About Us

Train. Run. Win.

“I have been inspired and informed by Rust Belt Rising.  It can strengthen and enlighten candidates of all calibers. I promise it will be worth your time.”

-Ohio St. Rep. Kent Smith 

Rust Belt Rising exists to reconnect the Democratic Party to its base of working families by training candidates to lead on foundational economic issues. We work with Democratic candidates in the six states bordering the Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) to transform their values into persuasive economic messages. Through down-ballot work in these six states, we build a pipeline of qualified candidates and strengthen Democratic infrastructure in the Rust Belt.

We are committed to advancing a Democratic Party whose leadership reflects our diverse coalition and are proud to offer all of our services free of charge.

Learn about our work during the 2020 election cycle. With 15 more wins in 2021, we have now helped elect 61 candidates in our region.

Read our 2022 report about how we have helped win 101 campaigns and trained 839 leaders in our courses. 

Learn how we helped Wisconsin and Michigan residents register to vote in 2020 and 2022


Get Involved

Support the Rust Belt Rising mission

Our work is strengthening the Democratic Party in a critical region in the country. We are proud to offer our services free of charge for candidates to encourage a diverse pool of applicants. 

Make a donation to help elect Rust Belt Democrats here.

Donations by check can be made out to Rust Belt Rising and mailed to

Rust Belt Rising
318 West Adams St, Suite #1600
Chicago, IL 60606

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