There’s a ‘so-called’ battle for rural America at the heart of the coming federal election. But what if it needn’t be a battle? And in fact, what if heart is what’s really at stake? People who love their places – places, by the way, that constitute 20% of the vote, and 97% of the land in this country. After the recent Vice-Presidential debate here in the US, featuring two men speaking to their roots in rural America, it is still reported that people are not seeing themselves well represented in either major party’s characterisations of them. Enter, this week’s story.

One of my favourite episodes on the podcast featured a woman I learned about back in Australia – Maine’s youngest ever female state senator, Chloe Maxmin. On arrival at Begin Again Farm, we also met her partner Bill Pluecker. And as he and Chloe showed us around the farm, we learned of his incredible journey as co-owner and farmer here, former manager of a successful Community Supported Agriculture program, and subject of a Maine state legislature love story. For that’s how Chloe and Bill met, when they were both elected to the House of Reps in 2018.

But while Chloe’s sights were on bringing the Democratic Party back to rural people, Bill stood as an Independent in his conservative district, and won - despite an electoral system not designed to enable that. Six years on, he’s still there and is now running for a fourth term.

Bill was also named in the Grist 50 for 2024.

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 8 September 2024 (intro in Baltimore).

Bonus 5 minute episode on the Common Ground Fair.

Title slide: AJ & Bill (pic: Olivia Cheng).

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Music:
Green Shoots, by The Nomadics.
Regeneration, by Amelia Barden, from Regenerating Australia.

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