Radical Acts of Courage in Deep-Red America
Why saying, "They voted for this” is a strategic failure for the pro-democracy side.
We’ve all seen the footage from this past Saturday’s No Kings III protests. In the massive crowds of D.C., New York, and Chicago, it’s easy to feel the power of numbers. But there is a story often missed in the national conversation: the groups of people showing up in deep-red rural communities.
In places like Greybull, WY, Charon, OH, Driggs, ID, Cocke County, TN, and other rural, deep-red communities across America, showing up to protest against Trump is a radical act of courage. In a small town, you aren’t just a face in a crowd; you are a neighbor, a customer, a classmate. To stand up there is to risk social isolation, retaliation, and real personal consequences.
When even five people stand together in a deep-red county, it shifts the horizon of what’s possible. It signals to their neighbors that they are not alone. It cracks open the space for others to join. It inspires rural Americans for run for elected office in districts where Republicans have run unopposed for decades. This is where we need to grow the red state resistance.
The Breaking Point for Rural America: “They Voted for This”
For too long, many on the pro-democracy side look at the struggles of rural America suffering from the impact Trump policies and respond, “they voted for this,” and turn our backs. But that isn’t just cruel—it’s a strategic failure for the pro-democracy side to grow the coalition. Rural families are being decimated by the very policies they were promised would save them, and the Right-wing media machine prevents these communities from learning who is at fault:
The “Big Beautiful Bill” Gutting the Safety Net: Trump’s 2025 legislation has slashed Medicaid and SNAP, imposing draconian work requirements that are stripping healthcare and food from the most vulnerable in rural communities
The Cost of War: With the conflict in Iran escalating, the price of diesel and urea (the nitrogen essential for fertilizer) has skyrocketed, making this planting season unsustainable for family farms.
Immigration Policies: The farming industry in rural communities draw heavily on migrant workers, some permanent and others on temporary work visas. For many farmers, crops are going unharvested and a local workforce doesn’t exist to help fill the gaps left by migrants too afraid to show up to work their farm jobs.
Healthcare Deserts: Trump’s policies have accelerated the closure of rural hospitals, forcing families to travel hours for basic care. Health care providers are the biggest employer in rural America. The Republican Medicaid subsidy cuts are a wrecking ball for rural jobs and leave rural communities without health care.
Barriers to Social Security and SSDI: DOGE cuts closed many rural Social Security offices, and Trump policies are making it more difficult for America’s disabled to apply and be approved for benefits.
Tariff Fallout: Trump’s trade wars are tanking crop values and triggering a wave of farm bankruptcies and suicides.
Our Strategy: Reclaiming the Battle for the American Mind
We aren’t waiting for the Democratic establishment to get their digital strategy together. Lincoln Square has spent months building the digital infrastructure to fight back where it matters most. On April 1, we are launching a six-month digital ad blitz leading up to the mid-term elections.
We are using demographic data to micro-target the rural communities most harmed by these policies. We aren’t leading with abstract “democracy” talk—we are leading with the cost of living, the price of fertilizer, and the loss of local hospitals.
Our goal is to pre-bunk the lies of right-wing media and flood the feeds of rural voters with the truth: voting red is a vote against their own way of life.
The Momentum is Real
It’s working. In the last year alone, we’ve seen 30 state seats flip from red to blue in special elections—including a stunning upset in a Florida district that went +19 for Trump just two years ago. The Right saw America rise up on Saturday, and they are going to turn up the heat. We must be ready to hit back harder.
We are currently 30% toward our $500,000 goal to win the digital war. Your contribution today fuels the graphics, the geo-targeted ads, and the mobilization tools that will grow every rural protest and inspire future leaders in the heart of “Trump Country.”
Thirty flips is just the start. From the rural town squares to the state capitol, a true red state resistance is rising. We are reclaiming ground that was once thought lost—one seat, one town, and one neighbor at a time. Join us and help grow this resistance into a force they can no longer ignore.
There is a profound, quiet bravery in standing on a street corner where everyone knows your name and half the town disagrees with your sign. This rural resistance is fragile, but it is undeniably real. We have made it our mission to spotlight every protest and grassroots effort in these communities because these folks are risking their social ties and their livelihoods to speak truth to power. Their lawmakers have forgotten them, but we never will.
When Americans are truly informed, they don’t just watch—they rise. Together, let’s ensure that when these brave neighbors stand up again, their numbers have doubled.
Together, we can build the movement that stands right behind them from now until November and beyond.