Democrats (actually) working for votes in rural Indiana

This came across my Twitter feed today, from nwi.com, the Times of Northwest Indiana, a local newspaper.  Dan Carden reports on a rural tour by the Indiana Democratic Party:  

The Indiana Democratic Party is optimistic about its chances in next year's elections after concluding a statewide tour focused on reaching out to Hoosier voters living in small towns and reminding them how Democrats are working to improve their lives.

The "Small Town, Indiana" caravan brought former statewide elected officials and current Democratic members of the General Assembly to 14 communities across the state over the past month, including the Jasper County town of Wheatfield, to participate in conversations about education, agriculture and other policy issues where Democrats believe Republicans are failing rural Hoosiers.

"Public schools and farmers are the heartbeat of rural communities and the backbone of Indiana itself," said Mike Schmuhl, Indiana Democratic Party chairman.

"Democrats are creating a better future for Hoosier families in rural America, while the Republicans' partisanship refers to issues like roads and bridges and clean water as 'socialism' — a contrast we'll campaign on into the 2022 elections."

The Democrats' small town events were the fourth organized, statewide tour led by party officials throughout the year, including events in Highland and Valparaiso focused on promoting the benefits of Democratic President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan and American Jobs Plan, along with the perils of the Republican-controlled legislative redistricting process at the Statehouse.

"At the start of my term as chairman, I made a promise to Indiana Democrats — and all Hoosier voters — that we would start showing up everywhere to listen to folks, tell how common sense and popular policies can create a better future for our state, and push back against partisan extremism," Schmuhl said.

This is especially interesting in light of other recent reports about Democrats' failure to even show up in rural America.   It just so happens that one of my favorite resources about how to reach rural voters--and what's a stake in reaching them--is also out of Indiana.  It's this interview with George Goehl, Director of People's Action, who grew up there.