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Articles by Jess Piper
Nosy in Nebraska
The conversation I was in Omaha this weekend for our middle son’s wedding. And it was quite the wedding. It was in a gorgeous venue space that my daughter-in-law found on a lake just outside the city. And they couldn’t have been luckier with the weather…it had been raining nearly nonstop for two weeks leading up to the wedding.
The Only Race We Can’t Win...
Is the one we don’t run I was talking to my friend, Michele Hornish yesterday morning. We text every day, but we talk for an hour or so every Wednesday about work and strategy. We are usually sidetracked for at least an hour on kids and life in general, though. You know how that goes.
If They Wanted To, They Would
There’s an old saying that I have heard all my life, and it has been stuck in my head for years… “If they wanted to, they would.” I remember my grandma using the line often, but especially when referring to my grandpa, whom she eventually left after over 50 years of marriage. When he refused to attend an event for one of the kids or grandkids. Or when he “forgot” birthdays and anniversaries.
He’s Underwater
I don’t think people should know who I am, or recognize my name, but after I recently made a social media post about rural America, a man told me that I should try to be “the change I want to see.” He then pointed me toward a social media influencer, who honestly seems more like a grifter, and suggested that I reach out to her and try to do better for my own rural community.
How Missouri Is Fighting Back in its Congressional Redistricting Battle
Missouri’s congressional maps made headlines last week after some state officials launched a last-ditch effort to implement newly redrawn maps less than two months before the midterm elections. The new maps, which attempted to create one sole Democratic district in the entire state, were rejected both by the court of public opinion and the Supreme Court of the United States (twice!).
Puppy Mills to SNAP
Missouri is a beautiful state, both for our natural beauty and for our people. Missouri is also an ugly state because of the imposed tyranny of a GOP supermajority that has had its boot on our neck for 22 years. The party that has harmed our social safety nets. From SNAP to puppy mills. From Medicaid to animal abuse. Cruelty abounds. But the ugliest thing I can say about Missouri is that we mistreat the most defenseless and at risk among us — the most vulnerable. Children and animals.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I didn’t have the most stable home growing up. I guess I could call my childhood chaotic to save the feelings of those who raised me. Throughout the chaos of dozens of moves and almost as many new schools and a revolving door of step-parents, I had one method to deal with the upheaval…I always wrote letters to god. So many letters that I wrote and placed in the highest point in my bedroom — the top of my closet. I left the letters open and face up so god could see them and read them easily.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I crisscrossed the state a few times last week to speak to rural Democrats, and I don’t remember where I was when I looked up to see a huge electronic billboard on the interstate proclaiming, “Vote Yes on Amendment 3. Ban transition surgeries on minors.” If I were not so involved in Missouri politics, I might have been confused about the sign. Amendment 3 is a ballot question about abortion rights — it has nothing to do with “gender transition” surgeries.
How Dems Can Win in Red States | The Weekly Assignment with Jess Piper
Democrats are beginning to make progress in rural and traditionally Republican areas. That’s something Jess Piper has been working hard on as the head of Blue Missouri. In her red state, ballot initiatives for abortion rights and against taxes have won, proving that progressive ideas can still win out in conservative areas.
Dystopian Boots
The boots you lick will stomp you too… I can’t give credit for the quote because it has been around for a while, and it is used on everything from t-shirts to mugs to signs to billboards. I’ve seen it at protests and rallies. I’ve heard it from both folks on the Left and the Right. I think about the quote a few times a week these days… I was a Literature teacher for years and basically a professional reader my entire life.
Give Them an Inch...
The funny thing about the Heritage Foundation is that they have always been upfront about their plans. They write hundreds of pages of plans for the dystopian future they envision, and they don’t hide the plans. They publish them online for the world to see…remember Project 2025?
Firemen Not Necessary
“The liberal world by definition is literate.” ~Marshall McLuhan I consume a lot of words every day. I work with words every day. I have been trying to read more books than I have in the last few years, but I still always end up reading dozens of articles on current issues every single day. I start with AP and Reuters on my phone. I move on to the Missouri Independent and the KC Star and then scroll on social media to see if I missed anything newsworthy from other states or outlets.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I just found out that I live in one of the worst ranked states in the country. Well, I already knew that instinctively, but my thoughts were confirmed when I came across a CNBC study of the worst ranked states in the country.
