Good stuff by “Two Broads Talking Politics,” “Rural GroundGame,” Christian Worth (D-HD24) and Brent Finnegan (D-HD26).
Two Broads Political Podcast Features Rural GroundGame Innovators
LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, August 9, 2019 — On an episode of the Two Broads Talking Politics Podcast this week, co-host Kelly Pollock featured Rural GroundGame, a coalition of Virginia state legislative candidates who formed the problem-solving support network and are coordinating a rural voter outreach program. Many RGG candidates and their staff worked together on previous campaigns as volunteers and paid staff. They formed the group earlier this year to develop efficient and effective campaign techniques for tough rural districts.
“You hear from folks that are facing some really big struggles. In a lot of these cases, this is the first time, not only that a Democrat has knocked on their door, it’s the first time anyone has knocked on their door,” Brent Finnegan, Democratic candidate for the 26th House of Delegates seat, told Pollock in the interview. “At the end of the day, we’re running to get elected so we can actually help people in our districts.”
These Republican-held rural districts are geographically expansive. They have mountains, hills, and mile-long driveways, creating unique challenges to traditional door-to-door canvassing. Campaign budgets are also tight with the party focusing on selected races. RGG campaigns are not participating in the official statewide campaign, although they have received other support.
“We’re going to farms, up mountains, up hollers, down hollers. It takes a lot more time. It’s a lot more intensive. Our voter outreach program really has to take into account a lot of things you wouldn’t in an urban area,” said Christian Worth, Democratic candidate for the 24th House of Delegates seat. “One of the things I love about working in this group is we’re all very, very much individuals and are running on platforms that are not formulas. They really are tailored to the district, and what we’ve heard in our communities.”
Two Broads Talking Politics is a nationally recognized podcast hosted by two progressive midwestern moms inspired by the 2017 Women’s March. All 140 General Assembly seats in Virginia are up for reelection November 5. The state is largely recognized as a bellwether for the 2020 presidential election.
“I’m super excited about what you’re doing. I think it’s going to be a really good model for a lot of other people, but I’m also really hopeful that it will make a huge difference this November,” Pollock told Worth and Finnegan during the interview.
Who is in Rural GroundGame? Beverly Harrison: HD-15, Virginia Smith: SD-15, Jennifer Woofter: HD-22, David Zilles: HD-23, Christian Worth: HD-24, Jennifer Kitchen: HD-25, Brent Finnegan: HD-26, April Moore: SD-26, Elizabeth Alcorn: HD-58, Tim Hickey: HD-59
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