Rusty Hills

Core faculty

Gerald J. Hills

Teaching Professor in Public Policy

To email Rusty, please use the following email address: [email protected] Rusty Hills is a lecturer in public policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. He has served in senior leadership roles in the M...

News

"Trump thought Iran would fold. That’s how Vietnam started." —Hills

May 8, 2026

Read the analysis: Ford School Lecturer Rusty Hills, former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, in the Detroit Free Press.

State & Hill

Faculty news, spring 2026

May 7, 2026

Ford School experts are publishing research, sharing their knowledge, and getting recognized.

A series of six headshots of people smiling

In the Media

Gas prices could sway independent voters in the 2026 midterms - Hills

Mar 20, 2026 WJR

The Ford School's Rusty Hills explains how the war in Iran is already impacting prices at the pump and what this could mean for Republicans running in the 2026 midterms.

Photo of Rusty Hills speaking to Michael Barr at a reception in Weill Hall's Great Hall

News

Ford School Welcomes AEI President Robert Doar for “Whither the Center-Right?”

Oct 6, 2025

On a political spectrum that is becoming increasingly more divided, American Enterprise Institute president Robert Doar is optimistic that his center-right think tank is forging a path through the fray. “I think we're dividing into three countries: e...

News

Hills handicaps GOP 2028 field

Sep 8, 2025

According to Ford school lecturer Rusty Hills, the Republican Party has a succession problem. This produces an opportunity for non-Trump Republicans to put forth a candidate that can transform the party. In an opinion for the Detroit Free Press, he m...

Rusty Hills teaches "Campaigns and Elections" to a class of graduate and undergraduate students

State & Hill

Faculty news, spring 2025

May 7, 2025

Read about the latest faculty accomplishments and news.

Headshots of faculty featured within this article.

News

Hills reflects on President Ford's legacy in today's political climate

Mar 31, 2025

The Ford School's Rusty Hills has shone a light on the historic legacy of former President Gerald R. Ford, from the White House to the Ford School. In an opinion piece for the Detroit Free Press, Hills highlights lessons he learned from President For...

News

Bipartisan panel advocates for civic discourse and humility

Mar 23, 2025

“Civility is the bedrock of our free and democratic society,” Tonya Schuitmaker, a former Republican member of the Michigan Senate, told the recent panel on Promoting Civic Discourse - Democratic and Republican politicians on bridging the political d...

In the Media

Trump's address to Congress like a campaign rally - Hills

Mar 5, 2025 Daily Mail

Rusty Hills, Ford School lecturer, commented on the president's address to Congress, calling it "classic Trump." He said, "The speech was a campaign rally held under the capitol dome. It was a two hour long ‘Greatest Hits’ tour." In the speech, Trump...

State & Hill

Behind the curtain: Fordies on the campaign trail

Dec 17, 2024

Rusty Hills has taught nearly 1,000 students in the 20 years he's been teaching the art and science of political campaigning. Winning campaigns require strategy, voter insight, compelling communication, and a well-executed plan, he tells students. A ...

Adam Bressler (BA ’23), Kate Anderson (BA ’20), and Governor Gretchen Whitmer

State & Hill

Faculty news, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

Kamissa Camara chaired the Bipartisan Senior Study Group for the Sahel at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The study group’s comprehensive report critically assesses opportunities for peace, security, and economic development in the Sahel. Charlotte Cava...

(Top row, left to right) Fullerton Rico, Hills, Holz, Jacob, and Leiser (Bottom row, left to right) Morenoff, Raimi, Shipan, Spencer, and Stevenson

News

Three Ford School faculty promoted to Teaching Professors

Jul 11, 2023

Yazier Henry, Rusty Hills, and Alex Ralph have been promoted and will have the newly-created title of “teaching professors,” beginning in fall term 2023. The University of Michigan created the new designation for long-serving lecturers in its labor a...

Publication

Hills: Climate litigation claims are “Meritless and Counterproductive”

Jun 15, 2023

State and local government officials throughout the U.S. have filed more than two dozen lawsuits against energy companies over the past five years, arguing that they should be held responsible for climate change that led to local weather-related impa...

State & Hill

Faculty News, spring 2023

May 3, 2023

Dominique Adams-Santos, Celeste Watkins-Hayes, and PhD candidate Kayonne Christy contributed a chapter, "Narratives in Context: Locating Racism and Sexism in Black Women's Health Experiences," to The Routledge Companion to Intersectionalities. Th...

