Reach Out Wisconsin

press release: Note our new regular schedule (third Wednesday of each month) and the later-than-usual start time this month, 7:00 pm.

The Rural/Urban Divide

In recent years, rural residents in Wisconsin and in much of the U.S. have tended to vote Republican/conservative while city dwellers have leaned Democratic/liberal. What divides us, and what do we still have in common? 

In her 2016 book “The Politics of Resentment: Rural Conciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker”, UW-Madison Professor and “city girl” Katherine Cramer found that rural voters often supported conservative small-government policies due to a belief that the taxes they paid were not coming back to them and their communities in fair measure. She also found a perception of more work for less pay and less political influence compared to city residents, and lack of understanding and respect for their values.

On Wednesday Feb. 20th we’ll hear directly from a rural Dane County Board Supervisor with farm roots, Dave Ripp, on some of these issues. We plan to follow up with a farm tour in the summer and perhaps a forum on what drives city dwellers to vote as they do.

We hope you'll stick around for conversation after the workshop concludes. Reach Out Wisconsin forums are free and open to the public.  Dinner and drink waitservice will be available.