The Indiana Democratic Party is planning to venture into communities across the state where few Democratic votes typically are recorded on Election Day.
Over the next several weeks, Democratic Party leaders and former statewide elected officials are set to visit more than a dozen localities on a "Small Town, Indiana" tour touting the advantages of Democratic policies, particularly on education and agriculture.
Mike Schmuhl, state Democratic chairman, is confident once small town Hoosiers learn what Democrats are doing on their behalf, they'll stop reflexively voting for Republicans and instead choose Democratic candidates who actually are working for them.
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"Democrats have delivered since day one of Joe Biden's presidency, and we are ready to fan out across the state to share with families how policies like the American Rescue Plan have fully funded Indiana's public schools and expanded broadband internet access," Schmuhl said.
"Public schools and farmers are the heartbeat of rural communities and the backbone of Indiana itself, and Democrats are set to hold intimate conversations about how we are delivering solutions to the most-pressing problems facing Hoosier families in Indiana's small towns."
The only tour stop in Northwest Indiana tentatively is scheduled for Nov. 9 in the Jasper County town of Wheatfield, where records show 72.5% of the 2,078 votes cast in the 2020 presidential election went to Republican Donald Trump.
Trump last year also won the most votes in 87 of the state's 92 counties, including Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper. Lake and St. Joseph counties went for Biden.
Schmuhl, a South Bend native, said those results emphasize the need for Democrats to get into Indiana's small towns and rural areas to show Hoosiers living in those communities that problem-solving is the party's top priority.
"Democrats are creating a better future for Hoosier families while the other side appears to prioritize only extreme partisanship and division — a contrast we'll campaign on through the 2022 elections," Schmuhl said.
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