From left, Eve Gray, Chair Hancock County & Secretary of the Rural Caucus, Collin Docterman, Chair Scioto County and Special Advisor to the Caucus and he is also Ohio Democratic Party State Executive Committee member representing Senate District 14, Craig Swartz, former Chair of Wyandot County (resigned as chair as he is a candidate) and President of the Rural Caucus, and William Washington, Political Director for the Sherrod Brown Campaign. (Photo provided)
The ODP Rural Caucus
BY Sherry Larson
People’s Defender
The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Rural Caucus with Southwest Ohio and the Greene County Democratic Party met on June 1, 2024. Adams County Democratic Party Chair Linda Stepp attended the conference at The Foundry Theater at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Rural Ohio has far more registered Republicans than Democrats. Bestplaces.net reported, “In Adams County, Ohio, 17.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 81.3% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.0% voted Independent.”
In a May 2024 New York Times Opinion piece, Farah Stockman interviewed Chris Gibbs, a soybean farmer, ex-Republican party chair turned Democratic party chair from Shelby County, Ohio, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 8 to 1. The article’s premise is that Democrats have an opportunity to rebrand themselves as the party of freedom. The article reads, “‘In today’s Republican Party, You either speak with a Trump voice or you’re vaporized,’ Mr. Gibbs told me. We chatted on a recent evening in his garage in Maplewood after we searched his pasture for newborn calves. (We found three.) ‘In the Democratic Party, everybody gets a voice. You don’t always get your way, but you get a voice.’”
The ODP recognized the Rural Caucus in July of 2023. Stepp attended a couple of virtual meetings when Matt Young was Chair of the party and could not attend. At that time, the group was forming and working on their bylaws. The Southeast region is also in the process of forming a Caucus. Stepp said, “We are sort of in the middle. The southeast is a little more rural.” Stepp explained the ODP’s definition of rural counties includes 77 counties.
After meeting and greeting, welcome, and introductions, attendees went to breakout sessions. Options included:
• Public Banking with Rural Caucus presented by Chairman of the Rural Caucus Craig Swartz of Wyandotte County
• Democrats 101 with Representative Joe Miller and Tim Benford
• Organizing Youth Votes with Wood County Young Democrats
The Mission of Democrats 101 session highlighted “focusing on the American core values that form our common identity, and vision of the future that forms our common purpose,” and the call for “a just society…as long as it takes.”
Stepp said the session on public banking was interesting. She had never heard of it before, but she learned that North Dakota has had a public bank since 1912. Public banks are owned by the government and concentrate on providing financing for public policy goals to meet distinctive community needs.
Organizing Youth Voters, presented by Lauren Bacon-Grounds, Wood County Democrat, was Stepp’s favorite breakout session. Stepp said young people were in attendance, but they were the minority. Several candidates from the various counties were young. Stepp chuckled as she talked about a conversation with a younger gentleman candidate. She was discussing the Grange and the impact they once had on organizing rural counties. The candidate asked her, “What’s that?” Stepp said, “It makes you feel really old.”
Bacon-Grounds emphasized that young voters are online. However, she didn’t discount newspapers. Stepp summarized by saying, “Use your local newspaper when they have articles online. When newspapers have articles online, you can share those.” The point is that newspapers have a much wider reach if their paper is available on the internet.
Stepp found Bacon-Grounds’ presentation to be particularly helpful in guiding attendees toward the most effective social media platforms and tools and the distinctions between text and email campaigns. She also discussed the importance of low-dollar fundraising, considering that Generation Z (ages 12-27) ‘s average income is $37,300, and Millennials (ages 28-43) ’ average income is $47,034.
Look for the Adams County Democratic Party at the Adams County Fair. They will officially staff their tent starting Monday, July 8, from 4 – 8 p.m. Be sure to stop and ask party members and local candidates questions – use your voice.
