She might be coming to an I IPhone near you or appearing on that little screen your kids are obsessed with. Jessica Piper’s Twitter feed opens “Thoughts and Prayers” crossed out and boldly replaced by POLICY & CHANGE.
Jessica Piper is a “dirt-road Democrat” from Maryville, MO, a mom and wife, a recently retired high school American literature teacher, and a TikTok star with a following of over 150,000 fans and about half as many on Twitter. Born into a military family to teenage parents, Piper grew up in the small towns of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. She’s settled into Missouri now and is a candidate for state representative in Missouri’s 1st District, which borders Iowa and Nebraska in the northwest point of the state. It is a sparsely populated and traditionally bright-red Republican district. Still, Piper sees possibilities.
Her voice is strong, “We’re here but feel ignored because no one focuses on rural areas that can’t be won on the first try.” It takes long-term commitment and work. “In some election years, as many as 40% of the [state rep] districts in Missouri don’t even have Democrats running, so Republicans never even have to raise a cent.”
Not this year! Republicans are worried even in MO-1. Congressman Sam Graves “had to” make one of his rare appearances in the first district to campaign for incumbent Republican Allen Andrews, who has suddenly discovered life in the “deep-red” of the 1st is not so easy.
Piper has raised over $250,000. “Our campaign finance report was over 85 pages long with thousands of small donors,” she joyously exclaims. “I’ve proven we can do it. You have to be loud.” A quick look at one of Piper’s Tik-Tok, Twitter feed, or Facebook page reveals that she’s no shrinking violet; she can communicate with anyone that ever had to listen to a teacher.
“I see the corruption all around me and how decades of governance under the Missouri supermajority has harmed my community and my neighbors,” says Piper. “I understand that those of us in the middle are squeezed by the redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy and corporations–a reverse Robin Hood.”
The Missouri political establishment is not impressed and is more than a little perplexed by Piper. Quoted in the St. Louis Business Journal, a Republican consultant derides her as a “candidate of the liberal [social media] bubble.” One Democratic consultant says, “We need to get off Twitter completely.” Another long-time political columnist writes, “all that money being sent to Piper isn’t a great investment for Dems.” For some, it’s almost as if popularity among younger people is a disqualifier or at least a reason not to take a candidate seriously. Piper has attracted the support of a handful of national groups, including Democrats Work for America.
“Everyone” agrees that Piper won’t win in 2022. To many, any Democrat who would seriously consider running for District 1 is automatically a liberal lunatic. Missouri is a term-limited state with few entrenched powerful incumbent legislators, but sometimes opportunities also arrive in seats where Republicans have scandals or legal trouble. Yet, many state Democrats are resigned to being the minority party forever. Says Piper, “You have to start somewhere.”
$250,000 is a lot to spend on a House race in the “Show Me” state though millions might be spent on a State Senate seat in St. Louis or Kansas City. Nobody wants to say it out loud, but veteran members of the minority think that Piper’s donations should be spent on only the races the professionals think will be the closest. Not everyone agrees. Dem consultant Caleb Cavaretta says, “It’s true that the money might make more of a difference in tighter races. But the reality is that money would not have been raised in the first place if not for Jess.”
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” says Randi McCallion, Democratic nominee for U.S. House in southeast Missouri, “There is more to gain in places that have been written off than in the expensive internal squabbles occurring in some of the deep blue urban areas.”
However, Piper differs from some in Missouri in style and the location of her home. Piper is a mainstream Democrat in the issues. She does not demonize urbanites or fundraising among them, “I don’t apologize for being heard across the state.” Jessica’s commitment doesn’t seem to depend on data points, metrics, or dollars.
Rural Americans know that great things can grow from small seeds. (Editor’s note: My Rural America does not have the space or the people-power to highlight all the state legislative candidates nationwide, but we choose to share Jessica Piper because she has what it takes as she declares, “You have to start somewhere.” We believe her … we all have to start somewhere. ‘Not trying never works.”)