I am a native Granite Stater who prides myself on being a part of a tough and resilient rural community. Growing up here, as a public health geographer who studies rural communities and, most recently, campaigning for state Senate District 8, I’ve seen the burdens our communities face — families struggling to make ends meet, gripped by the opioid epidemic and lacking access to the health care they need — are the cumulative effects of communities ignored and left to fend for themselves.
I strongly believe that all Granite Staters, regardless of where they live, deserve an equal shot at the American dream — and there is one candidate who has demonstrated a meaningful commitment to our rural communities: Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Warren’s comprehensive plans prove that she is listening to communities like ours. For example, her $100 billion plan to combat the opioid crisis would provide an estimated $13.6 million annually to New Hampshire cities and counties on the front lines of the crisis and enable communities to apply for additional funding through local formula grants. She’ll strengthen rural health care by investing $25 billion in fortifying and expanding existing providers, building new health centers, and ensuring that care is available and accessible in every community.
Warren understands that to effectively address economic insecurity we need to take on the corrupt system that left our communities behind in the first place. That is why she has released the most comprehensive anti-corruption agenda since Watergate to end our pay-to-play government once and for all. Without tackling corruption in our government head on, we won’t be able to pass a lot of the reforms our communities desperately need.
Warren understands that these plans alone cannot rebuild our rural communities — because we first need to win this November. Warren has run her campaign on a motto of meeting people where they are, and neighbors in our communities are responding. As a candidate, Warren has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to being a president for all Americans, holding events in working class communities like Newport and Weare not usually visited by candidates. I first met Warren in January 2019, when I introduced her in Claremont, and she’s returned to the area many times. This meaningful and persistent engagement demonstrates the level of commitment necessary to address the most pressing issues facing our rural communities.
Her campaign staffers have followed her example. In Sutton, they facilitated a group discussion on rural policy issues. In Newport, they were the only presidential campaign staffers who joined the Newport Democratic Committee’s kickoff meeting. That’s not to mention her campaign’s canvassing every week, connecting with voters all across our district. Having knocked on doors myself in my campaign for Senate District 8, I know what a commitment and joy it is to drive for hours up dirt roads, down long driveways, and stopping at houses no campaign has talked to before in order to give every voter a voice. It is incredibly powerful to see a presidential campaign making the same commitment. Warren’s campaign has centered its mission on organizing everywhere, becoming a meaningful and persistent presence in our rural communities. This commitment is a reflection that Warren understands and values all of us, not just those who are easy to reach.
Warren’s commitment of time and resources to build connections is important for creating momentum in this critical election cycle, and it is intentionally scaled to help carry down-ballot Democrats like me all across the Granite State. It’s not surprising, given her history. In 2018, when up for reelection herself, Warren raised or donated more than $11 million to Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, every state party, the national committees and the redistricting fight. Her presidential campaign is rooted in the same spirit, investing in the infrastructure needed to carry Democrats to victory all across the country.
Warren’s campaign has made it clear that big, structural change isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s a mindset. Her sincere (and effective) strategy to ensure all Americans are well-represented in local and state races is leadership that clearly begins with her. We need a president with the intelligence, drive, capacity and, most important, the interest to do the hard work of meeting the needs of our rural communities. That is why I am proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren.
Jenn Alford-Teaster, of Bradford, N.H., is a candidate for New Hampshire’s Senate District 8.