CANTON — Former NY-21 Democratic Congressional candidate Tedra Cobb announced the formation of Backroads PAC, a political action committee aimed at helping rural Democrats to electoral success.

Cobb, who twice challenged incumbent Rep. Elise Stefanik fundraised $5.7 million in 2020. Now, Cobb says she will put that knowledge and infrastructure to work to help rural Congressional candidates.

“Democrats in rural areas have been left behind for decades, lacking infrastructure, organization, and resources,” said Cobb. “Backroads PAC is working to change that so we can defeat Republicans in every district.”

Backroads Pac Mission: Living in rural America requires some grit, some tenacity, and an understanding of the value of community. Running for public office in rural America takes a tremendous amount of all three. Our mission is simple: build an organization to ensure rural Democrats never travel the path to victory alone.

What they do: Identify, vet, and endorse rural Democrats in competitive districts.

Provide training and infrastructure support for endorsed candidates and campaigns through our vast network of political partners and decades of experience working on and running for local, state, and federal offices. Training includes fundraising, communications, and earned and social media strategy. They also give financial support to endorsed candidates post-primary.

“The results of the 2020 election prove that Democrats must do a better job communicating to rural voters,” said Cobb. “It’s time to face some hard facts: 75% of the Members of Congress who voted against certifying the results of the election represent rural districts. Things have to change. Backroads PAC will support the candidates challenging these incumbents. We know that Democrats, with the right candidate, in the right district, with resources and support, can compete everywhere--and we must. Expanding the map begins on every backroad in rural America.”