Rural America Politics

Gerrymandering: America’s Oldest Political Hustle

Somehow the political lines always seemed to favor the people already holding power.

How Ted Turner Changed Rural America Without Ever Meaning To

A Tale of Two Classes; The #WorkBootsBuiltAmerica Class vs #EpsteinClass

The State That Almost Was: Franklin and the Road Not Taken in Appalachia

Not Virginia. Not North Carolina. Not even Tennessee.Something new. Something homegrown.They called it the State of Franklin.

Black Lung Forum with Senator Tim Kaine Highlights Urgent Needs of Southwest VA Coal Miners – The Rural Route Review

Oxbow Center, St. Paul, Virginia — April 8, 2026

When the Cows Left, the Party Did Too

There was a time when if you saw a Vote for a Democratic Candidate sign stuck on a fence post, odds were good there was a milk barn somewhere down that dirt road.

The Mayberry Effect: Nostalgia, Memory, and Rural America

In 2016, some of the most effective political campaign messaging across rural America was not built on economic policy or specific issues. It was built on nostalgia.

The Day Rev. Jesse Jackson Wore the Miners’ Jacket: An Icon of Civil Rights, A Friend of the Working Person

Jesse wore the jacket, talked the talk, but more importantly, he walked the walk.

Bristol, VA could have their first Black City Council member in its 136 year history.

Called to Serve: The Steady Faith and Public Work of Jackie Nophlin

When Anger Found Its Audience in Rural America

By the early 2000s, when the first oval Friends of Coal stickers appeared on pickup trucks and hard hats, it struck a deep nerve.

Casino Here, Casino There, Casino Everywhere

What changed after the neon lights came on?

Rural America Already Knows How Greenland Feels.

We Just Don’t Get Universal Healthcare.

The United States Military: America’s Largest Democratic Socialism System

Rural America Deserves Jobs That Don’t Give Our Children Cancer

On paper, it always starts the same way.

Wrong About Rural: Why White Rural Rage Misses the Mark

The Great Rural Grift & Why So Many Rural Virginia Democratic Candidates Are Angry

Ask many of the actual rural candidates in Virginia this year. Many didn’t see one dollar of that supposed support.

The Night the Siren Never Sounds

Our rural communities have lost enough.

Press the Advantage

A Rural Blueprint for Every State

From First Gen Story to Town Council Win. A Conversation with Councilman Elect Darryl Campbell

When the Siren Stops

Too Much of a Good Thing

By John W. Peace II — The Rural Route Newsletter

Mama’s Drive to Corry, PA: A Lesson in Political Salesmanship 101

By: Professor Jeff Bloodworth

Mineworkers Are Not Backing Down This Election Season

An experiment that Succeeded

And yes, we'll do it again

Why I Don’t Vote

The Missing Millions