Headshots of Kathryn M. Dominguez, Rusty Hills, Morela Hernandez, Brian Jacob, Barry Rabe, Megan Stewart, David Thacher, Christina Weiland

Publication

Hills condemns lawsuits against energy producers

Jan 5, 2023

Outraged at lawsuits filed by states and municipalities alleging energy companies are responsible for weather-related damages, Rusty Hills, lecturer in public policy, took to the National Law Journal to argue against these frivolous lawsuits. Al...

In the Media

Hills explores the reasons for far-right candidates struggled in midterms

Nov 14, 2022 USA Today

Rusty Hills, USA Today: "A majority of voters are not buying what Trump is peddling, and so when you get to swing states, purple states, toss-up states, Trump is just toxic."

News

Ford School faculty flex expertise in analysis of midterm elections

Nov 11, 2022

Leading up to and following the midterm elections, Ford School faculty provided their expertise on pertinent issues, ranging from redistricting to the economy to voter priorities. Justin Wolfers discussed the logic behind betting on elections in ...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

News

Former Michigan legislators overwhelmingly favor reforming or abolishing term limits

Nov 1, 2022

As voters in Michigan consider a ballot measure to change the state's legislative term limits, a survey of former legislators shows overwhelming support for reforming or abolishing the limits. The survey, conducted in 2020 and 2021 by Rusty Hills...

In the Media

Hills on Trump's involvement in primary elections

Sep 26, 2022 USA Today

Former President Donald Trump played a key role in deciding primary races across the country. Rusty Hills, lecturer in public policy, says there’s nothing unusual about presidents getting involved in elections, but they usually do so on behalf of the...

In the Media

'Time of choosing' for Republicans - Hills

Sep 11, 2022 The Detroit News

In an opinion piece for The Detroit News, Rusty Hills, lecturer at the Ford School, confronts Republicans with an important question: will you choose to follow Reagan or Trump? "Ronald Reagan inspired optimism and launched an era that encouraged ...

News

Schwarz and Hills comment on Kellogg HQ move

Jun 26, 2022

Kellogg Company announced plans to split into three separate companies focused on cereal, plant-based foods and snacks, with the snacks company moving headquarters from Battle Creek to Chicago. The other divisions will remain based in Michigan. F...

Headshots of John "Joe" Schwarz and Gerald "Rusty" Hills

In the Media

Hills promotes Michigan for early 2024 primary spot

Jun 20, 2022 The Detroit News

State political parties across the United States are vying to host early primary contests in the next presidential election cycle. Former Michigan Republican Party Chair, and Ford School lecturer, Rusty Hills, says Michigan should be a top contender....

News

Hills opines on future of GOP, Michigan abortion law

May 1, 2022

Rusty Hills, lecturer in public policy, has been putting his years of experience as a Republican politician to analyze recent trends in Michigan politics on both sides of the aisle. In an opinion piece for CNN, he says the influence of former pr...

State & Hill

Majoring in making a difference: Marking 10 years since our first BAs graduated

Nov 8, 2019

That first cohort of 58 graduates has been out in the world for a decade now. The degree has led them to a diverse array of careers–on Capitol Hill, in classrooms, at hospitals, at nonprofits, and at law firms. In 2009, the first group of student...

BA class of 2009 group photo in front of Rackham

News

Hills draws parallel between Biden and Jeb Bush

Aug 16, 2019

After attending the democratic presidential debates in Detroit at the end of July, Rusty Hills, lecturer at the Ford School, shared some thoughts in The Detroit News about parallels between current frontrunner Joe Biden and 2016 republican primary ea...

State & Hill

A thrill for Hills: Reflecting on a career in campaigning & governing

Apr 8, 2019

Rusty Hills' passion for politics started in eighth grade, when he was assigned the role of speechwriter in a mock 1968 presidential election. Today he’s paying the favor forward to scores of Fordies in Political Campaign Strategy & Tactics (PubPol 4...

State & Hill

BA program celebrates 10 years: Read about the career trajectories of early alums

May 4, 2017

When the Ford School launched a bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2007, undergraduate programs were rare among public policy schools. The Ford School itself had long housed a successful master's program for early- and mid-career profession...

State & Hill

Ford School faculty news from the spring 2016 edition of State & Hill magazine

May 3, 2016

The Washington Post reports that Robert Axelrod’s The Evolution of Cooperation is one of the ten most assigned books at Ivy League universities. Originally published in 1984, the book explores how cooperation can emerge in a world of self-seeking ego...

In Michigan Daily, Hills inspires students to ‘make a difference’ through public service

Jan 20, 2016

A January 7 Michigan Daily article, “’U’ classes help inspire careers in government,” highlights the involvement of recent U-M alumni in local government. The article identifies the skills and inspiration students have gained from U-M faculty and cou...