Millennial Politics Podcast: Recent Episodes
Millennial Politics
Raising the profiles of the next generation progressive candidates, organizations, and ideas. Subscribe to our podcast, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @MillenPolitics, and tune in to the Progressive Radio Network every Tuesday at 8pm EST to hear our newest episodes.
Since 2016, polling has become somewhat of a controversial topic in the world of politics. Some Democrats have their concerns because of the pure shock of Donald Trump's victory in 2016, while some Republicans distrust polls because they have recently shown President Trump down considerable margins in key states. Despite this, public opinion institutes and pollsters have continued to churn out what they believe to be reputable data points about many campaigns all over the country. One of these pollsters, Dr. Christopher Borick, joined the Millennial Politics Podcast this week to discuss his work, how polls have improved over the past few years, and to look toward next week's elections.
Dr. Borick is a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. His polls, only one of six to receive an A+ rating from FiveThirtyEight, are widely regarded as some of the best in the country. Some of the things that he thinks contribute to this prestige are their level of transparency and their sampling and interview methods. Another aspect that Muhlenberg has recently included is weighting by educational attainment, which Dr. Borick says the absence of may have led to some of the polling errors we saw in 2016 in states like Wisconsin.
In talking about the current state of the 2020 race, the professor said that as the polls currently stand, an error large enough to lead to a President Trump victory is a low-probability event but is certainly not impossible. However, he also cautioned that a polling error wouldn't necessarily be biased towards the Democrats as it was in 2016 and that in 2012, polls actually underestimated President Obama's performance.
Dr. Borick went into detail about modeling and gave us some insight into what he thinks the probabilities of certain outcomes are for next week. In that conversation, he shared how factors like voter suppression, voter turnout, and mail-in voting affect the modeling and polling industry and what challenges those fields face in an unprecedented election cycle like 2020.
If you liked this episode, be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast, rate us five-stars, and leave a review. It's one of the best ways for new listeners to find us. Stay tuned for our next episode.
Across the country, there has been a wave of progressive victories in Democratic primaries over the past few years. In 2018, we saw Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, and a number of New York State Senate seats flip from the hands of incumbent Democrats to young, bold progressive voices fighting for a new status quo. This trend has continued in 2020 with Cori Bush, Marie Newman, and many others, including a man from the Bronx, NY.
On June 23, Jamaal Bowman unseated a powerful sitting representative: Eliot Engel has been in Congress for 31 years and is the current Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Bowman won the primary by a resounding margin, beating Rep. Engel by nearly 15 percentage points and over 13,000 votes. It was a huge shock for many in the political world: how could an influential incumbent once again vastly underestimate their primary challenger? Bowman's campaign, however, knew that anything was possible with enough hard work and community engagement.
A former middle school principal and founder of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action in the Bronx, Bowman's background is in education. He says that his motivation for running for Congress came mainly from seeing firsthand how poorly those children were treated and how little resources they had available to them in order to live successful lives.
There's a direct connection between those horrible outcomes [youth deaths and suicides] and the trauma our kids and families deal with and poverty and bad policy that often comes from Washington.
Bowman also speaks about NY's 16th Congressional District, which is the area he will be representing come January 2021. He talks about the vast wealth inequality that exists both in America as a whole but also specifically in his district: the 16th consists of very poor areas in the Bronx but also extremely affluent Westchester suburbs. When it comes to squaring his support of Joe Biden's presidential campaign and his own progressive values and beliefs, Bowman believes it isn't an either-or situation.
He fights for things like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal because his constituents voted for him. After Trump has been defeated, Bowman says, then the left can begin working with Biden to further progressive policy. For now, he and his team are focused on helping with the Census count in the Bronx and ousting the GOP incumbent in November.
As just a junior in college, he has already chaired a political organizing group and launched his own PAC. He also wants to help elect progressives across the country, specifically through mobilizing youth voters through a Jewish lens. Ethan Wolf is passionate about Democratic politics and his Jewish identity and uses both of those to drive and influence his work. A former chair of the organizing body Jews 4 Joe, Ethan now leads the Jewish Unity PAC, which aims to turn out young voters in key swing states with digital ads, mailers, and more.
He joins Nathan and Sam on the Millennial Politics Podcast this week to discuss his work and also touched on the recent rise of anti-Semitism in American politics. Although he acknowledges the presence of anti-Semitism among some on the left, Ethan thinks the most important thing to do right now is to unite against Donald Trump and the Republican Party. After that task is complete, he says, we can focus on working with, building with, and educating members of the Democratic party about what anti-Semitism looks like, and what allyship for American Jews can mean.
We can be critical of the State of Israel just as we would be of any other nation... but the important thing is that we don't delegitimize, we don't demonize, and we don't deny Israel's right to exist.
Ethan also discusses why he thinks so many Jewish voters are drawn to the Democratic Party and its values, talking about how Democrats are the ones most interested in leaving a better world for the next generation with their advocacy on issues like climate change and gun control. He also said that because the Jewish community has seen so much discrimination in its history, most Jews share the pain of those marginalized and gravitate towards groups that want to make a change for the better.
While not often understood by most Americans, prosecutors at the local, state, and federal level have immense power in our judicial system. Effectively, they can choose to pursue the maximum sentence against an alleged criminal (within the legal guidelines), or, they can choose to be lenient and opt for the minimum. The decisions made at the prosecutorial level can change someone's life forever.
In practice, it's quite literally the difference between an addict being sent to rehab, or being convicted of a felony, sent to prison, and sentences to an endless cycle of recidivism through the prison system; the difference between a second chance, or a life sentence.
There is tremendous leeway in how criminal cases can proceed, and ultimately, it's up to the prosector to decide.
Jami Hodge, Director of Vera Institute for Justice's Reshaping Prosecution program, joined the Millennial Politics Podcast to dig deeper into their work of ending mass incarceration through progressive prosecution methods. Hodge, with a JD from Duke University and having served as a former Assistant US Attorney, Senior Advisor in Obama's Department of Justice, and Advisor on Criminal Justice and Legal Policy for Vice President Biden, brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience.
As the Director of the Prosecution Reform Program, Jami and her team work with elected prosecutors to end mass incarceration, address racial disparities, and to make their offices more accountable to the communities they serve.
Listen to our conversation, and please feel free to continue the conversation with us on Twitter @MillenPolitics.
From entering the White House as a speechwriter at age 24 to writing most of President Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner jokes for four years, David Litt got into politics at a young age and quickly rose to the top of his profession. He joined the Millennial Politics Podcast this week to discuss his career in the White House, the current troubles facing our nation, and his new book, Democracy in One Book Or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think.
Litt talks about his first book, a memoir recapping his time in the White House, and how his experience is different from others who have written similar books because of how young he was at the time. In discussing his newer research and writing, he diagnoses some major problems facing American democracy and how they are often extremely intertwined. With those connected issues, Litt says, also come connected solutions. He weaves in a fun story about the connection between Mitch McConnell and a fraternity house in Northern Kentucky.
Litt also speaks about how Democrats should govern if they do win back the Senate and the Presidency, including whether they should look to abolish the filibuster and how they use their legislative power.
I think that Democrats ought to be more comfortable using the tools available to them... in order to not just win elections but in order to make the playing field fairer.
Lastly, the Litt discusses some of the speeches he wrote for President Obama and the type of work he did while working in the administration. He also gives us a look into what it was like working in the White House, including an embarrassing story regarding an experience he had on Air Force One.
If you liked this episode, be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast, rate us five-stars, and leave a review. It's one of the best ways for new listeners to find us. Stay tuned for our next episode.
If you'd like to continue the conversation, David Litt can be found on Twitter @DavidLitt, Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin, and Sam can be found at @JeskeSam.
Swing Left was founded in January 2017 as a reaction to Donald Trump's ascension to the presidency. Since then, the progressive political group has grown exponentially. With chapters across the nation and representatives on college campuses, along with a massive organizing infrastructure, they're poised to make an enormous difference in elections taking place this November.
Steve Pierson and Mariah Craven joined the Millennial Politics Podcast to discuss the work they do on Swing Left's podcast, "How We Win," and the organization's new fundraising tool called "Blueprint." Branded as an investment portfolio for activism and giving, Blueprint empowers volunteers and donors to more effectively donate, track progress, and realize the difference that their contributions are making. Blueprint focuses on "Super States," which are states that Swing Left identifies as the key battleground states of the election.
Steve and Mariah also talked about their personal journeys of getting involved with politics and Swing Left, and how they came to co-host the "How We Win" podcast. The pod's purpose is to "provide inspiration and tools and calls to action" to their listeners so that they can get involved and make a difference. They have featured prominent guests, like Democratic pollster Cornel Belcher, founder of Mom's Demand Action Shannon Watts, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, and MP's own Nathan Rubin.
If you'd like to continue the conversation, Nathan can be found on Twitter @NathanHRubin, Sam can be found @JeskeSam, Steve can be found @BluesBoySteve, and Mariah can be found @Mariah_Craven.
Born in Colombia during the drug war, Lina Hidalgo is no stranger to adversity and change. After moving to Peru and then Mexico to escape the traffickers and gangs, her family finally emigrated to the United States. Looking back, she marvels at the disparity between the lack of government action in Colombia, Peru, or Mexico compared with the flourishing public school system in Texas she was able to attend; with strong STEM classes, robust arts programming, and ample resources. She realized that in the United States, government was able to make a difference, and make a difference for the better. This put her on a journey towards helping others and believing in the power of good government.
Hidalgo began her career working outside the political system as an activist for free expression in Southeast Asia, working closely with reporters and bloggers who would stand up to authoritarian governments. Often times, putting themselves and their families in harms way to speak the truth.
Fast-forward to 2016, Lina Hidalgo, now armed with a master's degree and a J.D., watched as Donald Trump made a far-fetched run for the Presidency (and won). This began the wheels turning for her, like so many others, wondering if he can do it, surely she can too.
