NC-11: DCCC kicks off rural engagement program in North Carolina
Democrats say the path to winning the House majority wends through the backroads and farmlands of rural America.
To that end, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched its first rural voter engagement program last year. And on Monday, it kicked off its “On the Dirt Road Again” summit in western North Carolina, where farmer Jamie Ager is running against two-term Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards. The party brought together local leaders and grassroots organizers for training and strategy sessions aimed at mobilizing rural voters across the 11th District.
Rural voters have long favored Republicans, with many viewing Democrats as out of touch with their concerns. A Pew Research Center survey found that 69 percent of voters who hail from rural communities voted for Donald Trump in 2024, up 10 points from 2016.
But Democratic strategists say a confluence of factors — Trump’s tariff policies, an unpopular war driving up costs, and threats to rural hospitals driven by Medicaid cuts in the GOP’s signature tax and spending law — is driving a shift.
https://rollcall.com/2026/06/02/dccc-kicks-off-rural-engagement-program-in-north-carolina/