As a Missouri progressive, I end up voting for Republicans by default even though I never check the R box. Most of the races on my ballot are uncontested. Not one Democrat ran for a county office in 2024. - ThreadSky

piperformissouri.bsky.social • 96 days ago

As a Missouri progressive, I end up voting for Republicans by default even though I never check the R box.

Most of the races on my ballot are uncontested. Not one Democrat ran for a county office in 2024.

Comments

joeh-mgil89.bsky.social•96 days ago

Sorry to see this, but is it a sign that rural voters feel they don't need Democrats? That "urban elites" will support Medicaid, SNAP, rural education, rural broadband, etc. no matter how rural people vote? That rural voters don't have to give an inch on gun control or other issues important to us?

yukonjack.bsky.social•96 days ago

Do the Welfare Red States ever say thank you for the generosity of the Progressive Blue States?

piperformissouri.bsky.social•96 days ago

No. And we don’t wear suits either.

idealtit.bsky.social•96 days ago

You should run 😎

1989wildcat.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same in WV.

roadreclaimed.bsky.social•96 days ago

If I were in MO, you'd have my vote.

badassbitchbrigade.bsky.social•96 days ago

Even in suburban NY it's like that. And I hate it

chriscat.bsky.social•96 days ago

That happens in my red region, in a blue state. WA has a top 2 vote-getter progress to the general election. Sometimes I have 2 R's to choose from. Or an uncontested race w/an R. I am on my local school board. I made this statement at the last city council meeting. County Commissioners up next.

ct84.bsky.social•95 days ago

I choose to not vote in those races. At least the incumbent can see they’re losing popularity by less people voting for them.

jchaffee.bsky.social•96 days ago

Pull a Fetterman. Run as one party but help the other.

leftindecatur.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same. I'm an Alabama progressive.

timsylvester.com•96 days ago

That's because the Democratic party is a jobber, it exists to lose.

The Democratic party is the establishment's controlled opposition, there to capture anyone "not Republican" and ensure they can't accomplish anything.

When you're losing on purpose, your ground game is trash on purpose.

jbwoods.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same in South Carolina. It sucks.

zen1924.bsky.social•96 days ago

#ohio.

mechanicalengineer.bsky.social•96 days ago

If Democrats won’t run, maybe an alternative might.

rico99.bsky.social•96 days ago

Oh shit, why don't you run as a far far left progressive? These idiot Democrats trying to please the far right is horseshit.

greasyswede.bsky.social•96 days ago

Here in Ontario, we are allowed to decline the ballot if you don't want to vote for any of the candidates. It is recorded and noted on the official vote tally.

timharbert.bsky.social•96 days ago

Do the ballots have write in spaces? Vote for yourself on those instances. Or Mickey Mouse. Especially in races you don't support the republican in any way.

profjabbott.bsky.social•96 days ago

Why not run yourself? Or find a write in

piperformissouri.bsky.social•96 days ago

I have, friend.

profjabbott.bsky.social•96 days ago

Awesome. No seat anywhere in the US should be uncontested

soapboxyes.bsky.social•96 days ago

She has, state house

desertdogster.bsky.social•96 days ago

Must indicate something about their constituents.

Perhaps a loss of Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid may change their minds.

btramel.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same here; I just leave the boxes blank.

frank-mcg.bsky.social•96 days ago

so diff from canada

lestazgar.bsky.social•95 days ago

I get it.. same in okie land

anxiouspepper.bsky.social•96 days ago

Both parties do this... If they feel like they can't win in certain towns and cities, they just give up. This is why politicians are even trying to reach out to different communities.

vicmanz.bsky.social•96 days ago

Hi Jess, I'm from CA - I work in ag - we do business in SE MO - what happened in MO - to go from Claire McCaskill to where the state is now? What changed?

westmanajay.bsky.social•96 days ago

Is that because the cost of doing so outweighs the sense of public duty?

piperformissouri.bsky.social•96 days ago

For many of us, it literally cost us our careers.