I Know a Thing or Two About a Thing or Two
I am not a political consultant. I am not a political insider. I am a progressive grassroots organizer living and working with the very people the Democrats purport to need to win elections nationwide. So many consultants are ignoring the people who actually know the issues to win in rural America, and candidates are paying for that mistake. I live in a GOP-dominated state in a very rural area, and I know my neighbors and understand rural spaces.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
*Some names and details have been changed to protect identities. Jennifer was in her early 30s when she and her husband divorced. She had two little girls and worked as a nurse. She started thinking about dating about a year after her divorce. She was introduced to a paramedic working a few towns over, and they hit it off. They started dating exclusively within weeks. Jennifer’s new boyfriend seemed to be in love with her and asked her for selfies often — she usually sent one over.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
The picture was taken by photographer, Jacob Moscovitch at a St Louis rally for abortion rights eight long years ago. The woman in the photo with me is Veronica…I just stood next to her at a town hall for local representatives a few weeks ago. You’ll notice the sign I am carrying says, “Governor Parson, SHAME on YOU.” The fight for abortion access in Missouri has been going on so long that Governor Parson termed out and has been replaced by Governor Kehoe.
Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time
I’ve written about Progressives winning in political races across the country, and it excites me. I think we are seeing the future of the Democratic Party evolving before our eyes, and I am watching with bated breath as candidates with big ideas, and no apologies for these ideas, keep winning. I am also watching this play out across the country while in a state with a near authoritarian-type legislature. Missouri has been under the boot of a GOP supermajority for over two decades.
Trump's Iran Peace Deal Is Crumbling | The Weekly Assignment with Blue Missouri's Jess Piper
Trump is once again threatening Iran, further muddling peace negotiations — and leaving his Vice President defending his actions in the press. Meanwhile, decades of Republican control in rural states have led to struggling schools, rural hospital closures, and policies hurting lower-income residents. Jess Piper, Executive Director of Blue Missouri and author of The View From Rural Missouri on Substack,knows the struggles that Democrats have to break through in rural areas like hers.
Soft White Underbelly
I am a hillbilly. No, really. My high school mascot was a Hillbilly. I graduated from Ozark, Arkansas, in 1993 — Home of the Hillbillies. To my knowledge, it is the only school in the country with that mascot. The West Virginia Mountaineer is a wink and a nod to the hillbilly spirit, but while the WV mascot wears a buckskin outfit and coonskin hat and carries a musket, more of a frontiersman, the Ozark Hillbilly of my alma mater wore torn denim overalls and a worn felt hat and carried a shotgun.
Shannon Watts and Jess Piper on being a blue dot in a red state
Check out my Substack Live conversation with Jess Piper, a mother and grandmother who lives on a small farm on the Missouri/Iowa border, about why it’s so important that the Democratic Party start focusing on organizing voters in the rural areas of red states—not just before an election, but all year long: “It's just mind blowing because we can win. We don't have to flip a district. We don't have to flip a seat. We have to turn out enough voters to make a difference at the top of the ticket.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I have two Facebook accounts. The one I log into most days is my Piper for Missouri account, where I post political content and essays and news articles. I have around 100k friends on that page, and it is where many folks keep up with me and my commentary on Missouri. It’s also where my ugliest trolls pop up. I still have my old Facebook page that I opened about 15 years back.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I’m not one to show much emotion in public. I mean, I show a lot of love and enthusiasm, but when it comes to sadness, or god forbid, crying, I am not participating. I was raised with a strict “no crying” policy, and I have not been able to shake my stoic inheritance, no matter the occasion. The problem is the embarrassment I feel at crying in public. I definitely don’t think it makes me any better than anyone who cries in public…it may make me worse.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I sent my husband a screenshot from my Dexcom app a few days ago — my blood sugar was spiking over 200 and still rising. I install a new Dexcom device on the back of my arm every fifteen days so I can better track my diabetes and my sugar levels. The app has been helpful in tracking what makes my blood sugar spike, and things I should stay away from.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
Rural Democrats Article voiceover 0:00 -6:30 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. “I don’t think Republican lawmakers know how angry the people are, or they would be acting and voting differently.” I heard that from someone in rural Nebraska a few months back, and though I can see where the sentiment is coming from, I have to disagree.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I have said, “There is no perfect candidate,” on several occasions, and I am starting to think I may have to eat those words. Or chew on them anyhow. Usually, my statement is in response to someone asking me what makes the best or perfect candidate…especially in a rural space. I have always said the best candidate is the one who is from their community and the one who knows their community.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