Deciding to run for County Judge in 2018 put her on a collision course with history; no woman (and no Latina) had ever won the seat of Harris County Judge before. And despite the misnomer in its title, County Judge isn't a judicial position, it's an Executive Leadership one. Harris County is the 3rd largest County in America, behind only Los Angeles and Cook County in Illinois. As a 27 year old candidate, Lina Hidalgo was able to build a robust coalition of activists, organizers, and volunteers to get her vision out to the community, and she won in a stunning upset to become the Executive in charge of dozens of cities totaling more than 3 million people, along with a sprawling $5 billion budget.
Since she made the jump into politics as a candidate, and now as an elected official, Judge Lina Hidalgo has had to lead her community through two "500 Year" floods, Hurricane Harvey's disastrous wake, three chemical plant fires, and now the COVID19 pandemic.
Listen to our interview below with Judge Hidalgo as we dig deeper into her background, her historic campaign, her leadership style and steady hand at the wheel of a rocky boat, as well as her most recent fight to keep her community safe from COVID19.
From combating child hunger to reducing human trafficking, or fighting Ebola in West Africa and striving to eradicate AIDS by 2030, UNICEF USA is hard at work making a difference where it matters. UNICEF was founded in 1946, post WWII, to help children affected by the war, and UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.
Graded by Charity Navigator in 2019, UNICEF USA received exceptional scores in transparency, accountability, and administration, making them one of the top rated charities in the world. UNICEF prides themselves on being largest agency working to improve the lives of children in difficult circumstances and we were fortunate to have Michael Nyenhuis, UNICEF USA's President & CEO, join us on the podcast this week.
On the podcast, they discussed UNICEF USA's work pre-COVID, how it has shifted in response to the pandemic and the accompanying economic recession, UNICEF USA's work fighting for racial justice, and their internal diversity policies at the organization. Nyenhuis shared that he started his career as a journalist covering the HIV pandemic in Honduras during the 1990's, and his experience following that outbreak inspired him to transition into the non-profit field.
Nyenhuis also went into deep detail on UNICEF USA's work both on the global and the local scales as they ramped up to mitigate the fallout from COVID19. In the immediate days following the outbreak, UNICEF USA focused on delivering Personal Protective Equipment to 40,000,000 healthcare workers, but they never lost sight of their mission to help children. Building platforms they call the Learning Passport and Kid Power, they made sure they were able to help continue the education of students who may be out of school, making these platforms available to both and parents students alike. With every $.89 per $1.00 raised going to their work of helping kids, their ability to affect change at scale is unrivaled.
Mondaire Jones would be the first black and openly gay member of Congress in United States history. He's also a bonafide progressive, supporting policies like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college.
Mondaire Jones, educated at Stanford University, graduated from Harvard Law School, served in the Obama Department of Justice, and now candidate for the open House seat in New York's 17th congressional district, is more than just a resume.
Endorsed by AOC and Bernie Sanders, Jones joined Nathan and Sam on the Millennial Politics Podcast this week to discuss his upbringing and the things that distinguish him from other candidates in the primary race. Jones also tied his background to the policies he supports, touching on the need for tuition free college, a federal $15 minimum wage, and universal childcare, to name a few.
"Unlike the people we're used to seeing in our politics, I don't come from money or a political family. I grew up in Section 8 Housing and on food stamps, and I was raised by a young single mom."
Additionally, he spoke at length about America's criminal justice system and how it needs to be radically reimagined. Jones also said that we must have a broader conception of systemic racism, including how things like public education and healthcare are structured in a way that disproportionately hurt African-Americans. But he couldn't leave it all to doom and gloom; he ended on a positive note, arguing that the recent protests give him hope because of how passionate young people are about racial injustice and that this really feels like a true moment for change.
After a long conversation about systemic racism, police brutality, the effects of COVID-19 in her district, and a failure of leadership in this time of crisis, NY State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi retracted her prior endorsement of incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel. While she had previously publicly declared that, "2020 was not the time to primary incumbent Democrats", the events of the last few months have changed her perspective.
The senator spoke passionately about the lack of leadership from many officials for the underprivileged and hard-hit communities that they are elected to serve, and critiqued misleading statements and half-hearted support from those same electeds throughout COVID, and now into the protests against police brutality.
"We have an obligation to fight like hell to ensure our communities are represented by someone who wants to be there. We need someone who is focused on the future. So, my opinion is that my full support behind [Rep. Eliot] Engel just is not there right now. I am still making a decision about what to do formally, but I cannot stand behind somebody who refuses to stand for a district that is in great need during this transformational moment of change."
Senator Biaggi didn't just take shots at other elected officials, though. She came prepared with ample policy proposals on how to best reform the NYPD, mitigate systemic racism, and eliminate police brutality. Biaggi spoke in-depth on reforms like reducing the budget of the NYPD, repealing "50-a" to increase transparency around police personnel records, mandating racial bias training for public officials and including age appropriate unconscious bias classes in both public and private schools for children.
Cristóbal Alex is a Civil Rights attorney, the former founding President of Latino Victory, a veteran of Hillary for America, and now Senior Advisor to Vice President Joe Biden in his bid to win the Presidency. Alex joined the Vice President in March 2019, even before Biden had officially declared his intent to run for the White House.
"In this moment of crisis, Joe Biden will work to unify the country and address the very real injustices and the need for systemic change."
On this episode of our podcast, Cristóbal provides us with an inside perspective of the Biden campaign; reflecting on the ups and downs of the 2020 primaries, where they're focused now as the presumptive nominee, how they intend to build coalitions with the various constituencies in the Democratic Party, and Joe Biden's plan to recognize the pain and grief of the American people in this tense moment.
When asked about Joe Biden's involvement with and plan for the Latino community, Cristóbal elaborated on his work with Biden throughout his time at Latino Victory. Biden was always supportive of their work, and began campaigning with Latino Victory in Nevada, Florida, and Arizona in 2014, and continued throughout the 2016 election.
"Based on my experience, I know Latinos will have a best friend in Joe Biden in the White House."
When Donald Trump entered the race attacking immigrants and Latinos, Joe Biden didn't stop. He dropped by the Latino Victory office unannounced to reaffirm his support for the community. Alex has seen first-hand the compassion of the Vice President, and he goes in more detail into his personal experiences with him as a way to underscore his strength as a candidate in this tumultuous moment in our nation.
Lauren Baer, a former senior policy advisor at the State Department and candidate for Congress in 2018, joined the Millennial Politics podcast to talk about how foreign relations impact the response to a pandemic like this one and how the State Department under President Obama would have reacted differently.
During this episode, Sam and Nathan ask Baer how the lackluster response by the United States government to coronavirus will affect our nation's standing on the world stage and what that could mean for future global emergencies. She also discusses what solutions she would be pushing for right now if she were in Congress and gives us some rapid-fire answers to big policy proposals such as universal basic income and a federal jobs guarantee.
Baer also touched on President Trump's announcement of his intent to fire the State Department Inspector General Steve Linick and the circumstances surrounding this situation. She discusses how unusual it is for a president to fire multiple Inspectors General in a short period of time like Trump has done and how it sets a dangerous precedent and should be cause for concern.
Fred Guttenberg is the father of Jaime Guttenberg, who was tragically killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida two years ago. It was Valentine's Day, 2018, and as he tells us on the podcast, just another normal day for him. Making sure his kids got to school on time was his top priority, and sadly, as we all now know, that day completely turned his life upside down.
The Parkland Shooting was the deadliest high school shooting in American history, and it jolted America out of our collective jadedness and inaction. The March For Our Lives movement was born out of the tragedy, and Fred Guttenberg has now made it his mission in life to pass constitutional common-sense gun safety reform and break the back of the gun lobby.
The movement's accomplishments include passing "Red Flag" laws in states around the country, where if a troubled individual is showing dangerous signs and owns firearms, they can be confiscated by the authorities. Guttenberg is also a major proponent of Universal Background Checks on all firearm sales, and he wishes to extend background checks to ammunition sales as well.
Appropriately titled after his daughter, "Jaime's Law" would do just that. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Senator Richard Blumenthal jointly introduced Jaime's Law, which would require background checks on the sale of ammunition, into the US House of Representatives and US Senate in March of 2019.
Fred also has become a vocal supporter of Vice President Joe Biden's campaign for President. On this episode of the podcast, we dig deeper into Fred's story, how he's coping with his new normal, his fight against the gun lobby, and his personal relationship with Joe Biden following the murder of his daughter.
Fred can be found on Twitter @Fred_Guttenberg, Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin, and Sam can be found @JeskeSam
Presidential races are grueling exercises. Day in and day out, you're always on the go. Raising money, speaking to voters, getting your message out into the media – doing whatever you can as the candidate or staff to maximize every hour of every day. It's exhausting, but somehow at the same time, exhilarating (or at least that's what Addisu Demissie, Senator Cory Booker's Campaign Manager, tells us).
Demissie joined us on the podcast this week, and with him comes nearly 20 years of experience working on campaigns. Having gotten his start in Iowa with John Kerry in 2004, Addisu Demissie continued working on political campaigns on the Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign, Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign, former Governor Terry McAullife Gubernatorial campaign, Gavin Newsome's Gubernatorial Campaign, and most recently, Senator Cory Booker's 2020 Presidential Campaign.
Hosts Nathan and Sam asked Demissie not only about his experience on the 2020 campaign trail, but also how he reacted to the rapid coalescence behind Vice President Joe Biden, Biden's recent efforts to reach out to the left-wing of the party through policy concessions, and the latest announcements of Unity Task Forces to put together the 2020 Democratic Platform.
Be sure to stick around until the end for our newly added "Good Idea / Bad Idea" rapid-fire questions, where Demissie gives his opinion on: Abolishing the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, a National Primary Election (where all states choose their pick for the nominee on one day), abolishing the electoral college, and Ranked Choice Voting.
If you liked this episode and want to continue the conversation, Addisu can be found on Twitter @ASDem, Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin, and Sam @JeskeSam.
