Western Iowa Democrats say they can gain ground in rural Iowa

[Omaha Steve]

Iowa Democrats said the turnout at the "Reviving Rural Iowa" Summit reflected frustration with the Trump Administration.

https://www.ketv.com/article/western-iowa-democrats-say-they-can-gain-ground-in-rural-iowa/65393054

Updated: 11:06 PM CDT Jul 13, 2025

HARLAN, Iowa —
Six Western Iowa County Democratic Parties sponsored the "Reviving Rural Iowa" Summit on Sunday.

Democrats have a lot of ground to gain in those counties: Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Harrison, Monona and Shelby. Of those, 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris saw the most success in Audubon County with just 29.9% of the vote.

Attendees, county party chairs, and lawmakers recognized that the Democratic Party has made mistakes, including not paying enough attention to rural areas.

They said Republican lawmakers often can't be checked at the ballot box — when they don't face a Democratic challenger. However, Iowa State House Rep. Sean Bagniewski said that candidates are stepping up earlier than ever this year.

Video at link.

[rsdsharp]

1. Steve King country isn't going to vote for a Democrat.

[Bettie]

2. And yet, they are working on getting more votes for Democrats

it's a lot harder to show up and fight when you're in a red state, harder still when you're in the reddest part of a red state.

They deserve credit for showing up and fighting for their values, whether they win or not.

[GoCubsGo]

3. Given how Trump destoyed the pork, soybean and corn markets

they spent decades building with China and other countries, thanks to his idiotic tariffs, I could see a lot of these farmers giving the Democrats a look. Especially since the GOP did nothing to stand in the way of his reckless stupidity. Not to mention that they're getting screwed by his immigration policies, whether it's from cutting into their own labor supply, or that of the meat packers and others who process their animals and other crops. No better time than now for the Dems to get their shit together here.

[Aristus]

4. You'll have to pull the corn cobs out of their ears, and even then, they probably won't listen.

n/t

[moose65]

5. This is good to see, though

EVERY vote counts in Senate and Presidential races.

One of Iowa's House districts is very competitive - District 1, where the Republican only won by 800 votes in 2024. In fact, all of the recent elections there have been close. District 3 could also be swingy in the right year.

We can't afford to write off ANY area or any state.