“You are pulling down heaven and raising up a whore.” Arthur Miller, The Crucible I am positive you are familiar with The Crucible and likely read the play in high school. I taught it in American Literature. We always read it in the first semester. Within weeks of the beginning of each year. Before I started each school day, I read ahead in the play and wrote the name of each character on the board.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I was in Moberly, Missouri several months ago to speak to a group of rural Democrats. Moberly is about 3.5 hours away from home, so I arrived not long before the event, but I could tell it was going to be a packed house by the cars in the parking lot.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
Yesterday, I drove an hour south to St. Joseph, MO to return a pair of tennis shoes and to speak at a town hall meeting on AI data centers. The tennis shoes were cute, but for some reason, they dragged my socks down and by the time I walked across the room, my heel was bare, and my arch had half my sock bunched up uncomfortably in the middle of my shoe. I loved the way the shoes looked, but I felt like a toddler with a crumpled sock.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I am just back from four days in Cambridge, and I loved it so much that I feel like I left a piece of myself in that town. It turns out I just left my wallet on the plane, which promptly departed for Boston after I deplaned in Kansas City. If someone is planning to steal my identity, I hope they can raise my credit score… The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library is the largest library at Harvard University.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
I have visited the doctor more in the last two years than I have in my entire life. Turning 50 and the years leading up to my half-century were tough on me — tougher than they should have been. You can imagine I live with a lot of stress because of my profession, but I have also had so many odd health issues that I imagined the rest of my life was just going to be rough. I guess this is what growing older is like? I travel the country to speak on rural issues. I write about them.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
Congressman Sam Graves, the most invisible incumbent Missouri has had, just announced his retirement. Not to his constituents, but to the Wall Street Journal. Fitting. Sam has been my Congressman since I moved to Missouri. He has represented the 6th District since 2001. I’ve seen him one time in all of those years, and it was an accident on his part. He didn’t actually mean to be around his constituents. The story of Sam’s retirement was whispered weeks ago, but he stayed silent.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
Something weird happens every time I talk online about having a Liberal Arts degree…my comments fill up with people who tell me my degree was a waste of time and that I could have focused on something that would have made more money. That is untrue. It is the lie the people in power want us to believe. By virtue of my Liberal Arts education, I can think critically about politics. I am able to analyze and argue and debate and read and write well because of my education.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
Our roads out here in NW Missouri are ranked the worst in the state. The ones I travel are littered with potholes and no shoulders and cracks so wide the grass grows where the center line paint used to be. If you top a hill and meet a combine, you’ll need a quick maneuver and a solid prayer and hopefully a cornfield to pull over in to dodge the farm equipment. You can tell a lot about my state by our roads. Our rural highways look like the people in charge.
The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper
When you are alone in silence, do you hear words or music in your head? It’s one of my favorite questions to ask people. I have quizzed all of my kids and family members. They all report hearing music rather than words. In fact, my husband doesn’t realize it, but he hums all the time. An absentminded habit I adore. But I hear words. An avalanche of words. A constant narrative that can feel overwhelming at times.
Rural Soldiers. Forever Wars.
On 9/11/2001, I stood in front of my television watching the Twin Towers fall while holding my heavily pregnant belly. I cried watching the smoke roll out of the Pentagon while my son kicked my ribs. I felt a wave of nausea when I heard the news of the plane going down in a Pennsylvania field. My son was born 90 days after the attacks. I brought him home to our Arkansas farm. I sobbed, knowing my youngest son was entering a different world than his older brother.
No Seat Uncontested
The last thing I want to write about is the consistent and persistent abortion ban in Missouri. The reason I am sick of writing about it? Missourians voted to enshrine reproductive rights into the Missouri Constitution one year and five months ago. I drove hours around the northern part of the state to collect signatures from rural people to put the abortion question on the ballot. I worked hours upon hours to ensure my part of the state was represented in the ballot initiative.
Treks
Rural Voters I left early for my speaking engagement in Overland Park, Kansas, last week because I wanted to drop by the REI store in the city. I love camping, and I have never had an opportunity to visit an REI store, but I have perused their online store several times.
Access Denied
I am not an investigative journalist. I am a storyteller, but the story I am about to tell you has me feeling a little like Erin Brockovich. It keeps getting bigger. I keep taking notes. I keep hearing from others who are experiencing the same thing. Something stinks in Missouri, and the stench is spreading fast — like a feed lot in July. Republican Congressional Representatives are up to something nasty, and I think it is coordinated.
