Blue Tent Praises RDI’s Election Impact

Founder urges donations to rural organizing efforts

Blue Tent, a top donor publication, sent an email to its subscribers on July 27 strongly recommending donations to Rural Democracy as a critical strategy to engage rural voters in battleground states. Blue Tent thoroughly vets influential organizations to uncover the most effective ways to build power. Rural Democracy Initiative is one of Blue Tent’s priority picks for support, demonstrating the powerful impact our work is creating across — and beyond — rural America.

“In places like Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Montana, and Arizona, new work is underway to engage rural voters, speak to their concerns, and otherwise show up in places that many Democrats have written off,” writes Blue Tent founder David Callahan. “The Rural Democracy Initiative is an all-important hub of these exciting efforts.”

"The Rural Democracy Initiative is an all-important hub of these exciting efforts."

Callahan details the ways RDI’s Rural Victory Fund contributes to grassroots success in rural places, from financial support, to capacity building, to research and communications work. “Local action is at the heart of RDI's strategy,” notes Callahan. “It supports rural groups that nurture candidates who run for city council, school board, sheriff, and similar offices.”

He also highlights our particular attention to young voters through the Rural Youth Voter Fund. “Such work can not only help win this year’s election; it is essential to improve long-term Democratic prospects in rural America,” he writes. 

His recommendation also draws on RDI research into shifting election outcomes. “Democrats don’t need to win a majority of rural voters to win the presidency,” he reports. As our work showcases, small shifts in rural voting can have massive ripple effects for pro-democracy candidates and causes. 

“The new rural organizing is working to shift the narrative—and election outcomes,” writes Callahan. “Donors can help by supporting the Rural Victory Fund."