Do Democrats have a rural future? [View all]

[TexasTowelie]

Rural Virginia has swung hard for Republicans over the last decade, driven by backlash to President Barack Obama, an emigration of more educated residents to urban and suburban areas, and a realignment in culture and voting patterns.

So why is a Democrat in exurban Northern Virginia running on the campaign slogan, “The Future is Rural”?

Laura Galante, who is running in the 18th House district, where Donald Trump won 61% and which consists of Fauquier, Warren, Culpeper and Rappahannock counties, explained it this way:

“People are looking for that sense of belonging and community that rural areas provide. We just need to make sure the opportunities are there to make a living and support your family and get an international-level education,” she said. “It’s that sense of pride in having a place you know well, like a rural area where you’ve either grown up and have five generations behind you in the ground, or you’re coming out for the first time to do some homesteading and have a dairy operation and still work for a tech company online. That’s the kind of life I see more and more people wanting.”

Read more: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2019/10/30/will-democrats-rural-campaigning-plant-roots-or-wither-on-the-vine/