The Mission Statement

The mission of the Rural Council is to help to represent the concerns specific to rural Arizona to the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP). We will work with the people of rural Arizona in ways that support the ideals of the Democratic Party. We will work with Rural Council members and other PCs to provide information and education to those we’ve been elected to serve. The values we have are those we share with the Arizona Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, and their platforms.

Dear Friend and Fellow Democrat:
I want to introduce myself. I am Jeanne Buell. I am a retired rancher. For 25 years, I lived on the Coeur’d Alene Tribal Reservation. I was the First Vice Chair of the Idaho Democratic Party for eleven years. During that time, I served on the DNC and ASDC Executive Committees. My passion has always been supporting our rural counties.
In September of 2017, I moved to Arizona. Since moving to Arizona I became a precinct committeewoman, was elected First Vice Chair of LD 19 (this LD covers 5 counties). I am a state committee member and was recently elected leader of the Arizona Democratic Party Rural Council.

Ever since I arrived in Arizona, I have heard lots of talk about supporting our rural counties, but no action. During my time as First Vice Chair in LD 19 I traveled to Wilcox, Safford, Sierra Vista, Benson, Douglas, and met with ranchers in Elfrida more than once regarding water issues.

Earlier this year, the Rural Council did a survey of all Arizona Democratic County Chairs. We designed the survey to understand their essential needs. In order to build the infrastructure for the future, the rural counties biggest need is to have field organizers on the ground, well trained and energetic. In 2022, 400,000 registered democratic voters in Arizona decided not to cast their ballot and moreover, in 2024, the most impactful election in our lifetime, over 200,000 registered Arizona democrats did not vote. Our plan is to invest early in Arizona’s rural, native and Latino communities to register more democrats, engage low propensity voters, and get these voters to the polls in 2026 to secure control of Congress, protect our statewide electees and flip Arizona’s legislature. All of which is in reach when we make investments in Arizona’s vast rural spaces.

I hope you will join me in supporting this effort with our Arizona Democratic Party Rural Council and our new State Chairwoman, Charlene Fernandez.
We are building a new Advisory Council with some of the smartest and most seasoned leaders and strategists in Arizona. We have a large fundraising goal to support our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. Rural Arizona is crucial to our short- and long-term victories.

I know this is possible because in 2006 Idaho hired their first field organizers and in 2008, we elected our first Democratic Congressman in fourteen years, Walt Minnick.
I welcome your call to discuss this endeavor. I look forward to talking to you soon. Together we can get this done for Arizona’s future.

Yours truly,
Jeanne Buell, Arizona Democratic Party Rural Council Leader (208) 661-3772 ADPRuralCouncil@gmail.com Tho