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Still thinking about this. In 2017 I organized a small group of web professionals — most of whom were not activists — to work on the digital campaign of a local candidate For state office. newrepublic.com/article/2163...

I was doing so because I’d been contacted by the candidate, who knew of me because of my work with the local Democratic committee. But just as we were about to get started, his campaign manager announced that a Cali firm was going to do the strategic work instead. We’d just be doing implementation.

This is the problem in SW Virginia. We don't matter to them and they see the area as unwinnable so why bother. They also choose candidates on the fringe of SWVa instead of getting someone's from the heart of the area.

I had to go back to the team I organized and tell them this. It was discouraging, enraging, embarrassing. We declined to be the free line workers for paid strategists with no connection to the area. I pulled out of all volunteer work with the local party. AFAIK, they never volunteered again.