Dirt Road Revival How to Rebuild Rural Politics and Why Our Future Depends On It

by Maxmin, Chloe; Woodward, Canyon

• ISBN13: 9780807008218
• ISBN10: 0807008214
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780807007563
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2023-05-23
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

The Democratic Party left rural America behind.
 
This urgent rallying cry shows how Democrats can win back and empower overlooked communities that have been pushing politics to the right—and why long-term progressive political power depends on it.

Through 2 successful elections in rural red districts that few thought could be won by a Democrat, twentysomethings Maine state senator Chloe Maxmin (D-District 13) and campaign manager Canyon Woodward saw how the Democratic Party has focused for too long on the interests of elite leaders and big donors, forcing the party to abandon the concerns of rural America—jeopardizing climate justice, racial equity, economic justice, and more. Dirt Road Revival looks at how we got here and lays out a road map for progressive campaigns in rural America to build an inclusive, robust, grassroots politics that fights for equity and justice across our country.
 
First, Maxmin and Woodward detail how rural America has been left behind. They explore rural healthcare, economic struggle, brain drain, aging communities, whiteness and racism, education access, broadband, Big Agriculture, and more. Drawing on their own experiences, they paint a picture of rural America today and pinpoint the strategic failures of Democrats that have caused the party to lose its rural foothold. 
 
Next, they tell the story of their successful campaigns in the most rural county in the most rural state in the nation. In 2018, Maxmin became the only Democrat to ever win Maine House District 88 and then unseated the highest-ranking Republican in Maine —the Senate Minority Leader—in 2020, making her the youngest woman senator in Maine’s history.
 
Finally, Maxmin and Woodward distill their experiences into concrete lessons that can be applied to rural districts across the country to build power from the state and local levels on up. They lay out a new long-term vision for Democrats to rebuild trust and win campaigns in rural America by translating progressive values to a rural context, moving beyond the failed strategies of establishment consultants and utilizing grassroots-movement organizing strategies to effectively engage moderate rural voters.

Author Biography

Chloe Maxmin, hailing from rural Maine, is the youngest woman ever to serve in the Maine State Senate, at 29 years old. She was elected in 2020 after unseating a two-term Republican incumbent and (former) Senate Minority Leader. In 2018, she served in the Maine House of Representatives after becoming the first Democrat to win a rural conservative district. Follow her on Twitter (@chloemaxmin).

Canyon Woodward was born, raised, and homeschooled in the Appalachian Mountains of rural North Carolina and the North Cascades of Washington. He was the campaign manager for Chloe Maxmin’s successful 2018 and 2020 campaigns. He earned an honors degree in social studies from Harvard College, where the bulk of his education took place outside of the classroom organizing to get Harvard to divest from fossil fuels. Canyon is also an avid trail runner and potter.

Table of Contents

PREAMBLE
A Handshake

PART I: TAKE A BACK ROAD—RURAL AMERICA AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

CHAPTER 1
Down the Dirt Road: What’s Up with Rural America?

CHAPTER 2
How Democrats Left Rural America in the Rearview

PART II: DIRT ROAD REVIVAL—OUR CAMPAIGNS IN THE MOST RURAL COUNTY IN THE MOST RURAL STATE IN AMERICA

CHAPTER 3
House District 88

CHAPTER 4
Lucky District 13

PART III: AS THE DUST SETTLES—A NEW WAY FORWARD

CHAPTER 5
Strategic Principles

CHAPTER 6
Campaign Build

CHAPTER 7
Living It on the Dirt Roads

Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes