When politics make the world feel heavy, having a support system can make all the difference. But for many left-leaning Americans living in deeply conservative and rural areas, that kind of support can not only be hard to find, but risky to seek out.
Truck with a cutout of a public figure wearing a suit at a lively amusement park with people, rides, and stalls in the background
Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images
Recently, we asked Democrats living in Trump country to share what it’s really like to navigate daily life as a blue dot in a sea of red, and their responses range from eye-opening to petrifying. Here’s what they had to say.
1. «The hardest thing for me, living in a bright Red community in an otherwise Blue state, is that I can’t find a church that I can go to in good conscience. Out east, where I come from, there were plenty of mainstream churches that would never have taken a political position on anything. Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Episcopalian — you name it, they were normal, everyday people who allowed you to believe what you wanted to believe. Where I live now, all the churches are either Evangelical or very strict Catholic churches. I’m actually a Catholic and prefer the Catholic churches, but not these ones. The people here are wild. It’s disgusting when you can’t even go to church because of MAGA.»
Church sign reads: "Give Satan an inch and he will be a ruler. SS 9:45. Worship 11:00AM & 6:30PM."
2. «I’m a liberal Democrat living in Texas. Until recently, when I found a group of like-minded women my age, there was no one with whom I could talk about politics or much else, for that matter. All my life I have felt that I had some control over the things in life that matter to me. Now, not even my vote counts. I vote anyway in every election because that’s what patriots do, but in the presidential election where, ultimately, the out-dated Electoral College elects the president, I have no voice. Barring some cataclysmic shift, Texas is going to vote RED. It makes me angry, sometimes depressed, always worried about the state of our country. I live in Texas because that’s where my grandchildren are. I’m too old to live in another state without my family’s support, so I’m stuck. I pray the Serenity Prayer every time I hear Trump’s or his minions’ voices, every time ICE kills or kidnaps someone. God help us.»
3. «I live a very conservative-coded life despite being liberal. My husband is a retired combat veteran, and we moved to rural Missouri after he retired to start a small farm. I love to cook and bake, and have gotten really into canning, which all lends to the appearance of very traditional gender roles. Most people make the assumption that I’m conservative almost immediately. The reaction I get when I say that I’m a Democrat feels like I’m admitting to something illicit and unholy. It’s really isolating.»