cmbdmb.bsky.social•96 days ago

I’m sure there are places like that in Kansas, also.

theroyalrash.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same in Kansas

anaxmonroe.bsky.social•96 days ago

Kentucky

reallydebs.bsky.social•96 days ago

Just so infuriating

desertjoey.bsky.social•96 days ago

We've moved three times before we finally found a wonderful blue community. Sometimes you just gotta do what you just gotta do to find happiness and contentment in this life.

dognutz.bsky.social•96 days ago

Just run Jess, Ill donate

suethepooh.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same in tx, i don’t tick those r boxes though

geographile.bsky.social•96 days ago

Sometimes it felt like that here in California when we had feinstein running against a GOP Senate candidate ;)

effectivefootler.bsky.social•96 days ago

@piperformissouri.bsky.social I listened to you on the Suburban Women podcast and you saying this struck me cold. The red states will likely take a population hit again, there has to be a way to move this needle! In my red CA district it's crazy we haven't ousted the loser here yet!

teeklin.bsky.social•96 days ago

None of the good people I know want to run in MO because they're surrounded by people who demonize them and feel like the Democratic party itself doesn't really represent them, much less care about supporting down ballot races here

We gotta build that support network to encourage candidates to run

batsonc.bsky.social•96 days ago

You can run.

belcaro.bsky.social•96 days ago

Missouri used to be a purple state before it went to the dark side. Sad.

jollyjester.bsky.social•96 days ago

Do those dems even get funded?

jukesgrrl.bsky.social•96 days ago

Whomever is in charge of the party should always demand that local Democratic groups put up a candidate for every single office on the ballot. I don't care if it's a dog.

namasteve.bsky.social•96 days ago

What part of Missouri are you in?

piperformissouri.bsky.social•96 days ago

namasteve.bsky.social•96 days ago

I’m in the Saint Joe area - and it’s tough

terridolan.bsky.social•96 days ago

I also live in Missouri. In between St Louis and Rolla. Do you have any suggestions on how to find out when protests are being held? I think there is one for Veterans on Friday but I thought there were more for Saturday . Thank you

namasteve.bsky.social•96 days ago

If you hear anything, let me know

psybinder.bsky.social•96 days ago

I vote blue the whole ticket here in Missouri, I just wish the key issues were easier to get a bead on for how they vote was available. I do make use of https://isidewith.com and answer honestly and thoroughly to get a feel.

stoneface58.bsky.social•96 days ago

I had the same problem in the thumb of Michigan. The few Democrats were left to their own devices to challenge any republican candidate. if you’re wondering why democrats lose elections it’s because they fail to show up in rural America.How do you win elections if you don’t support local candidates!

jackjack59.bsky.social•96 days ago

Time for you and your friends to run for office

scooter1981.bsky.social•96 days ago

Simply sad.

Same here.

thirdeyeerisian.bsky.social•96 days ago

During the last presidential election the only Republican choice that was on the ballot at all was Trump. Every other person running for anything was either a Democrat or an Independent. I live in Georgia, too.

sapw.bsky.social•96 days ago

Isn’t that a southern tradition. The primary is the election.

wobblywalrus.bsky.social•96 days ago

I’ve written in Mickey Mouse so many times against unopposed Republicans I’m going to get carpal tunnel (rural KS)

lindaloo24.bsky.social•96 days ago

It's ok to just not vote for someone though, right? In Idaho, the fewer votes an elected official gets, the fewer signatures are needed on a recall petition. So I just stopped voting for most Republicans in our area.

duchessnikki.bsky.social•96 days ago

We were just talking about this at the Lincoln County Dems meeting. I’m hoping we can find people to run for all the local seats coming up for reelection.

