Democrats including Vice President Kamala Harris, are trying to find ways to appeal to America’s rural voters, who in recent years have broken largely for the GOP, especially in the age of Trump. Postindustrial columnist Mark Yonkman, aka “The Rural Whisperer,” shares thoughts on how to win their favor in November.
We’ve been meaning to have Mark Yonkman, aka “The Rural Whisperer,” on the show for a while now.
However, Mark is quite busy these days. In addition to writing columns for Postindustrial about rural issues in politics, he’s also the founder of the newly created Super PAC Reclaim the Rural Vote, author of the new book Reclaim the Rural Vote and WIN in 2024: A Democratic Operative’s Handbook, and a full-time farmer in Michigan and father.
We did manage to catch up with Mark for a short conversation when he spoke to us from his remodeled schoolhouse-turned living space that was built in the 1800s by his settler ancestors.
Mark is a real asset to anyone trying to understand the growing divide between rural and urban America because he knows both worlds so well.
See, he left the family farm as a teen, studied at Columbia University in New York, then went on to be an attorney at a Fortune 500 company.
Only recently did he return to farm life, giving him a unique perspective on how we can close the growing and dangerous gap between America’s city and country folk.
In our conversation, Mark and I talk about the state of the race, how Kamala can appeal to rural voters by addressing their specific concerns, EVs on the farm, and much more.
After our talk, be sure to check out Mark’s columns for Postindustrial and his book.
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