The data from the American Public Media Research Lab shows that African-Americans have made up roughly 27% of COVID-19 deaths, but only 13% of the United States population is black. What is causing this horrific discrepancy?
Rashad Robinson, civil rights activist and President of Color of Change, joined the podcast this week to discuss the impact of coronavirus on black Americans and what his organization is doing to help those in need.
In this episode, Sam and Nathan ask Robinson about the problems that African-American populations face during the age of COVID-19, which include inadequate access to healthcare, unfair and racist policing policies, and disparate economic relief from the government. Robinson also discusses his journey of activism, beginning with knocking on doors for political candidates in his early teenage years and ultimately working his way up to leadership within GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
For more information, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, Rashad Robinson can be found on Twitter @rashadrobinson, Color of Change can be found @ColorOfChange, and Nathan can be found @NathanHRubin.
Mandatory masks wherever physical distancing is impossible, along with weekly tests for those lacking antibodies is one doctor's vision of a new normal.
Dr. Angela Rasmussen, Virologist at Columbia University's School of Public Health and a vForbes Contributor, came on the Millennial Politics podcast this week.
As an Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, Dr. Rasmussen studies viral pathogens like Ebola, Bird Flu, MERS, SARS, and now COVID-19.
"The fastest we've ever developed a vaccine was for the Mumps, and that took four years. To say we'll develop one in a year and a half isn't impossible, but it is extremely ambitious."
On this episode, Nathan and Sam ask Dr. Rasmussen about the varying methods of containment different countries are using around the world to combat COVID-19, what a cohesive national testing strategy could look like in the United States, and articulated in her opinion what the United States will need to do in order to be able to start opening back up.
And despite ending on a positive note acknowledging the promising data from treatment trials of the experimental drug Remdesivir, Dr. Rasmussen poured cold water on having a vaccine ready within the next 12-18 months; saying that in order to accomplish this herculean task, vaccine researchers may need to skip phases of development that were previously standard protocol.
For more information, or if you'd like to continue the conversation, Dr. Rasmussen can be found on Twitter @angie_rasmussen and Nathan Rubin can be found @NathanHRubin.
Andom Ghebreghiogis (pronounced GEH-Bre-Gorgeous) is the son of Eritrean immigrants, a special education teacher, and an activist turned Congressional Candidate in NY's 16th district.
Andom sat down with Nathan to discuss his background, vision for the future, path to victory, and the ways he differs from the longtime incumbent and Chairman of House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel.
Full disclosure - Congressman Eliot Engel also came on the Millennial Politics Podcast, and that interview can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conflict-with-iran-trump-impeachment-w-rep-eliot-engel/id1275784642?i=1000443316105
For more information on Andom, visit @AndomForNY or www.andomforny.com
Rob Anderson is a Democrat in the Deep South. Rob ran as a (D) for Congress in Louisiana, and he currently has an exploratory committee open in anticipation of running again in 2020.
On this podcast we discuss his background as a working-class driller, small-business owner, and now, independent-minded politician.
For those who have traveled around the South (or lived there), having a (D) next to your name can be toxic. Not to Rob, though. He explains how he meets his constituents where they are, and doesn't try to "sell them" on anything.
Rob is known for his sharp-tongue on Twitter, but on this podcast we explore his stances on key issues, the current state of politics, and his background.
Take a listen!
In United States presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the United States Electoral College who does not vote for the presidential or vice presidential candidate for whom they had pledged to vote.
Chris Suprun was perhaps the most notable faithless elector in the 2016 election cycle, penning an Op-Ed in the New York Times explaining why he wouldn't vote for Donald Trump, the rightful winner of Texas' electoral college votes.
After declaring he would not cast his vote for Donald Trump despite being a Republican delegate in the Electoral College, Chris and his family were subject to death threats and targeted harassment.
Instead of moving away from the public eye, he has decided to step even further into it by running for Congress.
Take a listen to our interview with Chris and let us know your thoughts!
Roger Misso is a veteran, father, Harvard graduate, and candidate for the Democratic Nomination in NY-24th Congressional District.
NY-24 is one of two districts remaining where Hillary Clinton won in 2016, but the Congressional Seat is in Republican hands.
If Roger Misso has anything to say about it, that will all change in 2020.
This episode is also sponsored by Election Ride Home podcast, learn more here:
https://link.chtbl.com/listen-to-erh
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate Josh Mahony joined Nathan on the podcast to discuss the urgency around winning another senate seat in a "red state" like Arkansas. If Mahony were to win the Democratic Nomination, he would be taking on U.S. Senator (R) Tom Cotton in the 2020 general election.
Mahony lauched his campaign with a digital ad against Cotton titled, "Terrible Tom Cotton" and the attack splices together video and audio clips from his Senate colleagues, the news media, and intermixes editorial audio from Josh himself.
On the podcast, Nathan and Josh cover his potential path to victory, what inspired him to run, hot topics like immigration, campaign finance reform, and climate change, and why he believes Arkansas is primed to go blue in 2020.
While the majority of the United States is currently focused on the Presidential election, it's important to remember that unless Democrats take back the Senate and hold the House of Representatives, even if we win the White House in 2020, we won't be able to pass the much-needed legislation to accomplish our policy goals.
On this episode of the podcast, Nathan sits down with State Senator Gustavo Rivera (NY-33), who is the Chairman of the Committee on Health.
If there's going to be any type of healthcare reform in New York State, Senator Rivera is going to be one of the elected officials leading the charge.
In this wide-ranging (and fast-moving) interview, Senator Rivera covers his favorite topics: universal healthcare, the myths behind the criticisms of single-payer healthcare, and his background as a political operative.
This episode was recorded several weeks ago at Senator Rivera's office so some items may have changed by the time you listen. Additionally, at times, the audio volume might vary based on who's speaking. Thank you for understanding, and enjoy the episode!
Congressman Eliot Engel sat down with Nathan on the podcast to discuss his role as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, his investigations into the Trump Administration, the escalating crisis between the United States and Iran, and the domestic priorities which will be a focus for his own personal race for re-election in 2020.
Take a listen as this interview with a high-powered member of Congress is one you won't want to miss.
Nick Guthman, co-founder and Executive Director of Blue Future, joins Nathan to talk about youth organizing and political participation as a whole.
He speaks about the work that his organization has done in the past and what their plans are for the future, including targeting the state elections in VA in 2019 and the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primaries.
Nick also discusses general organizing, including how Blue Future runs canvasses, phone banks, and brings together youth organizers in states all across the country.
In this pod, Nick gives advice for how to recruit volunteers and arrange successful political mobilization in this day and age.
Always fun to catch-up with, Nick offers keen insights into today's political climate.
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer joined Nathan on this episode of the podcast to discuss his landmark childcare plan, "NYC Under 3."
If enacted, it would be the largest local investment in childcare in United States history.
Comptroller Stringer also speaks about how he got his start in politics, the recent string of attacks on reproductive rights, and how he thinks NYC can fight back.
For more, visit our Patreon where we have an exclusive Behind The Scenes interview with Scott below.
Patreon.com/MillenPolitics
On today's episode, Nathan sits down with Tiffany Caban, candidate for Queens District Attorney.
They discuss Tiffany's unique background as a public defender, her desire to radically change the way criminal justice is enacted in New York City, her desire to serve as a model for the rest of the country, and the anti-establishment nature of her candidacy catching the attention of politicians like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Jessica Ramos, Cynthia Nixon, and more.
Take a listen!
On this episode of the podcast, Nathan sits down with Speaker of the New York City Council Corey Johnson.
Over the course of their ~25 minute chat, they cover local issues like New York City subways, affordable housing, homelessness, LGBTQ youth, climate resiliency, and the first-of-its-kind historic legislation mandating a Green New Deal-like reform at the New York City level.
In addition to local issues, Nathan and Speaker Johnson dig deep into his personal journey from small town Massachusetts to becoming the only openly HIV+ elected official in New York.
PATRONS-ONLY: Nathan also recorded an exclusive "behind-the-scenes" interview with Corey, and it can be found on the Millennial Politics Patreon below.
http://patreon.com/MillenPolitics
NY State Senator Jamaal Bailey joined Nathan on the podcast to discuss the immediate impact of a Democratic trifecta in New York, the 2019-2020 New York State budget, discovery, rent, and campaign finance reform, what it means to raise a family in the same community he was brought up in, and his one-time dream of playing professional sports for the New York Knicks or the New York Mets.
PATRONS-ONLY: Get exclusive access to our "behind-the-scenes" part two interview with Senator Bailey on our Patreon below:
http://Patreon.com/MillenPolitics
Nathan Rubin is joined by Annafi Wahed, co-founder of The Flip Side, a daily digest email bringing you short summaries of the best Op-Eds from the Right and the Left in a 5 minute read (or less) each and every day.
Over their 30 minute conversation they cover her journey to launching The Flip Side, her work in Democratic politics, how to break out of our echo chambers, and where she fits in in an era of political labels.
Learn more and sign up at http://TheFlipSide.io or follow them on social media @KnowTheFlipSide.
In this episode of our joint podcast series with Brand New Congress on Venezuela, Millennial Politics Politics Editor Jordan Valerie Allen speaks with Miguel Tinker Salas, Leslie Farmer Professor of Latin American Studies at Pomona College and author of “Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know and The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela.”
Akinyele Umoja, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Georgia State University and founding member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the New Afrikan People's Organization, joins us for the Brand New Congress-Millennial Politics joint podcast series on Venezuela to discuss the history of Blackness in Venezuela, Afro-Venezuelan support for the Bolivarian Revolution, the racialization of Hugo Chávez, and more.
36-year-old activist Lorena Garcia is running against Republican Cory Gardner in Colorado and could become the first openly queer woman of color ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
In this episode of our joint podcast series with Brand New Congress on Venezuela, Jordan Valerie Allen speaks with Daniel Kovalik, human rights and labor lawyer, former Senior Associate General Counsel of the United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO, author of The Plot to Control the World: How the U.S. Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World, and observer of the 2013 and 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections to discuss oil, the Venezuelan electoral process, the history of U.S. intervention in Latin America, and more.
