PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS
Report - 08.17.2026
Kitchen Table Messaging for the Populist Era
Economic populist rhetoric is all the rage in Democratic circles these days, but not all populist messages are equally effective. In June, the Center for Working Class Politics (CWCP) and the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative (RUBI) conducted a poll of 6,100 adult Americans (fielded by Verasight) with an oversample of rural residents. Each respondent first saw a Republican opposition message (randomly assigned to focus on either government corruption and waste or immigration) so that the Democratic messages were tested against a realistic partisan counterargument rather than in a vacuum. They then evaluated three messages drawn at random from a pool of fourteen spanning the range of economic populist appeals in today's Democratic Party.
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Report - 07.27.2026
Democratic Campaign Rhetoric Analysis
How Democratic congressional candidates' messaging shifted across three election cycles
Go To ReportReport - 10.06.2025
Democrats’ Rust Belt Struggles and the Promise of Independent Politics
An exhaustive survey finding that economic populism resonates across Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — and that independent candidates outperform Democrats delivering the same message.
Download ReportReport - 07.21.2025
Working-Class Social and Economic Attitudes
A study revealing where working-class voters stand on key issues and how they differ from wealthier Americans.
Download ReportReport - 10.24.2024
Populism Wins Pennsylvania
We surveyed attitudes toward political messages to see what moves working-class voters in the Keystone State.
Download ReportReport - 03.12.2024
Where Are All The Left Populists
Progressives, Populists, and the Working Class Among 2022 Democratic Candidates
Download ReportReport - 06.13.2023
Trump’s Kryptonite
How Progressives Can Win Back the Working Class
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Appendix II
Appendix III