Ohio Democratic Party recognizes importance of rural Ohioans
To the editor:
Ohioans haven’t elected a statewide constitutional office holder since 2006 when Ted Strickland won handily.
Since then, the state has been gerrymandered and Republicans hold all the constitutional state offices as well as majorities in both the state Senate and state House.
The Ohio Democratic Party has finally recognized that relying on only the 3-C’s – Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati – is no longer a winning strategy.
In July 2023, the Ohio Democratic Party recognized the newly organized Ohio Democratic Rural Caucus. Since its inception, the Rural Caucus has conducted regular meetings and has held two in-person events and is planning two additional in-person events.
The in-person events are to provide some training and energize Democrats in all corners of Ohio. The first in-person event was in northeast Ohio in April, and the second was June 1 in southwest Ohio. These events are billed as Four Corners.
As the Adams County Democratic Party Chair, I attended the SW Ohio Four Corners event on June 1 and indicated it was a worthwhile day. I found it encouraging to see so many rural Democrats spend a Saturday sharing ideas, meeting candidates from rural areas, and a bonus was the relevant training provided for candidates, activists and county leaders.
Our State Senate 14 Ohio Democratic Executive Committeeman, Collin Docterman from Scioto County is Special Advisor to the Rural Caucus. There were three breakout training sessions and I found the one on strategies to reach young rural people especially useful as it provided practical ways to reach younger people.
I think recognizing the needs of rural Ohioans is a good first step and that all Ohioans benefit from better and more responsive state government when the two major political parties are competitive.
Sincerely,
Linda Stepp
Adams County Democratic Party Chair
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