James Staley, 28, spends evenings knocking on doors and canvassing for Down Home North Carolina. The nonpartisan but left-leaning nonprofit is dedicated to building power among poor and working-class people in the state’s small towns and rural communities. 

Staley lives and works in Watauga County, home to Appalachian State University, where the stereotypical student has always been outdoorsy, politically conscious, and a little bit “granola.” But even within the past several years, Staley says he’s…