Every two years, the Rust Belt gets rediscovered. With the midterms a month away, candidates in every competitive seat from Pennsylvania to Iowa are making their pitch to working-class voters. Both parties will talk about affordability, which includes inflation, tariffs, energy, housing, wages, and artificial intelligence (AI). Ultimately, it’s about the cost of raising a family.

I've heard versions of this conversation most of my adult life. I grew up in Lake Station (East Gary), Indiana, in a steelworking family, and I spent eight years of my career in Washington. What I've learned from both ends is that despite an interest in reindustrializing, voters aren't looking for a return to the past. They want to know whether they can build a future for themselves as well as their children in an ever-changing world.

Politicians want to know how to "win" working-class voters. They're asking the wrong question. Every cycle, the Rust Belt becomes a puzzle to be solved as the two parties struggle to grasp the nuances of the Heartland. The experts focus on which message tests best, which counties might flip, which slogan plays at the union hall. This overanalysis often looks........

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