Campaign signs for candidates in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race waved Saturday in Frederick at an inaugural statewide summit of rural Maryland Democrats.

Democratic speakers from around the state emphasized the importance of listening to voters in a political environment where local Republicans have taken seats and influence away from Democrats.

“There’s a recognition among Democrats that we have to do a better job of connecting,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-8th. “We need to compete for every vote in every part of the state.”

At the summit, the Western Maryland Democratic Political Action Committee held a straw poll on the Senate race. Nearly 80 percent of the votes cast went to Van Hollen.

U.S. Rep. Donna Edwards, who currently represents Maryland’s 4th District, is also in the running for retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s seat.

Myrna Whitworth, chairwoman of the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee, said the event provides an opportunity to unite Democrats in rural areas.

“We decided this year that we would focus on all of rural Maryland,” Whitworth said. “Unlike in the past, where it used to be from Frederick County west, we now have people from southern Maryland, the Eastern Shore.”

Elizabeth Paul, a Washington County resident and Frederick County teacher who ran for the House of Delegates in 2014, said she learned from her unsuccessful bid.

“You got to get out of the Democratic echo chamber,” she said.

Candidates need to show up to meetings where members are not typically Democratic, including the Farm Bureau and correctional officers unions, and listen to the concerns they have, she said.

“It’s about finding common ground,” Paul said.

But Democrats who live in rural areas and work in agriculture are “hiding in the closet” because they are in the minority, said Buddy Hance, former Maryland secretary of agriculture.

“Democrats are out there trying to help agriculture, but right now, that’s not the message,” he said.

Hance said changes proposed under a Democratic governor raised the ire of Republican farmers, while similar actions under Gov. Larry Hogan have drawn their support.

“Being the secretary of agriculture in Maryland under a Democratic administration is like being a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs,” Hance said. “You can’t win.”

Hance recommended to Democratic candidates for elected offices that they start attending meetings now, to get to know their constituents’ concerns.

“You need to get involved in community activity. You need to reach out across party lines. You can’t just go to Democratic picnics and Democratic dinners. That’s not going to get it done in a red county,” he said.

Liz Matory, a Silver Spring resident who plans to formally announce her candidacy this summer for Van Hollen’s seat, said representing both rural and urban areas is a challenge.

“A lot of people are afraid of that,” but economic sustainability is essential for all communities, she said.

About 130 people registered to attend the summit.

The attendees filled a room at the hotel Saturday, though about 70 remained by the end of the daylong event.