An historic election with America in crisis.

The subprime housing collapse was turning the financial system on its head.

Freshman Illinois Senator Barack Obama was in a heated race against Republican veteran John McCain.

It was 2008, and I was the Midwest correspondent.

My Chicago office was just down the street from Obama headquarters.

But mostly I was on the road, in Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, cramming into rallies at school

gymnasiums or meeting campaign staff in strip mall offices.

It was a tough time for the Midwest.

The financial crisis threatened a region still reeling from decades

of industrial decline, but it was the Midwest that helped propel Obama to the presidency.

Standing at his election night rally in Grant Park, the mood was electric, the elation palpable.

America had elected its first black president.

Twelve years later, another historic election and a different kind of crisis.

The idea of a post-racial America seems absurd.

COVID-19 is causing another economic collapse,

and the Midwest is once more center stage.

With 94 days to go, this is checks and balance. I'm Charlotte Howard, the Economist's New York Bureau Chief. I'm hosting while

John Prido takes a break this week. This is a podcast about the 2020

elections. Each week we take a big theme shaping American politics

and explore it in depth.

Today, what can the Midwest teach us about America's racial and economic struggles.

Twice recently an eruption in middle America has sent shock waves around the world. Four years ago voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania pushed Donald Trump over the line

...