One of the most closely watched races in the country is taking place in a state that has been reliably red for decades. Beto O'Rourke is challenging Ted Cruz for his senate seat and while O'Rourke lags in the polls, his campaign has raised over $100 million, a remarkable amount for a midterm election. 

In one county in rural Texas, a group of progressive women have been organizing — in secret — out of fear of retaliation from their neighbors.

The United States of Anxiety is supported in part by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Additional support for WNYC’s election coverage is provided by Emerson Collective, The New York Community Trust, and New York Public Radio Trustee Dr. Mary White.

Special thanks to Emily Van Duyn, whose full study "Hidden Democracy: Political Dissent in Rural America" is available in the Journal of Communication, a publication of the International Communication Association.

Additional thanks to Professor Shannon McGregor in the Department of Communication at The University of Utah and to Caroline Covington for her reporting in Burnet, Texas.