Adam Mertz completed his dissertation in 2019 at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Adam's research seeks to understand rural/urban political polarization by examining the rise of Wisconsin teacher unions during the 1970s.

He argues that Wisconsin’s previous farmer-labor coalition was disrupted as rural voters felt that Democratic politicians were unresponsive to their concerns over taxation.

By examining this history, Adam seeks to illuminate the possibilities for reconstituting a progressive farmer-labor alliance.