FRENCHCREEK TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Paul Woodburne and his fellow rural Democrats sometimes feel disconnected from their political party while living in deeply Republican areas, worrying about nabbed signs and lost friendships.

That’s why Mr. Woodburne and hundreds of others from across rural northwest Pennsylvania camped out at the Venango County Fairgrounds this weekend for Demstock — an annual convention of sorts billing itself as “all things Democrat.”

“If you’re isolated, you don’t realize what power you have,” said Mr. Woodburne, who leads the Clarion County Democrats. “We’re marginal, but sometimes the margins are what drive the elections.”

The schedule included lighthearted activities such as trivia and stargazing but also a speaker lineup that included U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, U.S. Senate nominee John Fetterman, now the state’s lieutenant governor; State Rep. and lieutenant governor nominee Austin Davis; and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia.