Suggested wording for conversations from Rust Belt Rising. It's critical that our messaging be spot-on. Return to .... TOOLS And TIPS 12 Messaging Tips from Rust Belt Rising As we move into the home stretch of the campaign, it’s critical that our messaging be spot-on. Check out these tips from Rust Belt Rising, based on a survey of 1,631 likely voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Here are some of their top takeaways, followed by some suggested wording for conversations: The most important issues to voters this election: abortion and the cost of living. Abortion galvanizes Democratic voters, but Independents are overwhelmingly focused on the cost of living. We must talk about abortion to make the real stakes clear and raise its salience, but we must also present a strong economic argument to persuade undecided voters. More voters report that they’ve heard about Trump’s plans for the economy and costs than VP Harris’s. Fully 60% of Independents report they’ve heard only a little or nothing at all about Harris’s economic plans. We need to close that gap! Despite lack of information about Harris’s economic agenda, Democrats do hold an advantage in trust not only on abortion policy but on these specific economic issues: reigning in corporate price gouging reducing health care and prescription drug prices putting workers and consumers before big corporations protecting Medicare and Social Security. VP Harris’ plans include what people report would most improve their economic circumstances: We must remain disciplined and focus on these four things when discussing the cost-of-living issue with voters. bringing down the costs of food and groceries, health care, and prescription drugs cutting middle-class taxes making it easier to afford a home or rent While voters say they trust Republicans on the economy and inflation more than Democrats, RBR’s poll finds several winning economic arguments for progressives. Voters are looking for a strong economic agenda that raises taxes on the 1% and large corporations and imposes tougher penalties on price-gouging monopolies. Price gouging is a winning issue: Democratic plans to address this issue are 20% more popular than GOP messaging on the topic. Voters respond positively to messages about how VP Harris has stood up to banks and plans to reduce costs. When discussing Project 2025, emphasize that it reveals these three Republicans goals: to cut and privatize Medicare to cut Social Security to raise the retirement age Women want equal pay for equal work, protection of women’s right to decide when to start a family, and easier access to childcare, all things the Harris campaign promises to support. The Trump campaign? Not so much… The freedoms most important to people are the freedom to vote and have their votes counted; the freedom to get health care they can afford; and the freedom to retire with dignity and security, all things the Harris campaign promises to support. The Trump campaign? Again, not so much… These economic policies are of more importance to voters: cutting taxes for the middle class and working families with children providing tax credits for first-time homebuyers enacting a federal ban on price-gouging These economic policies are of lesser importance to voters: cutting taxes on corporations and job-creators implementing tariffs on imports unleashing energy production repealing regulations 12. Young people particularly like the housing agenda. Prioritizing owning a home or renting numbers is the highest priority for young people. You can find: • slides from Rust Belt Rising’s briefing here • their state-by-state crosstab here • their suggested talking points here • a recording of the presentation • an AI summary and transcript

Join Us Tell us how you can help! Worried that Donald Trump, MAGA Republicans, and billionaires will eliminate our democracy implement their authoritarian platform? We’re worried, too, which is why we are here to take action ! We can’t do it alone nor do we want to sit around just hoping. Activists take action! Our grassroots group needs volunteers NOW to help flip PA and regain a Democratic majority. I'd like to help MAFlipPA keep Pennsylvania blue! [ We promise not to spam you with requests for $$. ] My name is ... Email Phone number - If you want to talk. I can help (check as many as you are interested in) ... Web research to create messaging Email and/or phone interviews Identifying and countering misinformation Create and publish social media messaging Canvassing in Pennsylvania Data entry Writing postcards to Pennsylvania voters Hosting postcarding events Compose messaging Phone banking Voter protection I'm not sure, would like to discuss I have other skills or interests that are valuable. Let's discuss! Add me to your mailing list Anything you'd like to tell us or ask us. Send Now Thanks for your interest!

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Youtube link On December 9, 2025, Trump kicked off his nationwide affordability tour in Mount Airy, PA. I, as well as many others, were looking forward to hearing his plans to curtail the escalating costs of groceries, gas, rent, utilities, child care, and healthcare. Instead he downright lied, claiming the failing economic numbers as a hoax.  Is it?   Let’s present facts as a counter to Trump’s Big Lie, or in this case, his avoidance of affordability.  Do you really feel like prices are going down?  Maybe you think that nobody really believed they would go down on day one of his presidency as he promised; because really, how is that ever feasible?  But we’re now more than 11 months into his administration and prices continue to go up. I know I feel it significantly, and to say it’s concerning would be an understatement.    So, let me provide some sad truths to my fellow Pennsylvanians.  A recent analysis done this year by Consumer Affairs has concluded that grocery prices increased 5.3% year over year.  However, grocery inflation has varied from state to state.  And, Pennsylvania has taken first place.  In PA, prices taken in 15 grocery categories in the study have gone up 8.2% in the last 12 months.   The analysis also pointed out that grocery prices for rural areas were up 7.6% in the past 12 months, compared to only 5.7% for residents of large cities.  This is most likely due to lack of competition in rural areas, but creates more of a hardship because household income is usually lower in rural areas.  The study found that the biggest rise in grocery prices came in zip codes where the average income is $35,000 to $50,000 (which is the lowest income range that was tracked).   So if you’re feeling that prices are high, I want to confirm that it’s not just a feeling, but a fact!  Source: Consumer Affairs: Journal of Consumer Research

On Dec 17, 2025, the PA House of Representatives passed a bill that would put a referendum before voters on adding specific abortion rights language to the state constitution that could protect abortion rights that were overturned in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization which overturned abortion rights found in Roe V. Wade. However, the measure will not be taken up to the Republican-majority Senate. The bill would give voters the option to enshrine their pre-Dobbs rights into the state constitution. The proposed constitutional language that would go before voters states that "every individual has the fundamental right to exercise personal reproductive liberty, including the chance to end a pregnancy, use contraceptives, or receive fertility care and that the commonwealth "may not deny, burden, infringe upon... this right..." It further states that "... in no circumstance shall the commonwealth prohibit an abortion, that in the professional judgment of an attending health care professional, is medically indicated to protec the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual." This is a referendum worth following for those interested in protecting women's rights and women's health and who should be making these decisions. Constitutional amendments must be passed by both chambers of legislature before it is put to the voters on the next ballot. Sessions are two years between legislative elections. It is critical that Democrats win a majority in both chambers in 2026 so that abortion rights language could be passed in the 2027-28 session. Source: PennLive, PA House caps 2025 with passage of a proposed abortion-rights referendum , Dec 18, 2025.

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