Hi! Since it's Election Day, I'm here answering questions on r/AskHistorians! So...(1) go vote! and then (2) AMA!
I'm Cory Haala, history professor at South Dakota State University and author of a new book out this year, When Democrats Won the Heartland: Progressive Populism in the Age of Reagan, 1978-1992 (code S26UIP for 30% off, if you want). I analyze how activists and local politicians in the Upper Midwest rebuilt Democratic Party coalitions to combat what we call the "Reagan Revolution" or the rise of the "New Right" in the late 1970s and 1980 presidential election. My book weaves together efforts of grassroots activists, party politicians, and self-described ordinary Midwesterners, making an argument that their preferred approach to politics, which they summed up as "progressive populism," was ascendant in 1980s Democratic politics.
(If you need inspiration or want to learn more, I blogged about my research travel on my personal website, coryhaala.org. Or, check out my socials: Cory_Haala on Twitter and coryhaala.bsky.social on Bluesky.)
I'm here answering your questions most of today (before I hunker down for election results tonight), so ask away!
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