Data centers are showing up in rural counties across the country, and not everyone is happy about it. Isaac Wright, a strategist who’s spent two decades working rural campaigns, joins Heidi and Joel to talk about why that is, what tariffs have cost farmers selling to Brazil and China, and why he sees real opportunity for Democrats in Iowa and Ohio in the midterms.
Isaac explains why rural voters respond to authenticity and local trust over national talking points, and what Rob Sand’s win in Iowa says about how to build that trust. He also gets into AI regulation, and what it would look like for policy to actually reflect the values Democrats say they hold.
In this episode:
Why Iowa and Ohio look like real opportunities this cycle
Data centers: local jobs versus strain on water and power
What tariffs on Brazil and China have cost farmers
Building trust and likability in rural races
What it actually means to “localize” a campaign
Connect with Isaac Wright:
Isaac makes a clear case for what it takes to win rural voters back, one county at a time.
The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project. To learn more, visit OneCountryProject.org or find us on YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook (@onecountryproject).
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