What’s Next for the Rural Americans Who Oppose Trump?

Activism

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November 14, 2024

In rural settlements, 70 percent of elections have no alternative. With Trump winning a second term, strengthening local and state government has never been more important.

Millions of us woke up on November 6 with more fear, anger and sadness. We woke up with grit and determination. We woke up with questions. How could this happen? Could I have done more? And for many Americans who live in rural areas, which has led the country to extremist candidates like Donald Trump, these questions go even further. What’s happening in my hometown? What can we do? what next

For every rural American adult, one answer is simple: run for office.

In 2018 and 2020, we ran in two rural conservative Maine legislative districts. With Chloe as our candidate and Kenyon as our campaign manager, we’ve gone beyond the chorus, speaking to people who have been abandoned by the political establishment and creating a movement that transcends divisive partisan politics. We won both times. First, flipping a 22 percent margin to win a very conservative House district, then defeating the incumbent Senate Minority Leader to flip a rural Senate seat that has remained progressive ever since.

No matter what community you live in, organizing the countryside is hard work. But with Trump winning a second term, the task of building power at the local and state level has never been more pressing. Our future depends on it. Our neighbors and our families depend on it. And when we organize strategically, we can energize our communities, shift margins, and even win in places the establishment has written off. That’s why we started Dirtroad Organizing in 2022 to train and support rural leaders across the country.

This cycle, most of our graduates ran for office and either defeated or outperformed their predecessors in elections that pushed most rural districts even further to the right. Their organization bucked the trend and pushed margins in rural Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia.

In Wisconsin, Sara Kieski, a licensed professional counselor, won a seat in the state senate by advocating for public education, reproductive freedom, mental health and affordable child care. In Montana, Melody Cunningham won a seat in the state legislature after more than a year of going door-to-door listening to people’s concerns and highlighting her background, championing “the voices of those who are often not heard,” focusing on conservation health, public education, and affordable housing. In northern Vermont, Leanne Harple won the House race by just 120 votes. A public school teacher, Leanne’s focus has been on stabilizing and supporting rural schools, affordable housing and child care, the environment, and access to health care.

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These candidates succeeded by organizing the s everyoneand not just people who thought like them. They did this not by spending thousands of dollars on television ads, but by knocking on thousands of doors to reach out to their neighbors and listen to their concerns.

Now that we face another four years of Donald Trump’s administration, we know that there must be strong resistance in rural communities to hold ground and consolidate power. Dirtroad Organizing is looking for the next generation of brave, bold rural leaders to organize and lead. People who are already serving in their communities and are more concerned with improving the lives of ordinary people than impressing the powerful.

If you can, run. If you can’t run, ask a friend to run. Tell them how you will help them and let them know that there is a national movement ready to train and support them every step of the way. Believe it or not, you can win.

We’ve also seen dozens of candidates win in other ways — even if they didn’t get more votes than their opponents. Candidates who use their races to build a volunteer base, register hundreds of new young voters, or raise awareness of local resources make a big impact and change the margins after Election Day. In northern Montana, David Arends, a physician’s assistant, lost to the longtime incumbent but beat a projected 9 percent lead. He ran on education, community revitalization and bridging the political divide, promising to create nonpartisan task forces in the district to facilitate discussion, problem-solving and develop ideas for potential legislation. This is what we need most in rural areas: a real and solid political infrastructure that bridges the gap between parties to deliver real victories for working people.

Rural America is filled with cheer, love, hope and compassion. And yes, rural America is also where Trump’s base has gained significant ground. In rural settlements, 70 percent of elections have no alternative. Now, more than ever, is the time to get organized.

Take ours Defend the promise of democracy. You’ll connect to an incredible network of organizations that are ready to support people like you who want to run, support a friend to run, or get organized in your community. We partner with GALEO Impact Fund, West Virginia Can’t Wait, RuralOrganizing.Org, Contest Every Race, Forward Montana, SURJ, Change Tennessee and more to ensure you get the community, support and training you need. Whether you want to run or organize a campaign, Dirtroad Organizing and our incredible state and national partners have your back. Join the movement of hard-working rural and small-town Americans to invest in our communities and protect democracy.

You are not alone. We will do it together.

We cannot retreat

We now face a second Trump presidency.

There is nothing to lose. We must use our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger to oppose the dangerous policies that Donald Trump is unleashing on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as principled and honest journalists and authors.

Today we are also preparing for the future struggle. It will require a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis and humane resistance. We are faced with the passage of Project 2025, a far-right Supreme Court, political authoritarianism, rising inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis and conflicts abroad. Nation will expose and propose, develop investigative reporting and act together as a community to preserve hope and opportunity. NationThe work will continue — as it has in good times and bad — to develop alternative ideas and visions, deepen our mission of truth-telling and in-depth reporting, and expand solidarity in a divided nation.

Armed with 160 years of courageous independent journalism, our mandate remains the same today as it was when the Abolitionists were founded Nation— to defend the principles of democracy and freedom, to serve as a beacon in the darkest days of resistance, and to see and fight for a bright future.

The day is dark, the forces are building tenaciously, but it’s too late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is just the time when artists go to work. No time for despair, no room for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we make language. This is how civilizations heal.”

I encourage you to support Nation and donate today.

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Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, Nation

Chloe Maxmin

Chloe Maxmin, a native of rural Maine, is co-director of Dirtroad Organizing with Canyon Woodward. She also co-authored, with Canyon, Reviving the Dirt Road: How to Reinvigorate Rural Politics and Why Our Future Depends on It. She is the youngest woman ever to serve in the Maine Senate after unseating a Republican incumbent and two-term Senate leader in 2020. She lives and works in rural Maine, where she runs Begin Again Farm with her partner.

Woodward Canyon

Canyon Woodward is co-founder with Chloe Maxmin of Dirtroad Organizing, an organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of rural organizers, staff, elected officials and candidates. Kanyon is a co-author (with Chloe). Reviving the Dirt Road: How to Reinvent Rural Politics and Why Our Future Depends on It. He was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains in rural North Carolina and the North Cascades of Washington. He earned an honors degree in social science from Harvard College, where the bulk of his education came outside of an audit organization to get Harvard to divest from fossil fuels. Kanyon is also a professional track runner.