party has not put in the time or monetary investment to organize to win voters with ties to farming.
As a result, Ager downplays that he is running as a Democrat, even though his stance on many issues identifies him as a Democrat, such as his environmentalism and his support for reforming the tax code so high-income earners pay their fair share, expanding tax credits for families, the strengthening of Medicaid and Medicare, and federal spending to help working families and small businesses.
Several other rural Democratic nominees for Congress discussed in the article pretty much tell the same story of an unhelpful national Democratic Party in messaging and organization. One of these individuals decided he was better off running as an independent even though he aligns with Democratic positions.
Reader comments on the article
This article generated over 1,400 online letters, a vast majority from Democrats. They overwhelmingly demonstrated distrust, lack of empathy, and even disdain for rural voters, and sometimes for Ager himself. Very few argue that it would be in the interests of Democrats even to try to persuade these voters, lost causes that they are.
Here’s a short sample of the letters:
–I am more than a little tired of pretentious, holier-than-thou, rural people thinking they are “real” Americans and the rest of us are not.
–“Too urban” is coded language like “low IQ” that Trump uses. Just say what you mean and stop being a coward. We all know what you mean. Be brave and embrace your racism.
–Is it urban or is it educated? The world has moved to more than planting peas. Do they leave their farms and visit museums, other places in the country or just stay in the same place not going more than 50 miles from where they live.
–Why is it so difficult to tell rural America the truth, and have them listen without making excuses?
–The rural vote is mostly about them feeling like they have to pay for what happens in cities when it’s actually the cities that pay for rural infrastructure, medical care and education. And rural voters who vote for taco have no idea WHAT they are voting for.
And two examples from the “other side”:
–Reading the Comments…Shaking my head. Anyone who thinks the way to secure needed votes in rural and agricultural America should begin by telling people how dumb they are deserves to lose. And I am a D leaning independent. I do hope that Democrats get much smarter, much faster. It’s been a long 1.3 years. Another 2.7 like this and it’s good night Irene.
–Good lord folks. He’s not a racist for correctly stating that urban areas have far different concerns, issues, and needs than rural ones and vice versa. That some of you are making this about racism is bizarre. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. We need to support Dems running in rural districts not denigrate them.
Need for course correction
The primary reason I find this situation so troubling is that the only potentially viable force to stand in the way of a MAGA future for the United States is the Democratic Party. But it must win at the polls to do so; but sadly, it has shown little urgency to figure how to bring in independent voters and enlarge the Democratic Party tent. True, rural America is a relatively small piece of America in terms of population. Still, 10% of congressional districts are majority rural—and that is not significant. An additional 10 – 15% of districts are mixed rural and suburban. The party cannot afford to ignore this group or any groups. However, if the majority of the letters about this article are any indication of where the Democratic Party and its base stand, I cannot feel optimistic.
Yes, rural voters for a variety of reasons will on average be more conservative culturally than their non-rural compatriots. Viktor Orban, authoritarian Prime Minister of Hungary for 16 years, understood this and convinced the rural population (falsely) that he served their interests. Finally, he was overwhelmingly defeated in a recent election by Peter Magyar, who spent considerable time campaigning in rural areas. A lesson for Democrats?
In any case, success at this time for the Democrats in a two-party system is to cultivate a “big tent,” with corresponding messaging that transcends cultural differences and focuses on the common good as I argued in detail in my previous post (referenced above in my first paragraph). This requires not just reaching out where possible to rural voters but in general to independent voters who may have voted for Trump. This is the critical task.
My take: the next elections in the US will be won on a local level.
Most Americans have lost all faith in Washington. Politics in general has been tainted by lying, corruption and the total inability to govern. Democrats (if they even want to win and clean up the mess again) should openly and firmly stand behind their local candidates instead of trying to push political speak from far that sounds like more of the same empty promises.
Talking to voters directly (watch Pete Buttigieg do this with honesty and empathy) will make all the difference.
There is a long list of issues for Democrats to campaign on and not just the “big stuff” like the economy or immigration. The main party’s goals unfortunately will need to be a long to-do list but it can be left up to the local representatives to campaign on the issues most important to their communities. It is the only way trust could be restored.
If all goes well and the Democrats win both congress and presidency in 2028, what happens next will be most crucial as major changes are needed to reverse the ongoing damage by fixing the major root problems – things most voters can stand behind – through 1. separating money and politics 2. big changes needed in the highest court 3. rethink the only two parties system and start over in a big way…
If this can not be done soon, I fear that Xi will be correct and decline is imminent.