How to win rural governing power

In 2018 a group of organizers created WV Can’t Wait, a movement in the US state of West Virginia that has built the largest electoral organizing infrastructure in the state in decades. In 2020, they recruited and trained 101 candidates, all of whom ran together under a shared banner. Eleven became officeholders — from statehouse to city council, from board of education to prosecutor. What’s more, hundreds of West Virginians who had never run, volunteered for a campaign, done a financial report, or knocked on a door before, now have.

In this article, they share the lessons learned about recruiting, training and assisting rural and small town movement candidates.

Source: Do Rural Organizing by WV Can’t Wait
Author information: Katey Lauer

Year of publication: 2021