Data for Progress Housing Fellow Henry Kraemer joins us on the podcast to make the case for housing as a human right and analyze the housing policy of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
Dr. Tim Gill, author of "The State and Civil Society in Socialist Venezuela," joins us for the Brand New Congress-Millennial Politics joint podcast series on Venezuela.
Professor Alexander Aviña joins us for the Brand New Congress-Millennial Politics podcast series on Venezuela to discuss the history of U.S. imperialism in Latin America.
Ryan Watts, Democratic candidate for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District, joins Nathan Rubin to breakdown his decision to run, the day-to-day of running for Congress, and what life is like after election day.
Decrim NY is a coalition fighting to decriminalize sex work in New York through "policy building, community organizing, and advocacy work."
Professor Margaret Power, author of "Right-Wing Women in Chile," contextualizes what's happening in Venezuela by examining the 1973 U.S.-sponsored right-wing coup in Chile.
Means Media, the socialist team behind Alexandria Ocasio Cortez's viral 2018 campaign ad, is now launching Means TV, a post-capitalist streaming platform.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Keith Pottratz is challenging Republican incumbent Cory Gardner with a campaign focused on disability and housing rights.
Jorge Martin, International Secretary of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign, joins us for the Millennial Politics-Brand New Congress podcast series on Venezuela why the U.S. is trying to dismantle the Bolivarian Revolution.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is shaking up the Democratic primary by bringing universal basic income (UBI) into the conversation.
Virginia Democrat Steve Descano is hoping to bring progressive change to the criminal justice system as Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Progressive Mike Siegel just barely lost a gerrymandered R+9 district where the GOP incumbent won by 19 points in 2016. Here's why he's giving it another shot in 2020.
Foglight Strategies is transforming the criminal justice system by supporting progressive prosecutorial candidates and reform organizations.
Gabriel Hetland, Assistant Professor of Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latino Studies at the University of Albany and author of "The Crooked Line: From Populist Mobilization to Participatory Democracy in Chávez-era Venezuela," outlines three principles with which to approach Venezuela: non-interventionism, self-determination, and solidarity with the oppressed.
At 27 years of age, San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner Gabriela López is her city's youngest elected official.
Charlie Hardy, author of "Cowboy in Caracas: A North American's Memoir of Venezuela's Democratic Revolution," joins us on the podcast to discuss Venezuela.
New York City Councilman Rory Lancman is running to become Queen's next District Attorney on a platform of radical progressive change.
37-year-old South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is running for president. If elected, he would be both the first millennial and first openly gay president in U.S. history.
Alejandro Velasco and George Ciccariello-Maher join us on the podcast to discuss the truth about what's happening in Venezuela right now.
Chesa Boudin is the son of radical leftists who were imprisoned in the 1980's. Now, he's running for San Francisco District Attorney on a platform of radical progressive change.
Vermont Representative Emilie Kornheiser is prepared to fight for progressive Democratic values, even with a Republican Governor in office.
Juan Carlos González, Oregon Metro's youngest and first Latino Councilor, joins us on the podcast to discuss his vision for a greener, more equitable Portland.
Contrary to Donald Trump, Our Revolution Political Director David Duhalde says that a democratic socialist United States of America is not only possible but pragmatic.
Lizzie Ulmer and Farah Melendez of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) join us to discuss how Democratic Attorney Generals are leading the resistance to Donald Trump's agenda.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is already bringing progressive change to her office and radically reforming the criminal justice system.
Democratic Congressman Tom O'Halleran voted with Donald Trump 54.2% of the time in the 115th Congress. Fortunately, Eva Putzova is primarying him from the left.
With Democrats securing a trifecta in New York, progressive Assemblymember Harvey Epstein is ready to see a plethora of progressive legislation become law.
Common Justice Executive Director Danielle Sered joined us on the podcast to discuss the prison abolitionist's perspective on how to respond to violence.
As the 2020 presidential primary heats up, National Nurses United (NNU) is leading the fight for Medicare for All both on the state and national level.
32-year-old State Representative Matt Blumenthal is ready for Democrats to utilize their trifecta for progressive change in Connecticut.
The Rhode Island Democratic Party is one of the most conservative in the nation. Fortunately, progressive State Senator Sam Bell is here to fight back.
Illinois State House Representative Anne Stava-Murray is part of a movement of young progressive women primarying incumbent Democratic men from the left.
Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed is still fighting for progressive policies in Michigan through his PAC, Southpaw Michigan.
After witnessing the corrupting influence of money in politics in the Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor's race, Aryanna Berringer founded FightThePower, a PAC dedicated to electing true progressives who oppose corrupting corporate campaign cash.
Some want to eliminate the position of New York City Public Advocate. Fortunately, 34-year-old Ben Yee has some big ideas for how to utilize the office for innovation.
22-year-old Will Haskell flipped Connecticut's 26th State Senate District blue for the first time since 1970 by beating a popular GOP incumbent who was in office almost as long as he's been alive.
Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) Board of Directors Member Eric Williams joined us on the podcast to discuss clean energy and environmental policy.
Steuart Pittman unseated his Republican incumbent and is ready to fight for social justice as Anne Arundel County Executive.
National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) Communications Director Patrick Rodenbush joined us on the podcast to discuss the importance of fair districting.
36-year-old Rob Sand, sometimes referred to as "young Robert Mueller" by his supporters, is Iowa's first Democratic Auditor since 1966.
30-year-old democratic socialist Vaughn Stewart is ready for radical change in Maryland, even with Republican Larry Hogan holding the governorship.
Hayward City Councilwoman Aisha Wahab is, along with New Hampshire's Safiya Wazir, the first Afghan-American woman elected to public office in U.S. history.
32-year-old Michigan State Senator-elect Mallory McMorrow is one of the many awesome Democratic women who swept Michigan on November 6.
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) joins us on the podcast to discuss how Democrats will utilize their new House Majority in the upcoming legislative session.
Progressive Party Vermont Senator Christopher Pearson joined us on the podcast to discuss single-payer healthcare, democratic socialism, equitable taxation, and more.
David Zuckerman, the only Progressive Party Lieutenant Governor in the United States, joined us on the podcast to discuss healthcare, education, and more.
Green New Deal architect and Data for Progress advisor Greg Carlock joined us on the podcast to discuss environmental activism and policy.
"Raised by a Democratic mother and socialistic father," Rachel Ventura is ready to advocate for democratic socialism in Will County, Illinois.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat and the nation's longest-serving state attorney general, joined us to discuss his nine-term tenure.
37-year-old Sarah Godlewski is the first Democrat to win election to the office of Wisconsin Treasurer since 2006, and she's ready to bring progressive change.
Connecticut Representative and Progressive Caucus Co-Chair James Albis is ready to see Democrats utilize their trifecta to bring real progressive change.
Chicago Votes Deputy Director of Policy, Culture & Operations Jen Dean joined us on the podcast to discuss voting rights, the results of the 2018 election, and more.
Democratic socialist Franklin Bynum is ready to bring radical change to the judicial system as a Harris County Criminal Court Judge.
22-year-old progressive Rigel Robinson won election to Berkely City Council in the nation's first student-supermajority district.
Lisa Bunker and Gerri Cannon are New Hampshire's first openly transgender state legislators and two of the only openly transgender state legislators in the country.
Julia Salazar ran an insurgent primary campaign against a corporate incumbent and will soon be inaugurated as New York's only democratic socialist state senator.
Lee Castillo is running for Congress in Utah's 1st. If elected, he'll make history as Utah's first openly gay congressional representative.
If elected, Jamie McLeod-Skinner would become Oregon's first-ever openly LGBTQ congressmember and OR-02's first Democratic Representative since 1978.
Texas' 25th congressional district was always represented by a Democrat until 2013. Julie Oliver is ready to turn it blue again come November 6.
By sharing stories and putting faces to causes, The Love Vote hopes to quell the myth that one vote doesn't matter or won't make a difference.
Anita Malik joined us on the podcast to discuss her plan to flip Arizona's 6th Congressional District blue despite her district's R+9 lean.
As a physician, Josh Green feels well-equipped to treat a severely ill political system and ease the economic strain that leaves so many in Hawaii homeless.
Former Massachusetts Governor Willard Mitt Romney wants to return to politics as Utah's next United States Senator. But first, he'll have to get past Jenny Wilson.
Ethics reform advocate Constance Anastopoulo is challenging incumbent GOP Attorney General Alan Wilson, who was condemned by a grand jury for corruption.
Alabama elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in December 2017. David Baria believes he can recreate that success in Mississippi this November.
Minnesota's 6th hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2000. 28-year-old Ian Todd believes he can change that come November 6.
Sarah Swain's radical progressivism lost her the support of the Democratic Party. But she's still intent on unseating her Republican incumbent in November.
The Jewish Vote is a sister organization to Jews for Racial and Economic Justice that is working to translate those values into electoral politics and policy.
Progressive Sarah Smith is going up against her Democratic incumbent in the WA-09 general election, giving the left one last chance to pull off another House victory like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's in NY-14.
Bernie Sanders won all 55 counties in West Virginia in the 2016 primary. Kendra Fershee is hoping that same progressive energy will win her WV-01.
Wyoming hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1970. Gary Trauner believes he will change that come November 6.
Illinois' 6th congressional district hasn't sent a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives since 1970. Sean Casten wants to change that in November.
Betsy Rader, a civil rights lawyer and the Democratic nominee for Congress in OH-14, joined us on the podcast to debunk stereotypes about Middle America.
Alabama dismantled the Voting Rights Act with the Shelby County v. Holder case. Heather Milam wants to reverse course as Alabama Secretary of State.
Col. Kim Olson, the Democratic Nominee for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, joined us on the podcast to discuss why agriculture is so important to the American economy and the American people.
Despite false reports of his death, race, and ballot status, Mandela Barnes won the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor.
Data for Progress co-founder Sean McElwee and Washington Post political reporter Dave Weigel came onto the podcast to discuss the Democratic primaries.
