Will Westmoreland was born in Springfield, Missouri and lost his father at the age of five to  an aggressive form of cancer. As a result, he and his mother and sisters relied on our  country’s social safety net to survive. His family lived in government housing and utilized  food stamps while Will’s mother went to college and worked fulltime to make ends meet.  At the age of seven, Will’s maternal grandfather moved the family to his farm in Brighton,  Missouri and Will’s love and appreciation for all things rural was born. 

Will grew up doing all of the things that a farm kid does. Early to rise. Getting all of his  chores done before the school bus arrived. Spending long summer days with his  dog Cowboy exploring the family farm. Then, at the age of 12, Will was involved in a serious  farm accident which severely limited the use of his left arm. After spending months in the  hospital and several years undergoing physical therapy and additional surgeries, Will made  a commitment never to allow his disability to stand in the way of his dreams. It was during  a field trip to Jefferson City, Missouri during Middle School that Will’s love of politics and  public service was born. 

After excelling in sports during his youth and high school years, despite his farm injuries, it  was in the speech and debate arena that Will truly shined. Winning multiple awards in  debate and extemporaneous speaking, Will placed third in Lincoln-Douglas debate during  high school and received a full scholarship to Missouri State University. Shortly after, Will  started a new family and began his journey as a father. 

In 1992 Westmoreland was hired into his first political role serving as a Field Director for  the Clinton-Gore campaign in Columbus, Ohio. He later served as the Young Democrats  President in Franklin County, Ohio and as the Volunteer Coordinator for Clinton’s National  Health Care Campaign in Ohio. After managing several political campaigns in his early  twenties, Will moved to the corporate world where he served in senior leadership positions  for several of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States. He stayed  connected to his rural roots by continuing to consult in rural political races and by serving  as a rural county party chair in North Carolina and Missouri. 

Ultimately in 2012, Will’s love of politics won out and his growing experience led him to  found Highlander Political Strategies. Westmoreland’s firm currently works with  Democratic organizations and candidates, labor organizations, and non-profits with voter  outreach in nearly every state in the union. Highlander Political Strategies notably played a  critical role in the 2020 special elections in Georgia which led to the Democratic control of  the United States Senate. Westmoreland specializes in rural voter outreach and is known  on social media as “Your Favorite Rural Campaign and Elections Expert.”

As a single dad who raised his four children, and a proud grandfather of five, and a devoted  Episcopalian, Will’s farming expertise in agroforestry, his faith, and his career as a winning  strategist, has led him to launch, along with his experienced media partner, The Back Forty  Media that seeks to both inform and activate those who share his views and those seeking the truth. With an emphasis on rural politics and farming, there is no one more qualified for the task.