Bill Barrow.

Kentucky Democrats are trying to address the party’s steep deficits in overwhelmingly white, conservative pockets of rural America. A recent “Rural Listening Tour” stop by the state party leaders in a small Appalachian town reflected that challenge. It also showed they can have a presence everywhere. A generation ago, Democrat Bill Clinton won Kentucky twice, including pluralities in Johnson County, where Donald Trump won big in 2024. The state party chair, Colmon Elridge, says he’s committed to showing up in small-town Kentucky, and he points to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear as a model for Democrats to follow nationally in connecting with rural voters.