Justin Kanew, best known for his two stints on The Amazing Race, is now running the race of his life to flip Tennessee's 7th blue for the first time since 1980.
With no general election opponents, MI-13 Democratic nominee Rashida Tlaib will be America's first Palestinian-American and Muslim-American Congresswoman.
No Democrat has been elected Attorney General of Michigan since 1998. That could all change in November with Dana Nessel.
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver joined us on the podcast to discuss election integrity and voting rights.
Kevin de León, who earned the California Democratic Party nomination, is challenging four-term Democratic incumbent Senator Dianne Feinstein from the left.
Colin Allred is a civil rights lawyer running for Congress to continue his civil rights work. But first, he'll have to beat TX-32's 20-year incumbent Republican.
Colorado's 5th congressional district went to Donald Trump by 24 points and has never been represented by a Democrat before. But Dr. Stephany Rose Spaulding is running an unapologetically progressive campaign to flip CO-05 blue for the first time ever.
No Democrat has won election to the House of Representatives in North Carolina's 6th since 1982. 28-year-old Democratic nominee Ryan Watts is hoping to change that in November.
Lorie Burch, the Democratic nominee for Congress in TX-03, is ready to become the first openly LGBTQ member of Texas' congressional delegation.
Congressman Jim McGovern, who voted against the foundation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2002, joined us on the podcast to discuss how all of his fears about ICE have come true and why we need to abolish the agency entirely.
The National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) is rebuilding the Democratic Party from the ground-up by training grassroots candidates anytime, anywhere.
For years now, Democrats have hoped to flip the diversifying state of Arizona. Polls show that one Democratic candidate is uniquely suited to win the governor's race: David Garcia.
Pam Keith, one of two Democratic candidates for Congress in Florida's 18th, joined us on the podcast to discuss her underdog campaign and why it's important for women to run for office.
Kelly Fryer is a social justice advocate and Democrat running for Governor of Arizona. If elected, she would become America's first openly lesbian governor. She joined us to discuss her potentially historic candidacy, the #AbolishICE movement, and the social construction of borders.
Under Barack Obama, Democrats lost over 1,000 seats nationwide. LaunchProgress Executive Director Arielle Swernoff joined us on the podcast to discuss how LaunchProgress is fighting to win back those seats with young, progressive candidates.
In a special two-part interview episode of the podcast, we spoke with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the first member of Congress to join the call to #AbolishICE, and Deb Haaland, the Democratic nominee for Congress in NM-01, about immigration and the #AbolishICE movement.
Kristin Mink, the mom who confronted Scott Pruitt, and Mathew Rodriguez, author of "Civility is Not Queer," say that civility won't save us from Trump and the GOP.
As a quick refresher, for seven years a group of turncoat politicians have run as Democrats, been elected as Democrats, and immediately caucused with Republicans in the New York State Senate. They formed a conference, called the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) to vote as a bloc, ceding control of the chamber and preventing progressive policies from being sent to Governor Cuomo's desk.
Everything from codifying Roe v. Wade at the state-level, to passing Universal Health Care, or the DREAM Act, and even to more local issues like Affordable Housing, Speed Cameras and the funding of Public Schools, has been blocked as a result of the IDC.
Enter Zellnor Myrie. State Senator Jesse Hamilton, the incumbent in Zellnor Myrie's district, is one of the IDC Members, and Zellnor has had enough. He thinks the time is now to knock him out, but his race is turning into a good old-fashioned Brooklyn Political Street-fight.
With the typical machinery at-hand, politicians are turning on each other trying to either oust the incumbent, or keep him in power. Zellnor is finding himself right in the middle of it all, and he's staying focused on the mission at hand and rolling with the punches.
Listen to the second installment in our crossover podcast series with The Arena, where Ravi Gupta and Nathan Rubin interview Zellnor Myrie and talk about his attempt to knock out incumbent Senator Jesse Hamilton.
Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa joined us on the podcast to discuss her pledge to establish executive Cabinet representation for millennials as Governor of Hawaii, her views on ICE, and how she aims to reduce economic inequality in Hawaii.
In our first ever crossover podcast episode, Nathan Rubin of Millennial Politics joins Ravi Gupta of The Arena to chat with New York State Senate candidate, Alessandra Biaggi.
Biaggi is a lawyer and activist, and first-time candidate running against an incumbent who has turned his back on the people of his district and sold out his fellow Democrats in Albany.
In this fast-paced interview, you'll learn about Alessandra's opponent, why this isn't just another State Senate Race, and her priorities if elected in 2018.
Like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley is a young woman of color primarying a white male incumbent who has been in Congress since 1999. She joined us on the podcast to discuss the prospect of becoming the next progressive insurgent to unseat an established incumbent in a Democratic primary.
Sharice Davids could become the first openly LGBTQ indigenous congresswoman in United States history. But first, she'll have to win a competitive six-way primary. She joined us on the podcast to make the case for why she's best-suited to take on the Republican incumbent in Kansas' 3rd and explain how her indigeneity informs her perspective on immigration.
Zephyr Teachout, the only New York Attorney General candidate fully rejecting corporate money, joined us on the podcast to discuss her "radically independent" candidacy.
James Singer is a self-identified "indigenous environmental democratic socialist" running for Congress in Utah's 3rd district to "bring back the welfare state."
With the Senate set to confirm Brett Kavanaugh and solidify a 5-4 conservative majority in the Supreme Court, is there any hope for our nation's highest court? Todd N. Tucker and Scott Lemieux join us on the podcast to make the case for court packing as the solution to our problem.
Platform started with the goal of mobilizing young women ahead of the 2016 election. Now, they won't stop until every young woman knows the power of her voice and every elected official upholds the responsibility of their office.
Maine hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988. Zak Ringelstein, a true blue progressive, is running to change that by unseating incumbent Independent Senator Angus King, who votes with Donald Trump almost 50% of the time.
Three immigration activists – Occupy ICE Detroit spokesperson Robert Jay, Portland Resistance founder Gregory McKelvey, and Connecticut Students for a Dream co-founder Carolina Bortolleto – joined us on the podcast to discuss how we can disrupt the United States' racist immigration system.
Data for Progress co-founder Sean McElwee joined us on the podcast to discuss what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's victory over #4 House Democrat Joe Crowley in NY-14 means for the Democratic Party and the #AbolishICE movement.
Anthony Kennedy is stepping down. Donald Trump and the Senate GOP are set to cement a 5-4 conservative Supreme Court majority for decades to come. Do we need mass civil disobedience? Candace Bond, Policy Counsel for Reproductive Rights, Health and Justice at the National LGBTQ Task Force, joined us on the podcast to answer that question.
Kamau Marshall, African American Media Director and Deputy National Press Secretary of the DCCC, joined us on the podcast to discuss how the DCCC is supporting Black House candidates in the 2018 midterms.
Lauren Baer, Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida's 18th district, joined us on the podcast again for a special Pride Month episode about the state of LGBTQ rights in the United States.
Our Revolution Minnesota-endorsed progressive Nick Leonard is running against the establishment to fill Al Franken's Senate seat and become America's first openly gay male senator.
In December 2017, Saira Rao wrote that as a brown woman, she was breaking up with the Democratic Party. Now, she's taking on white privilege in a run for Congress in CO-01.
Paulette Jordan, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho, is running to become the first Native Governor in American history. She joined us on the podcast to discuss her historic candidacy, running a progressive campaign in a red state, and how she plans to deal with ICE as governor.
Tahirah Amatul-Wadud is running to become America's first Black Muslim congresswoman in a 6% Black district with a white Christian male Democratic incumbent. She joined us on the podcast to discuss her history candidacy in Massachusetts' 1st.
Kaniela Ing, a progressive Hawaii State Representative who unseated a Republican incumbent in a red district, joined us on the podcast to discuss his candidacy for HI-01 and why the Democratic Party shouldn't be afraid of embracing leftism.
Eric Holguin, the Democratic nominee for Congress in TX-27, joined us on the podcast to discuss his chance to become America's first gay Latino congressman.
David Faris joined us on the podcast to discuss How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics by packing the courts, granting statehood to D.C. and Puerto Rico, and breaking California into six states.
Alison Hartson is a former schoolteacher and campaign finance reform activist running to unseat 84-year-old incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in California.
Journalist and Data for Progress co-founder Sean McElwee joined us on the podcast to discuss the #AbolishICE movement and how the left can take over the Democratic Party.
Christine Hallquist is a Democratic candidate running to unseat popular Vermont Governor Phil Scott, a Republican with just a 21% disapproval rating. If elected, she would become America's first openly transgender governor ever.
Cyber security is one the most important issues facing the future of country. Mark Zuckerberg recently finished testifying to Congress. The Senate is voting next week on net neutrality. And even Pamela Anderson has entered the fray, trying to use her celebrity to free Julian Assange. (Seriously.)
Yet, listening to questions at the Zuckerberg hearing, the dearth of technological knowledge within the halls of Congress is apparent.
Thankfully, Tracy Mitrano, Democratic candidate from New York's 23rd district, is ready to bring her Internet policy skills to our nation's capital. Tracy has spent her time teaching college classes across the country, building her own cyber security consulting firm, and creating a degree program for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Tracy came on the podcast to talk about the Russian investigation, net neutrality, and the desperate need for more technological savvy members of Congress.
In California, police consistently shoot over 100 people every year. Last year in the United States, nearly 1,200 people were killed by police officers. These deaths destroy families and rip apart communities while law enforcement responsible for even the most egregious cases are rarely, if ever, held accountable.
The Network is a statewide coalition of rapid response organizations across the state of California that will mobilize communities to respond radically to state violence. The Network will focus heavily on legislation as well as a public information campaign around the Law Enforcement Officer’s Bill of Rights, the single largest obstacle to police accountability.
Cat Brooks, Co-Founder of JTN, joined us on the Podcast to discuss the launch of this new initiative.
While judicial elections are rarely well-publicized, the impact of who sits on our judiciary has gotten more attention under the Trump administration, with judges striking down the Muslim bans, the transgender military ban, and DACA repeal.
