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Rural Power Lab

Rural Power Labs, formed in fall 2021, is a rurally-focused experimental support program incubated at Movement Labs that partners with State and Local Democratic Parties to provide an additional layer of resources, training, and support for rural local Democratic Parties. In 2021, we successfully piloted our program in KS, MT, VA, and WI with 70+ rural Democratic county parties and were well received and rated by county chairs and members. 

We envision helping rural Democrats come out of isolation and connect with other rural Democrats locally and nationally to organize together to make rural Democrats more visible and brought together. We will localize national issues to make it real what national Democrats are doing to deliver. Our goal is to improve the Democratic brand in rural areas.

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Program Design Committee Members

Organizational affiliations provided for identification purposes only. 

  • Co-Chair, Secky Fascione, Democracy Alliance
  • Program Director, Lauren Gepford, former ED, MO Democratic Party
  • Project Manager, Fleming Beaver
  • Advisor, George Goehl, People’s Action

Party Leadership

  • Ken Martin – President, Association of State Democratic Committees; Chair, MN Democratic Party
  • Brad Martin – President, Association of State Democratic Executive Directors; ED, OR Democratic Party
  • Lavora Barnes – Chair, MI Democratic Party
  • Ben Wikler – Chair, WI Democratic Party
  • Tina Podlodowski – Chair, WA Democratic Party
  • Vicki Hiatt – Chair, KS Democratic Party
  • Tom Sullivan – former County Party Chair, Author
  • Mary Gonzalez – Rural TX State Rep, Chair of TX Mexican American Caucus
  • Kelly Dietrich & Jocelyn Hunt – National Democratic Training Committee
  • Erik Richardson – Chair, MO Democratic Party Rural Caucus
  • Nate Timm – Chair, WI Democratic Party Rural Caucus
  • Ben Meers – ED, KS Democratic Party
  • Tara Logan – Secretary, MO Democratic Party Rural Caucus; former Rural Director, MO Democratic Party
  • Bill Crawford – Multi-County Coordinator, WI Rural Counties
  • Ethan Smith – Blue Bench Project Coordinator, MT Democratic Party
  • Simon Hargus – Vice Chair, Wood County Democratic Committee (WV)
  • Rachel Byrne – Co-Chair, Monongalia County Democratic Party (WV)
  • Mary Darling – Dir. of Party Affairs, AZ Dem Party

Progressive & Rural Leadership

  • Sarah Jaynes – Rural Democracy Initiative
  • Wanda Mosely – Field Director, Black Voters Matter
  • Isaac Wright – Rural Voter Institute
  • Stephen Smith & Katey Laurer – West Virginia Can’t Wait
  • Heather Booth & Mike Lux – Democracy Partners
  • Delinda Bryant – Albany, GA Voters Coalition
  • Meredith Dean – Appalchian Women of Action (VA)
  • Judy Hertz – Former ED, Midwest Academy
  • Dreama Caldwell & Brigid Flaherty – EDs, Down Home NC
  • Jesse Ferguson – Consultant & Democratic Strategist

Experimental and Program Design

  • Pete Backof – Camden Strategy
  • Aaron Strauss – OpenLabs, former Analyst Institute Executive Director