Cory Haala
@Cory_Haala
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Minnesotan. Historian of Midwestern liberalism, populism; book soon: When Democrats Won the Heartland. Not the Sleepy Eye athletics director. Views mine only.
Joined January 2022
And just like that, it's real. When Democrats Won the Heartland: Progressive Populism in the Age of Reagan, 1978-1992, from @IllinoisPress. Due out 4/14/26. Pre-order if you'd like. Thanks to everyone who tolerated this dream and made this happen. Link in comments.
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...so yeah, I'd say recruitment to our Museum Studies minor at UWSP is going pretty well.
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Folks, do yourself a favor and pre-order this book. It’s really important history that’s worth knowing. Perhaps more importantly, the quickest way out of our current mess is through a resurgence of Midwestern progressive populism, and I suspect there’s a good roadmap for it here.
And just like that, it's real. When Democrats Won the Heartland: Progressive Populism in the Age of Reagan, 1978-1992, from @IllinoisPress. Due out 4/14/26. Pre-order if you'd like. Thanks to everyone who tolerated this dream and made this happen. Link in comments.
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Here's that link from @IllinoisPress for When Democrats Won the Heartland: Progressive Populism in the Age of Reagan, 1978-1992 (out 4/14/26). Always happy to talk about the book, do press/media, or just effusively thank you for giving it a look. https://t.co/1ycIuUOQ1j
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Index your own book, they said. You'll learn SO MUCH about your argument, they said. It'll save you so much money, they said. I mean, were they right? Sure. Was it worth it? [/looks at 3:02am email to press, bags under my eyes] JURY STILL VERY MUCH OUT
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And Heitkamp had been in lockstep with those traditions throughout her time as Tax Commissioner in the 80s. Conrad and Burdick in the Senate, Dorgan in the House, Heitkamp and Vogel on Tax and Agriculture at the state level. It was SUCH a deep bench of prairie populism back then.
Heitkamp was voted out in 2018. Before that, Democrats had 30 years of election wins from North Dakota’s Byron Dorgan, who was an anti-monopoly, anti-Wall Street dereg, anti-NAFTA, anti-Big Pharma populist. https://t.co/CA1r9vHjah
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Everyone with an interest in the Midwest (history, but open to tons): please consider this conference. Grad student-friendly, low-cost, very welcoming. Was my first big foray into conferences; I haven't looked back. CFP, panel interest doc, more in OP ⬇️ happy to answer ?s, too!
🚨CFP🚨The Midwestern History Association invites proposals for the 12th Midwestern History Conference, Thursday, April 30–Friday, May 1, 2026, hosted by Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in conjunction with its annual Altman Symposium in the humanities. Deadline:, December 8, 2025
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Got cover art today. Still working some stuff out, but starting to feel uncomfortably real.
If this comes as a surprise (and even if it doesn't), do I ever have a book for you (in May 2026)!
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23 years ago today. It remains true: We all do better when we all do better.
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Went an hour out of the way to a Driftless Area farm, saw the sign out front, learned from an 80s organizer that North American Farm Alliance (all over my book) was organized in THAT farmhouse, plus stories about tractorcades and farm policy... ...I'm damn lucky to have my job.
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One of my favorite finds (parts made the book) is this 11-pg transcript of a 1992 interview with Wellstone. Strong visions of how to be a progressive populist running a national campaign, informed by his activism, his beliefs, and the '88/'92 races.
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"Why'd you miss the department meeting, Cory?" "Oh, was just seeing a 38'11" potato masher and planning new Museum Studies internships with a $42MM agriculture center." Normal #UWSP and Portage County things.
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Doubly funny because in the 1984 presidential race... * South Dakota: R+27 * North Dakota: R+31 Let's check on the 1986 Senate races, in which those states' incumbent R senators ran for reelection... * SD: Daschle, D+3 * ND: Conrad, DNPL+1 Wonder what those two guys ran on!
Left wing populism polled too well so now the bar is winning states that voted R+30
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Just sitting in the shadows of a WPA-built dam, suspension bridge, and bathhouse, editing an article on 1980s progressive populism. Wonder what Wellstone would've done had he known he had to MODERATE on social issues to do economic populism! #NewDealNorthwoods remains amazing.
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Oh we are so BACK ✊ FARMS 🤝 LABOR Now join us for all these great @FarmAid events, beginning Tuesday at 4pm, Best Buy Theater: "Lessons in Mobilizing: From the Farmer Labor Movement to the Tractorcades to Today" https://t.co/z5xLkpbF9c
farmaid.org
Farm Aid 40 to Move Forward In Minneapolis Farm Aid is grateful that the University of Minnesota and Teamsters Local 320 have reached an agreement. We are thrilled to confirm that Farm Aid 40 will go forward in Minneapolis as planned.
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If this comes as a surprise (and even if it doesn't), do I ever have a book for you (in May 2026)!
Democratic research finds voters prefer populism over ‘Abundance’
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