Even State Supreme Courts have received some coverage in the wake of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's takedown of state GOP's unconstitutional gerrymandering.
This year, 32 states are holding state Supreme Court elections, with a total of 74 seats up for election. If the blue wave sweeps judicial offices as well as Congress in November, the ideological composition of our state judiciaries could shift left for decades.
Steven Kirkland joined us on the podcast to discuss the right's takeover of the judiciary, the difficulty of running for public office as a former alcoholic, and why he believes civil rights are protected by the Texas Constitution.
Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson is a former White House advisor and senior U.S. Senate aide running for Congress in PA-10. If elected, she will become the first-ever Black woman to serve in Pennsylvania's congressional delegation.
The ACLU likened voter suppression in modern-day Georgia to Jim Crow-era suppression tactics. Dee Dawkins-Haigler is hoping to change that as Secretary of State.
Tom Carper has been in elected office since 1977. The last election in which he faced a primary challenger, he cruised to victory with 87.8% of the vote. A Bill Clinton-style moderate, Carper's corporate centrism is perfectly embodied by his recent vote for a bank regulation bill that enables racial discrimination and hurts homebuyers. Yet for four decades, progressives have been unable to hold him accountable for prioritizing the rich and powerful over the real Americans he's supposed to be representing.
Kerri Evelyn Harris wants to change that. A 38-year-old biracial lesbian civil rights activist and veteran, Kerri is mounting a primary challenge to Carper from the left. Running on a progressive platform that prioritizes single-payer healthcare, economic justice, and civil rights. As co-founder of the Delaware Civil Rights Coalition, a member of the Delaware Human Relations Commission, and Air Force veteran, Kerri's record is a far cry from Carper's career politicking. Additionally, if elected, Kerri would be the first openly queer woman of color ever to serve in Congress.
Kerri joined us on the podcast to discuss her insurgent candidacy, her intersectional justice platform, and her perspective on imperialist American foreign policy as a veteran.
It may not come as much of a surprise that New York’s 12th district, which includes much of Manhattan and Queens, is considered a solidly Democratic district. In 2016, it went to Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a whopping 69.8 points. A Republican has not won election to Congress in the district since 1958, with none having even broken 20% of the vote since Democrat Shirley Chisholm's victory in 1968. So instead of worrying about whether the 12th will go red, spectators are always focused on the Democratic primary, which could indicate how far left the party is going. And Suraj Patel is ready to be the party's leftward pull in NY-12.
Suraj is a lawyer, activist, educator, and first-generation American who worked for Barack Obama since his 2008 presidential campaign. When Donald Trump was inaugurated, Suraj got quick to work joining the resistance, even volunteering to protect immigrants facing deportation and travelers stuck at JFK due to the Muslim ban. Suraj Patel joined us on the podcast to talk about the #AbolishICE movement, how to turn out voters in a district that only has 8% Democratic primary turnout, the difficulty of challenging an established incumbent in the New York political machine and more!
This podcast is sponsored by: Parkway Politics. Since 2016, so many of us have become very active in politics. However, we tend to forget what our state and local governments are doing because of the chaos in D.C. and this is why Ron, Jay and Brian, the hosts of Parkway Politics, have created a podcast to discuss the important local issues. If you are up for a great discussion about New Jersey politics and issues, then subscribe to the Parkway Politics Podcast. It’s important to voice the state and local issues to make sure they are not going unchecked. There are plenty of great podcasts out there that talk about national issues, but Parkway Politics is focused solely on delivering what is happening in New Jersey. Follow them on Twitter @ParkwayPolitics and, of course, subscribe anywhere you get your podcasts.
Matt Pelikan is a 36-year-old attorney running to unseat a three-term incumbent in the Democratic primary for Minnesota Attorney General. If elected, he would become the first openly gay Attorney General in U.S. history and the youngest Attorney General in the country. Matt joined us on the podcast to discuss growing up as a gay kid in a small town, enforcing gun safety through the Office of Attorney General, and holding the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the opioid crisis and price gouging.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is running to become Florida's first Democratic governor in two decades. He joined us on the podcast to discuss gun violence prevention in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting, healthcare, intergenerational poverty, and more.
Fayrouz Saad, who served as the first Director of Detroit's Office of Immigrant Affairs as well as under President Obama in the Department of Homeland Security, joined us on the podcast to discuss her candidacy for Congress in MI-11.
Sam Bagenstos is a civil rights lawyer running for a seat on the Michigan Supreme Court. Sam joined us on the podcast to discuss the constitutional case for civil rights, the odd prospect of electing judges, and accusations of "judicial activism."
If you're running for office, it's pretty much guaranteed that a lot of people in your life encouraged you to do so. But few candidates can say that they've been personally encouraged to run by President Barack Obama and FBI Director James Comey.
No matter how unlikely, that is the true story of what pushed Omar Siddiqui to jump into the race to unseat Russia's favorite congressman, Dana Rohrabacher. (In November, The New York Times reported that "the Kremlin likes him so much it gave him a code name.") Rohrabacher, who has been in Congress since 1989 and represented four districts during his tenure, is facing fourteen challengers in the open primary for California's 48th. Despite never having been represented by a Democrat before, CA-48 went to Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016 (but only by a 1.7 point margin).
Despite the crowded field, Omar Siddiqui believes that he can pull through and make it to the November general election ballot. Omar joined us on the podcast to discuss his strategy, why diversity is a matter of national security, and the discussions with Barack Obama and James Comey that inspired him to run for Congress.
Community Justice Reform Coalition (CJRC) is a national advocacy coalition that promotes and invests in evidence-based policies and programs to prevent gun violence and uplift criminal justice reforms in urban communities of color.
Jamira Burley, Social Impact Consultant and Social Justice Activist at CJRC, joined us to discuss gun violence prevention in the wake of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida and the importance of centering communities of color in our activism.
On the latest episode of the Millennial Politics podcast, we interview Dr. Michael Ralph, Professor at NYU and creator of the Treasury of Weary Souls.
The Treasury of Weary Souls is the world’s most comprehensive database of enslaved Africans who built America. Ralph and his team compiled more than 1,300 records of Life Insurance policies as a way to identify, track, and better understand the mechanics of slavery.
The Treasury of Weary Souls highlights the pivotal contributions of skilled slaves to the nation's most lucrative and most dangerous antebellum enterprises, with specific data points on the enslaved human's skill set, occupation, and which corporations were willing to write the policy.
Perhaps most striking, the database also contains fascinating points on financial firms who continue to profit from slave insurance policies today. While these corporations are not the same as they existed over 150 years ago, their legal corporation still exists (AIG, Aetna, New York Life Insurance).
We had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ralph for our first in-studio recording at ACME Hall Studios in Brooklyn.
A leading legal voice on Twitter, Renato Mariotti has become known for his regular threads alongside Seth Abramson and others commenting on the latest developments in the Trump/Russia probe.
Oftentimes deciphering what the implications are after a piece of breaking news works its way through the body politic, Renato's insights have landed him as a guest on MSNBC, CNN, and a host of other outlets.
Growing up in a lower-middle class home to parents who never graduated college, Renato's family emphasized the importance of education. Despite his modest upbringing, Renato went on to graduate from Yale Law School and become a federal prosecutor for nine years going after white-collar criminals. Some of his more high-profile cases include prosecuting the first-ever high-frequency trader who was engaging in illegal activities.
This background and experience has allowed Mariotti to have valuable insight into the mind of Bob Mueller and the legal ramifications of every action and subpoena.
Renato's running in a crowded field for Illinois Attorney General, and the statewide primary election is on Tuesday, March 20th. We were fortunate enough to sit down with him to discuss his race, his background, Bob Mueller's probe, and why he's optimistic for the future.
On Tuesday, the second statewide primaries of the 2018 election cycle will occur in Illinois. While the governor's race has received the lion's share of attention from national media, as a Republican incumbent with a 31% approval rating is running for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton won by 17 points, it is far from the only important election that will be held on the 20th.
With incumbent Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan choosing not to run for re-election, the race is wide open, with eight Democrats and two Republicans vying for a place on the general election ballot. One of the most qualified candidates on the Democratic side is Sharon Fairley, a former federal prosecutor and criminal justice reform advocate.
Sharon's impressive resume includes serving as chief administrator of the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability and Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals section of the Office of Illinois Attorney General.
Sharon joined us on the podcast to discuss her experience holding those in power accountable, her plan to use the office of Attorney General as a vehicle for reform, and her thoughts on the mishandling of sexual abuse by Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Born in Illinois to Indian Muslim immigrant parents, Sameena Mustafa has dedicated her life to advocating for women and people of color. After graduating from college, she became a Planned Parenthood clinic manager. Since then, she has taken numerous leadership positions in local organizations including the Chicago Women's Health Center and League of Women Voters Chicago. She also founded the Symposium to Elect Women & People of Color and Hand Her the Mic, an organization dedicated to empowering women of color through comedy workshops, forums, and performance opportunities.
And now, she's ready to serve the people of Illinois' 5th in the House of Representatives. She's challenging incumbent Mike Quigley, a foreign policy hawk, for the Democratic nomination. The district has an ugly history, having previously been represented by Bill Lipinski, father of conservative Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski, Rod Blagojevich, who went on to serve as Governor of Illinois before being impeached and sentenced to 14 years in prison, and Rahm Emanuel, the current Chicago Mayor who shielded the Chicago police department from investigation after the shooting of Laquan McDonald. If elected, Sameena would offer the 5th a new start. Not only would she be their first representative to reject corporate money; she would be the first woman and person of color to represent the district in the House.
Sameena joined us on the podcast to discuss Mike Quigley's hawkishness, her work empowering women and people of color, why we need to abolish ICE, and more.
When Lauren Underwood was attending a town hall with her current Congressman, someone asked a simple question. Where did Rep. Hultgren stand on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act? He responded that he didn't support repealing the Affordable Care Act because it would hurt his constituents and lead to folks being unnecessarily kicked off their health insurance plans.
