At 5pm on Sunday Sept. 6, one of Capital’s very own was elected to serve as the Rural Caucus Secretary for College Democrats of America (CDA). Ethan Browning, a sophomore double majoring in Biology and Political Science ran for Rural Caucus Secretary after becoming the secretary of Capital’s chapter of College Democrats. When he saw that there was an issue in the caucus that served the interests of rural Americans, he immediately knew that he belonged and had to do whatever he could to help rural America.
Browning is aware there are progressive values in rural America.
“I know what it’s like to have progressive values in rural America. It’s no secret that the Democratic Party has not valued rural people. Every four years they talk about the rural area and then they push them aside,” Browning says.
As Secretary of the Rural Caucus, Browning has two priorities which he described as equally important. His first goal is to get progressive candidates elected in rural areas. There is a deep political divide between urban and rural areas for many reasons. One reason is gerrymandering.
Brian Duignan, senior editor in philosophy at Britannica, defines this term in his article “Gerrymandering” on Britannica.
“Gerrymandering, in U.S. politics, the practice of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage over its rivals (political or partisan gerrymandering) or that dilutes the voting power of members of ethnic or linguistic minority groups (racial gerrymandering),” Brian writes.
Ohio has for many years been considered a bellwether and a swing state because of its geographical and political landscape. When it comes to Ohio’s 16 congressional districts, Democrats only control three of those seats.
If the congressional lines were drawn to better represent the population of Ohio, chances are that Democrats would control closer to half of Ohio’s congressional districts.
As secretary, Browning plans to push initiatives to keep conversations going within the CDA about rural America, regardless of whether or not there is an election that year or not. His second priority is making sure that rural issues are addressed by the Democratic Party.
Browning has made his Capital University chapter proud. Vice President of Capital’s College Democrats, Aubri Jones, gave a nomination speech on Browning’s behalf.
“[Ethan] is a phenomenal candidate, as well as a phenomenal friend. I’m so honored to know someone as hard working and selfless as Ethan, and I know he will represent us in a fantastic way. I’m glad to know it’s people like him who have the power to help us build a better tomorrow,” Jones says.
Ethan Roberts, President of Capital’s College Democrats, shares his praises about Browning.
“Ethan [Browning] is a talented and passionate member of CU Campus Dems. His election as Rural Secretary puts our chapter in the national conversation not just on rural issues, but the future direction of the entire Democratic Party. We are proud of him! He will represent us well,” Roberts says.
Representing rural America, Capital University, and Ohio is exactly what Ethan Browning plans to do.
Browning is “excited to get to work, excited to represent Capital, and excited to represent the State of Ohio.”
