Democrats are fighting hard in rural America this year. The Harris-Walz campaign has opened dozens of campaign offices in rural areas, while state Democratic parties and organizations like Contest Every Race and Run for Something have recruited a record number of candidates to run in red counties. 

This is exciting! It's a big turnaround from past elections when Democrats too often neglected rural voters and focused instead on running up margins in cities and suburbs. 

Rural grassroots groups are playing a key role in this historic push, reaching out in their communities to get a hearing for Harris and down-ballot Democratic candidates. The Rural Democracy Initiative is an all-important hub of this crucial work. It supports organizers in battleground states with deep experience connecting with rural voters. Donating to RDI is a high-impact giving option to help Democrats win more votes in rural America. 

“Losing by Less” is a Way for Democrats to Win in Rural America

Remember, Democrats don’t need to win a majority of rural voters to win the presidency. Just “losing by less” can make a huge difference in very close states—enough to seal a Harris win. 

While Obama won 39% of the rural vote in 2012, Clinton won 32% four years later—a falloff that contributed to her defeat. In 2020, Biden did 1 point better with rural voters, a minor gain that helped him secure razor-thin victories in several battleground states.

Harris needs to do at least as well as Biden—and hopefully a lot better. Recent polls show that much work remains to be done on this front. A Pew survey earlier this month found Harris at 32% with rural voters, while a Times poll had her at 31%. 

RDI is deeply immersed in the battle to move these numbers upward. Operating as a funding intermediary, it is making rapid response grants every day to voting groups in rural areas. 

How the Rural Democracy Initiative Helps Democrats Win Elections

RDI and its partners have been building toward this high-stakes moment for years. They have drilled deep to better understand rural voters, using polling, deep canvassing, listening sessions, and communications research. RDI created the Winning Jobs Narrative, a powerful, tested framework for talking about work and opportunity in ways that resonate with voters. And it works with its grantees to empower trusted local messengers who can change the conversation in rural communities. 

One of RDI’s top priorities is to engage young people, who are "among the most undecided/persuadable demographics" in rural areas, Executive Director Sarah Jaynes told me. RDI's Rural Youth Voter Fund supports youth-led electoral groups, working to boost Democratic votes among a constituency that will help decide the election in key states like Georgia, as I've explained before.  

Rural America doesn't have to be "Trump country." Democratic prospects here are brighter than many people realize. Research has long found that a surprisingly large share of rural voters support progressive priorities—but they don't feel Democrats truly care about them and their struggles. Most don't realize, for example, that the Biden administration has enacted historic efforts to help rural areas. The new rural organizing is working to shift the narrative—and election outcomes. Donors can help by supporting the Rural Democracy Initiative.