While it appeased the crowd in the moment, Hultgren went back to Washington and did the exact opposite of what he told his constituents. He voted for repeal, and in the process, inspired Lauren Underwood to challenge him. A simple broken promise from her representative was a call to action, and now she's a force to be reckoned with.
Endorsed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's Off The Sidelines PAC, The Arena Summit, and EMILY's List, Underwood has made national headlines. She's been featured on MSNBC, on the cover of TIME Magazine, and now on the Millennial Politics podcast.
As a nurse and former Senior Health Advisor to the Obama Administration, Underwood is running on a platform of ensuring access to affordable healthcare, working to solve the opioid crisis, creating good paying jobs, and protecting civil rights for all people.
We had the opportunity to chat with Lauren about her campaign, what it means to run for Congress as a young woman of color, and how she approaches hot-button issues in her district.
Recently, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has stirred up major controversy by attempting to sabotage progressive Democratic primary candidates Laura Moser in Texas' 7th and Greg Edwards.
Edwards, an Afro-Latinx civil rights activist and pastor, is not just the most progressive candidate in his race, but one of the most progressive viable candidates running for the House of Representatives in 2018. His website proudly proclaims that "this moment does not call for moderation, but revolutionary ideals rooted in progress," a sentiment clearly not shared by the DCCC or other establishment Democratic Party organizations.
We spoke with Greg Edwards on the podcast prior to the DCCC controversy about the recent de-gerrymandering of his state, how to translate transformative justice into public policy, and radical criminal justice reform.
She worked in the Obama Administration for two Secretaries of State (John Kerry & Hillary Clinton), and then for UN Ambassador Samantha Power. She got to know John Kerry's golden retriever (Ben) while working on Mahogany Row, and she traveled across the globe working in high-pressure foreign policy scenarios. But it wasn't until after Trump's election that Lauren Baer first thought about running for office.
She credits the birth of her new-born with a fresh desire to take on our challenges head-on. She believes everyone in her district should be able to have access to quality affordable healthcare, a first-rate public education, the opportunity to live in a beautiful (and protected) environment, and a strong economy that preserves and strengthens the middle class.
We sat down with Lauren on our podcast to discuss her progressive platform for her district, her experience working in the Obama Administration, and her optimism for the future.
Kimberly Peeler-Allen, co-founder of Higher Heights for America, joined us on the podcast to discuss how Higher Heights is working to empower and support Black women’s political leadership.
Though it is solidly blue, Maryland's 6th congressional district is one of the most interesting in the country. The subject of a Supreme Court gerrymandering case, the 6th is currently being vacated by Democrat John Delaney, who is retiring to focus on a 2020 presidential campaign.
One of the four candidates running to replace him in the House of Representatives is Nadia Hashimi, a first-generation Afghan-American pediatric physician, small businessowner, and bestselling author. She is running a grassroots campaign focusing on healthcare, emphasizing her firsthand experience as key to what makes her qualified alongside the two incumbent officeholders also vying for the seat.
Nadia joined us on the podcast to discuss her plan to implement single-payer, gerrymandering, and her socially conscious storytelling.
Are you ready for an astounding statistic? The median net worth of women of color is $0. And for a sizable portion of the population, they have a negative net worth due to various forms of debt.
If you think back to your elementary or high school experience, financial literacy wasn’t something that got a lot of attention. It isn’t mandatory in curricula across the country, and with rising income inequality, this problem isn’t getting any better.
Enter BlackFem Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to teaching wealth management skills to low income women of color. Advisors on Wall Street would charge hundreds of dollars per hour for the critical concepts BlackFem integrates into their curriculum, but the classes are completely free for students.
Founded by Chloe McKenzie, BlackFem takes complicated ideas and breaks them down into simple bite-sized real-world examples for children as young as three years old. Currently, BlackFem has a presence in NYC, Detroit, and Chicago, and they have plans to rapidly scale up in the near future.
We had the opportunity to speak with Chloe about the history of BlackFem, their work over the past year, and the exciting successes they’ve had both in the classroom and out.
An anti-bullying advocate and small businesswoman, Marie is running a proudly progressive grassroots campaign fueled by small donors and enthusiastic volunteers. She already has the support of countless progressive groups like including NARAL and EMILY's List as well as Illinois congressional representatives Jan Schakowsky and Luis Gutierrez.
Marie joined us on the podcast to discuss the danger social conservatism poses to marginalized Americans, her support for LGBTQ equality and reproductive freedom, and how to transform the Democratic Party into a truly progressive institution.
In December, Black Alabamians stunned the nation by delivering Democrat Doug Jones a slim victory over child molester Roy Moore in the Alabama special election to replace Jeff Sessions in the United States Senate. Despite lackluster investment from national Democratic forces, the grassroots organizing of Black Alabamians successfully blocked a child molester from becomes a United States Senator. One of the organizations that helped elect Doug Jones was Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice.
Based out of Uniontown, Alabama, Black Belt Citizens was founded in 2005 in opposition to a proposed landfill that threatened the health and safety of Black Alabamians. In the years since, Black Belt Citizens has used community-based organizing to fight for economic, environmental, and political justice.
Adam Johnston, Coordinator of Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice, joined us on the podcast to discuss the group's work and their revolutionary strategy to dismantle systemic injustice from within the system.
Minnesota's 3rd congressional district is a top target for the Minnesota's Democratic Party in 2018. Though a Democrat hasn't won election to the 3rd's seat in the House of Representatives since 1958, the district was won by Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012 as well as Hillary Clinton in 2016 by an impressive ten points; making it one of the few districts to go to Hillary Clinton by a larger margin than Barack Obama.
With Minnesota's 3rd trending blue despite the state overall trending red, four Democratic candidates have jumped into the race to unseat Republican Erik Paulsen, whose margins of victory have ranged from 7.6 to 24.3 points. Easily the most unconventional candidate in the race is Brian Santa Maria, a former comedy writer for The Onion running on a "Family Pact" and the slogan "let's do something."
Brian joined us on the podcast to discuss smart foreign policy, his "moon mission for Earth," and how the Democratic Party can finally start winning again.
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This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at checkout our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
Journalism in the Trump era is under attack. Full-stop. Never before has there been a President that is so loose with the truth, and so viscous in his attacks on the First Amendment.
In this troubling landscape, a new outlet has emerged. Rantt Media, independent and free from pre-2016 baggage, has grown to become a trusted voice with insightful content in the Trump Era. With over 50,000 followers on Twitter, they frequently issue rapid-response clap-backs in addition to their well-researched columns like "Unpresidented", and their piece where they surveyed over 1,500 Hillary Clinton supporters.
Dylan and Nathan had the opportunity to speak with Ahmed Baba, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Rantt Media, about the latest in the Trump Russia scandal, his work at Rantt, the troubling implications of the latest aggressions by ICE, and the GOP's refusal to act as a co-equal branch in Congress.
Listen to the full conversation below, subscribe to our podcast in iTunes, and be sure to follow Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) and Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) on Twitter, and of course, check their website regularly for latest content.
-- This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at checkout our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
This Friday, February 8, Congress will vote on a fifth continuing resolution (CR) that will determine whether the government stays open or shuts down. With 122 DACA recipients losing protected status each day, some Democrats are hoping to use the spending deadline to force a vote on an immigration bill that will guarantee a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients or even the larger DREAMer population. On January 19, Senate Democrats managed to shut down the government over DACA, giving them leverage over negotiations with Trump and Senate Republican leadership. However, within 69 hours, they caved, passing a new CR and punting the issue down to February 8.
But there is no way to avoid this crisis anymore. Members of Congress passionate about immigration on both sides of the aisle are pressuring party leadership to make a deal on DACA, though nothing remotely passable has materialized yet, mainly since the Trump administration wants to use this negotiation to fundamentally reshape America's immigration system in line with the priorities of anti-immigration hate groups.
Jordan Valerie discussed this complicated situation with three DREAMers – Jung Bin Cho, Immigration Rights Fellow at the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium; Juan Escalante, Digital Campaigns Manager for America's Voice and America's Voice Education Fund; and Ciriac Alvarez, Utahn organizer and writer – as well as Inhe Choi, Executive Director of the Hana Center.
Make sure to follow our guests online:
You can find Jung Bin Cho on Twitter @jungbin618.
You can find Ciriac Alvarez on Twitter @ciriacisbeth.
You can find Juan Escalante on Twitter @JuanSaaa.
You can find the Hana Center on Twitter @HANACenter
Take action to defend DACA recipients and fight for a clean DREAM Act by checking out United We Dream's toolkit.
This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at checkout our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
Setti Warren is no stranger to overcoming long odds. In 2010, he became the first-ever popularly elected African-American Mayor in Massachusetts, and in 2013 he won his re-election bid to remain as Mayor of Newton, Mass. And now, he's running for Governor (against the most popular incumbent governor in the country).
Prior to entering political office, Warren served in the Clinton Administration in a number of offices, as well as the New England Regional FEMA Director, and then in higher education at Boston College.
A Navy Veteran, husband, father, and Mayor, Setti Warren announced his candidacy to challenge Republican Governor Charlie Baker in May of 2017. Baker has been recently distancing himself from Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall of a tougher-than-normal re-election campaign.
Warren's platform is one of a bold progressive. He is pro-single payer healthcare, free college tuition, a new "millionaire's tax", and a high-speed rail project across Massachusetts.
This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at checkout our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
The average age of an American governor at their first inauguration is 56, despite the fact that millennials are now the country's largest voting group. Young Americans are sorely underrepresented in government.
Joe Schiavoni, who is 38, is currently running for governor as a Democrat. His opponents in the primary range from 57 to 71.
70-year-old Bill O'Neill, 71-year-old Dennis Kucinich, 58-year-old Richard Cordray, and 57-year-old Connie Pillich. If elected, Joe would be Ohio's youngest governor in 150 years. If no younger candidate wins a gubernatorial election, he would also become the United States' youngest governor, with the youngest incumbent at the moment being Republican Chris Sununu of New Hampshire who is 43.
