Future Hindsight

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Rural Democrat: Jess Piper

February 22nd, 2024

“People always say that Missouri is a red state, and I say Missouri is an uncontested state.”

Jess Piper is the Executive Director of Blue Missouri and the host of the Dirt Road Democrats podcast. We discuss the reality of living in rural Missouri, the state of education, and the dearth of Democratic candidates across the state.

Rural candidates have little to no support from the state party, but Republicans enjoy the support of local churches. One-third of Missouri is rural, but there is not a single elected Democrat representing these areas. Uncontested races are bad for democracy and without Democrats in the race, there is no contest of ideas. In Missouri, for example, multiple school districts only have four-day school weeks, but there have not been elected Democrats who are willing to push back and properly fund these public schools.

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Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos 

Guest: Jess Piper

Executive Producer: Mila Atmos

Producer: Zack Travis