1stangrydino-nm.bsky.social•96 days ago

Don't vote for them,abstain. Better an incomplete ballot than not one at all.

apolloni.bsky.social•96 days ago

It’s the same in my county in North Carolina. We are fortunate to have some good Democrats elected at the state level

massrebel.bsky.social•96 days ago

I leave the box blank to later point out the blank box won by more votes.

weeirish.bsky.social•96 days ago

Well that sucks! Any good people out there in MO??

lherrick.bsky.social•96 days ago

How do we fix that?

calamity1849.bsky.social•96 days ago

Start running for office

jstayton.bsky.social•96 days ago

She did. And lost her career in the process. It’s not that easy.

ronikmarci.bsky.social•96 days ago

Wow.

mequa.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same here in Mitchell County, Texas.

joeinaustralia.bsky.social•96 days ago

If only you could bottle that helpful advice energy people are throwing at you.

jdt1156.bsky.social•96 days ago

i would invite you to run for office. There may be many like you. God bless you!

rcopelander.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same in Alabama

joshlange3d.bsky.social•96 days ago

Recruit!!!

mantisgadfly424.bsky.social•96 days ago

Abolishing the electoral college might help with that.

Mandatory voting too.

junminx.bsky.social•96 days ago

And fixing the gerrymandering issues in many states.

cavalry4.bsky.social•96 days ago

You could change that.

deerwatcher.bsky.social•96 days ago

same here, in Arkansas,..and this County voted 81.3% Trump.

angeloftheozarks.bsky.social•96 days ago

Knowing how Missi Hesketh down in CD-07 neighbors treat her, even with her being a teacher and being mayor... It's a big ask for people to run in rural spaces.

iamagrip.bsky.social•96 days ago

It is ok to not vote for a candidate, just because they are the only one on the ballot. Write someone in. It is the best way for the candidate to find out just how unliked they are. Like when the governor died and they elected him anyway. Can you imagine being so bad that you lose to a dead guy.

leroydickson.bsky.social•96 days ago

Be the change you wish to see. Run.

piperformissouri.bsky.social•96 days ago

I did.

rainydaze65.bsky.social•96 days ago

Maybe folks are trying to say run again. Run at the local level if you need to.

bluemartha.bsky.social•96 days ago

That sounds like Arkansas. There must be good Democrats who could run, but they know this area always goes Republican.

bryceg73.bsky.social•96 days ago

I’m in Colorado and our elections for local officials hardly show if candidates are Republican or Democrat

libbygrl.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same where I live in SC 😤

verboze.bsky.social•96 days ago

What about you

jillywilly24601.bsky.social•96 days ago

She ran for office. She did more than 99% of the rest of us have done. Educate yourself.

verboze.bsky.social•95 days ago

I did not know she ran I do appreciate her contribution and thoughts that’s why I follow her

jillywilly24601.bsky.social•95 days ago

She was just on the Michelangelo Signorile show talking about the stakes of trying to run for office, reaching rural Americans, and more. She should be elevated and highlighted by more mainstream media sites. Her message needs amplifying!

verboze.bsky.social•95 days ago

Agree hope to see on screen

gfarquart.bsky.social•96 days ago

I’ll never understand why people don’t use the power of a write in vote. I worked for Murkowski years ago.

debbiecruz.bsky.social•96 days ago

Happens here in rural Texas too- we don’t even have a Democrat Society to join in the whole county.. I am pretty sure I’m the only democrat in town!

thejoatmon.bsky.social•96 days ago

I have the same problem in Texas. I left so many boxes blank on my ballot

ellaweb.bsky.social•96 days ago

Damn! Maybe you should run, Jess. If you don't want to, at least push the Democrats to change that.

duckduckf.bsky.social•96 days ago

she did

wnjeffers.bsky.social•96 days ago

I have been known to vote in the Republican primary to at least help boost the less repulsive candidate. No Dem has a chance for statewide office in WV. The Dem brand has been poisoned by sending so many of our rural factories overseas, plus effective propaganda on Fox.

justmedana.bsky.social•96 days ago

That’s so sad.

mahri345.bsky.social•96 days ago

Same here in Western South Dakota

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