Voter Passport
This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t have a passport. I have never needed a passport. I have never traveled outside of the United States. International travel is expensive. I represent about 50% of the country. About half of Americans do not have a passport. For many of us, it’s not even the lack of international travel that keeps us from owning a passport. It is the cost of the passport itself.
How Democrats Can Flip Back Latino and Rural Voters
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -36:10 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Last week, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the federal government’s policy of keeping thousands of people in detention centers without offering them a chance for bond hearings. This decision goes against years of legal precedent with, according to Politico, 360 judges rejecting the detention strategy in over 3,000 cases.
Is Trump Losing Rural America?
Trump’s policies seem to have done nothing but negatively impact the people that voted him into power—especially in rural America. From farmers in Iowa to small business owners, people across the nation are feeling the effects of the Trump administration’s broken promises and inaction. In response, a growing number of Democratic candidates across traditionally Republican held areas are running for election.
All Hat. No Cattle.
I listened to an interesting article from The Atlantic on my way to the doctor earlier this week. In fact, I listened to six or seven articles on my way to the doctor. I live in a rural part of Northwest Missouri on the Iowa line, and many of my doctor’s appointments are two hours from home. I live in a weird place…Omaha and Des Moines and Kansas City are all about two hours from me. Every time I state that fact, I feel like I’m quoting the pomade line from O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I Told You So
I talked to a journalist this week who wanted to speak to me about rural schools in Missouri. A friend gave him my number, and we set up a call to talk about the issues impacting the state. Impacting our teachers. Most importantly, impacting our kids. We talked about the state of our rural schools, and I’ll just give you a heads up…it’s not good. The journalist is from SW Missouri, while I am his counterpart in NW Missouri.
Mama
I thought my house was haunted. Maybe I have been sheltering a poltergeist for years… For three decades now, I often wake up from a dead sleep, startled by a voice saying, “Mama.” There is no one there. No child by my bedside. Just a clear voice calling out for me. It turns out, I don’t have a little ghost, and this is a common experience. Almost universal. When my kids were young, I found them beside my bed, calling for me. They were thirsty or scared or sick. Those nights are rare now.
An Atheist and a Dirndl
I was 22 years old before I had ever heard someone say they were an atheist…it wasn’t in so many words, but it was the first time I’d heard anything close to it in my life. I was in college at the time — a non-traditional student at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. I had already been married for four years at that point, and I had a two-year-old son. I was also working at a restaurant. It was on the site of a winery and vineyard.
The Teachers
Yesterday, I went to a rally in the small town where I used to work. I was a teacher in that town for six years. The event was a vigil for Renee Good and a rally against ICE abductions and ICE murders. There were about 60 people who showed up on the sidewalk in front of the Methodist church…in a very red town in a very red district in front of their neighbors driving by during the lunch hour. There were honks in agreement. There were women and men shaking their heads in anger at our signs.
Say Her Name
I don’t want to write at the moment, but I need to. I work from home, but I see off my husband and daughter every morning in my robe. I make his coffee and her lunch, and I start work the second they leave and don’t stop working until I am forced to. Today is different. I had a text from my husband about 10am, checking in and asking what I was up to…I was still in my robe. I was sitting in his recliner. I started some laundry and had two cups of coffee, and a banana.
The Ozarks and Venezuela
We often vacation in Southern Missouri — especially in the Branson area. I grew up vacationing in places like Dog Patch and Silver Dollar City in the 1980s. I use the word “vacationing” lightly because we didn’t stay the night anywhere. It was always a day trip, but I enjoyed it just as much. Dog Patch is long gone, and Silver Dollar City has become so expensive that we haven’t been in over a decade — I imagine it would be over $1K to visit with the family these days.
Legislating Obedience
I admit that I haven’t looked at many of the pre-filed bills that Missouri lawmakers have submitted in the last few weeks. The reason? They have pre-filed over 1,000 pieces of legislation in a state that often passes under 50 bills each year. Missouri State Senator Nick Schroer has filed 56 bills, which lets me know the donors and handlers are about to have a heyday in my state. There is no way in hell Sen Schroer wrote 56 bills — they were written and passed along to him by ALEC.
Not That Kind of White
I can’t tell you how many times I was asked the same question while teaching American Literature: “If there is a Black History Month, why isn’t there a White History Month?” My usual response? Because every month is White History Month. History is written by the victors — and colonizers. Much of the American history and literature we learned for generations erased the contributions of marginalized groups.
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