Today was the final day of One Country Project's Rural Progress Summit, marking the end to a very successful and impactful event. Over the course of five panels, we covered rural broadband, understanding working class voters, Project 2025, inspiring younger Americans to run for office, and immigration in rural America.

Several elected officials and public figures participated in meaningful conversations including former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Founder of Dignity Docket Marc Elias, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Anderson Clayton, and many more. Senator Brown shared his understanding of working-class voters and what the Democratic Party needs to do to best represent these voters. Anderson Clayton discussed her experience as the youngest chair of a state democratic party in the U.S. and the importance of having conversations with people who have different beliefs from you.

This year's Rural Progress Summit would not have been possible without our amazing panelists and moderators who brought personal stories, deep knowledge, and natural charisma. These conversations are more important now than ever, and OCP is proud to serve as a platform for rural voices. While the political landscape of today remains complex and uncertain at times, we hope our event has brought you some comfort and inspires you to take action in any way you can – big or small. We look forward to building on this momentum throughout the rest of the year and at our next Rural Progress Summit in summer 2026!

Make sure to stay up to date on the news and issues shaping rural America. You can do this by following us on Substack and subscribing to The Hot Dish wherever you find your podcasts. We are also on X, Bluesky, Facebook, and YouTube. Thank you for tuning in!

Tessa

Tessa Gould
Executive Director, One Country Project