The Democrats are on the brink of extinction in certain remote parts of rural America. There are just 32 people like Becky Blackburn remaining in Wyoming’s Niobrara County, which is in the state with the fewest residents.
“The crazy Democrat” is more of a pet name than a derisive one among her neighbors.
Counties with a smaller population tend to have fewer. Blaine County, Nebraska, has 20 Democrats and Clark County, Idaho, has 21. Associated Press election data shows that among the 30 states that keep tabs on local party identification, the Republicans dominate Democrats in Niobrara County by a wider margin than any other county. Democrats in Niobrara County make up a mere 2.6% of registered voters.
Wyoming has enacted a bill that makes changing party affiliation much more difficult, further cementing the Republican dominance in the state. This comes after the state voted for Trump by the widest margin of any country.
After the law went into effect, the first election to be held since then will be Tuesday’s primary.
The grassy rangelands and pine-strewn hills of Niobrara County, which border South Dakota and Nebraska, make being blue a challenge.
Blackburn, who is a paralegal for the Republican county attorney, often hears extreme right-wing rhetoric in her hometown.
She explained that she usually just rolls her eyes and walks away when she knows she’s fighting an uphill battle. “Perhaps that explains my popularity; I’m much more silent than I would like to be.”
She isn’t politically timid, in any way. In her home in Lusk, a ranching town of 1,500 and the seat of Niobrara County, she proudly displays an LGBTQ+ flag in support of her gay daughter.
Blackburn makes sure to have enough of Democratic campaign signs on hand throughout election season in case any of them are stolen. Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender internet sensation, and police reform are all topics she discusses favorably.
Blackburn appears to have widespread support in Lusk, where she most recently served for nine years on the Town Council. This could be due to the fact that she is forthright about her opinions and unfortunately outnumbered to do much about it.
Here, I was elected twice. They still understood I had left-leaning principles, she added, even though it’s nonpartisan.
Only three counties in the entire country have a Democratic voting turnout of less than 3%; this is an increase from one county in 2020 but a decrease from seven in 2016. Among the years with presidential elections in 2012, 2008, and 2004, none had such a low percentage of Democratic registrants, according to AP statistics.
Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming have a disproportionate number of Republican-leaning counties compared to other states. The areas that lean toward the Democratic Party, on the other hand, are not as monolithic.
The District of Columbia is the second most Democratically dominant jurisdiction in the nation, with 77% of the vote. Firstly, we have Breathitt County, Kentucky, which is 79% Democratic historically but not fundamentally. The county went 75% for Trump in 2020, and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance has connections there.
Republicans used to hold more sway in Niobrara County. In 2004, there were 139 Democrats, which is more than four times the number it had in 2012 (83).
Like the rest of rural America, the Democrats have been losing ground for years, and their problems in Wyoming are a reflection of that.
Things weren’t always like this. Southern Wyoming was a stronghold of the Democratic Party seventy years ago, thanks to the abundance of union mining and railroad jobs. The party’s current bastions are Jackson, a tourist town, and Laramie, a university town.
Meanwhile, many Wyoming Democrats have been transferring their registration to vote in the more competitive Republican primary before returning for the general election, as the party struggles to field credible candidates at all levels.
“When you do it, you feel sleazy and unclean. If you don’t want to start receiving Republican mailings, you change it back as quickly as possible, but you do it anyhow, according to Blackburn.
The Republican Party finally voiced its disapproval. Last year, lawmakers in Wyoming—a state where Republicans hold more than 90% of the state’s legislative seats—passed a law prohibiting voters from switching parties within the three months leading up to the August primary.
Chuck Gray, the Republican secretary of state of Wyoming, expressed his approbation, saying that party switching had “undermined the sanctity of Wyoming’s primary process.”
For the first time in modern history, voters in Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries in Wyoming will not be able to alter their party allegiance while casting their ballots.
It will be a tough election for Democrats. Across the state, the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate and House is being held by two obscure candidates who have barely campaigned.
No Democrat is seeking election in Niobrara County. They aren’t vying for any of the two big contests, local party offices, a spot on the county commission, or even a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives.
But not long ago, there was a Democratic state legislator from the region: Ross Diercks. He is well known and welcomed at Lusk’s cozy Outpost Cafe, where he enjoys breakfast and lunch.
Before coming to the realization that the GOP wasn’t doing enough to back public education, Diercks—a former middle school English teacher—was a Republican. In 1992, he began an 18-year tenure in the legislature by defeating an incumbent Republican.
Being personally familiar with voters and staying informed about issues allowed him to remain in government. For instance, he vowed to do better after receiving a C-minus on a survey from the National Rifle Association. He maintained an A+ average on the survey for the following elections.
Friendships go deep among Republican lawmakers. He sang at the funeral of a neighbor who had passed away.
Afterwards, in 2022, Diercks cast her ballot in the GOP primary for the opponent of then-Rep. Liz Cheney, Harriet Hageman, by briefly changing her party affiliation. Hageman was running against Cheney for the state’s sole House seat. Although it is difficult to determine the exact number, Diercks was certainly not the only Democrat to do this. Still, Hageman easily won the contest, even though she is the daughter of the politician for whom he performed at his funeral.
The new law that makes it more difficult for people like Diercks to switch registrations has irritated him with the Republican Party.
“How much further will they go to restrict voting rights?” According to Diercks, “there won’t be anyone left who is pure enough to be in the party” if the party’s purification efforts extend from the voting level to elected leaders.
Although truck driver Pat Jordan only lists as a Republican, he is in favor of numerous left-leaning causes, such as healthcare for everyone.
“The best way to participate in meaningful change is to try to sway the dominant party,” Jordan, a resident of Niobrara County, stated. “Our government must be inclusive and responsive to the needs of all its citizens, not selectively catering to certain groups such as Republicans, ruralites, urbanites, Democrats, or the extremely well-off.”
Dozens of residents came outside to yell and celebrate last winter as a single Democrat departed town. However, they did not cheer when Ed Fullmer was escorted from the field permanently.
As the high school boys basketball team boarded the bus to the state title, Fullmer was a passenger. Despite the loss, Fullmer guided the Tigers to their best record in ten years, a 20-8 record.
When asked about politics, he remarked that people are aware of his opinions but few challenge him.
Those kinds of conversations aren’t something most people are interested in having, he added. Your work ethic and accomplishments are well-respected.
As her political base continues to erode, Blackburn is determined to maintain her position.
“I hold the views that I do because I am who I am,” she declared. And it makes no difference to me whether it annoys somebody or not.