Joe joined us on the podcast to discuss his job-focused campaign, the opioid epidemic, and why it's important to significantly lower the average age of American governors.
This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at checkout our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
Currently, women comprise less than 20% of the United States Congress despite the fact that over 50% of the American population is women. Of the 22 women serving in the U.S. Senate, one wasn't even elected to the office; rather, Minnesota Senator Tina Smith was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton after Al Franken was forced to resigned.
But hope is not lost. Many organizations are working hard to ensure that women are fairly represented at all levels of government. One of them is Project 100, which aims to get 100 progressive women in Congress by 2020, the same year Democrats hope to unseat sexual predator Donald Trump.
Project 100 Executive Director and Co-Founder Danielle Gram joined us on the podcast to discuss the Project 100 movement, how Project 100 is fighting for all women, including LGBTQ women and women of color, and the systemic barriers to women running for office in the two-party system
Sponsored By: TAMGA Designs Inc., a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood-based fabrics, low impact dyes, and alternative packaging.
If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” at check out our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
Jess Phoenix is one of seven Democratic candidates hoping to unseat (R) Steve Knight in November. The 35-year-old queer volcanologist believes that her scientific background makes her the perfect challenger to climate science denier Steve Knight, who received a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters.
Jess joined us on the podcast to discuss environmental issues, how being married to the son of a formerly undocumented immigrant affects her views on immigration, and why it's important for queer millennials to run for office.
This podcast is sponsored by TAMGA Designs, a clothing brand that envisions a better future for our planet. TAMGA has created their own system of producing beautiful and comfortable clothes that is kinder to people and the planet, using wood based fabrics, low impact dyes and alternative packaging. If you go to www.tamgadesigns.com, you can try it out for yourself. And if you use the discount code “MP15” our friends at TAMGA Designs will give you 15% off.
Daniel Moberg, Leadership Programs Manager for National LGBTQ Task Force, and Alex Morash, Media and Public Relations Director at National LGBTQ Task Force, joined us on the podcast to discuss their upcoming Creating Change conference and the state of LGBTQ rights in the Trump Era.
Learn more about the upcoming conference at www.creatingchange.org
New Jersey's 11th congressional district isn't your normal Democratic target.
A Democrat hasn't won election to the seat since 1982, and incumbent Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen has held the seat for over two decades. Yet Donald Trump only won the district by a single point, making it a target of the DCCC.
One candidate running to unseat Rep. Frelinghuysen is Tamara Harris, a family advocate, mother, and businesswoman who has never run for elected office before.
Tamara joined us on the podcast to discuss gun control, social justice, how to legislate toxic masculinity, and more.
Like millions of her fellow Americans, Liuba Grechen Shirley was disgusted to see a man who bragged about sexual assault on tape become President of the United States. As a mother of two young children, she was immediately driven to take action. She founded a Facebook group that gained hundreds of members within the first few weeks alone.
By the time the Trump administration issued the first Muslim ban, Liuba's group had grown to thousands. They protested the ban outside the office of Peter T. King, the Republican currently representing New York's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rather than engage with his constituents, King, a supporter of the Muslim ban, ducked out of his office. But due to the media coverage of Liuba's protest, she was able to secure a meeting with King, in which he argued against actually listening to his constituents.
So Liuba decided to take things into her own hands. Never having considered running for public office before, she launched her candidacy for New York's 2nd, aiming to unseat King after 25 years.
We spoke with Liuba on the podcast about her campaign, the sexual harassment she has experienced as an activist and even on the campaign trail, how being the granddaughter of refugees shapes her views on immigration, and more.
The current Republican incumbent in OH-16, Jim Renacci, who was swept into Congress in the 2010 Republican tsunami, is retiring to run for governor.
Aaron Godfrey, a 31-year-old physicist, is running to replace Renacci in 2018.
We spoke with Aaron on the podcast about his candidacy and why it's important to elect working-class millennials to Congress.
Just three days into his illegitimate presidency, Donald Trump reinstated Ronald Reagan's anti-choice global gag rule, which bans funding for NGOs that "inform the public or educate their government on the need to make safe abortion available, provide legal abortion services, or provide advice on where to get an abortion."
Kaylie Hanson Long, National Communications Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, joined us on the podcast to discuss the fight for reproductive freedom in the Trump era.
Adrienne Lever, Campaigns Director for Swing Left, joins us on the podcast to discuss Swing Left's efforts and strategy to win back the House by focusing on the ever-expanding list of swing districts that Millennial Politics too has been focusing on.
Geneviéve Jones-Wright joins us on the podcast to discuss how her background inspired her to go into criminal justice work, why our criminal justice system disproportionately targets marginalized bodies, and her radical ideas for criminal justice reform.
The Republican currently representing California's 45th congressional district in the House votes in line with Donald Trump 96% of the time despite the fact that the district went to Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Seven Democrats are already running to flip the seat in the 2018 midterms. One of these candidates is Dave Min.
Dave is a first-generation Korean American and self-identified wonk with an impressive background in policy. He worked as an enforcement attorney at the Securities and Exchange Commission, economic and financial policy advisor to Senator Chuck Schumer, Associate Director for Financial Markets Policy at the Center for American Progress, and Assistant Professor of Law at UC Irvine.
Dave joins Jordan on the podcast to talk about his background, Trump's racist immigration policy, and Dad Jokes.
On this episode of the podcast, Jordan Valerie and Nathan are joined by Barrett Holmes Pitner, Columnist for The Root and The Daily Beast, and Aimee Allison, President of Democracy in Color, to discuss the results of the Alabama Senate election, where Democrat Doug Jones defeated child molester Roy Moore with the overwhelming support of Black voters, particularly Black women.
Looking ahead to 2018, there are 23 Congressional districts Hillary Clinton won, but in Republican control. PA-07 is one of them. Meet Molly Sheehan, who's running for congress in PA-07. Molly is a scientist, mother, and proud progressive challenging Republican incumbent Patrick Meehan in a crowded Democratic primary of five candidates. Molly joins Jordan on the podcast to discuss intersectionality, the #MeToo movement, and the future of the Democratic party.
Sam Jammal, Democratic candidate for California's 39th Congressional District, joins Jordan Valerie on the podcast to discuss his work at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, in Congress, and as an Obama appointee to the Department of Commerce. Key topics include how campaigning needs to change as our nation continues to diversify, and his views on immigration as a first-generation Arab-Latino-American.
Jordan Valerie was joined on the podcast by Erin Shields, National Field Organizer for Internet Rights from the Center for Media Justice and Black Youth Project 100 Organizer, to discuss the history of net neutrality and what we can do to protect it against Chairman Pai and the corporate forces attempting to de-democratize the web.
Nathan & Dylan react to the Senate's passage of a 500 page Tax Bill with handwritten notes in the margin, and then Jordan interviews (D) Civil Rights Attorney turned Congressional Candidate, Dan Canon for Indiana's 9th district.
This podcast is presented by LiveRaise.com. Find all of our upcoming livestreams on their app in the AppStore, Google Play store, or on LiveRaise.com @MillenPolitics
Gina Ortiz Jones is an openly-gay EMILY's List endorsed candidate, Air Force veteran, & first-generation Filipino. Her district is one of 23 won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, but still held by a Republican in Congress.
Jones joined Jordan on the podcast to talk about her public service, how Donald Trump's election changed the course of her life, what it's like running for Congress as a first-generation queer woman of color, and the concerns of her majority-minority districts, which spans one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Make sure to like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @GinaOrtizJones
Congress refuses to act; so we the people will. Following the Las Vegas shooting, Millennial Politics reached out to Gun By Gun to push the idea of a National Gun Buy Back. Ian Johnstone, Co-Founder of Gun By Gun, joins Nathan on the pod to announce the first ever National Gun Buy Back. On December 16th, cities across the country will be holding simultaneous programs to help get guns off the streets and make communities safer. For more, go to www.gunxgun.org or listen to this podcast for more information.
Democratic candidate for Texas Governor Jeffrey Payne joins Jordan Valerie to discuss what it's like running for office for the first time, how being the owner of a gay leather bar impacts a campaign in a red state like Texas, and why it's important to cross the aisle.
In this episode of the podcast, Jordan Valerie is joined by AL.com Columnist John Archibald to discuss how Moore's sexual predation changes the race and if Democrat Doug Jones now has a legitimate chance at picking up this seat in a deep red state like Alabama.
Aimee Allison, President of Democracy in Color, creator of Get in Formation, & author of the forthcoming book "She the People", joins Jordan Valerie on the podcast to discuss the Democratic Party Autopsy, how Democrats should go about reaching out to people of color in the wake of the blue wave in Virginia and around the country, and the bombshell news that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is a sexual predator.
What a night! Jordan Valerie is joined by Atima Omara, a DNC Member from Virginia, to analyze the results of the November 2017 Elections, what it means for the future of the Democratic Party and the 2018 Midterm Elections.
Jordan, Dylan & Nathan are joined by comedian and writer, David Bradley Isenberg (@DavidBradleyEYE). They discuss the Donna Brazile "bombshell", indictments, and the Trump Administration's problem with the truth. Take a listen!
Jordan Valerie sits down with (D) Candidate Keith Powers to talk about Mayor Bill De Blasio, NYC Primary voter turnout, and the experience of campaigning in New York City. Keith is an up-and-coming Democrat that you'll want to hear speak. Take a listen!
Kellen joins Dylan and Nathan to talk about his race for VA House of Delegates, his background living in rural Virginia, and why he thinks there's a "progressive revolution brewing in Trump country".
Jordan, Dylan, and Nathan earned their explicit rating in this episode in their review of the news of the week. They discuss the Bernie Sanders "scandal" at the upcoming Women's Convention, the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico, the difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to sexual assault, and Trump's deliberate sabotage of the ACA.
Chris Hurst's girlfriend was shot & killed on live television two years ago, and now he's running for office. An award-winning TV news anchor, his life was thrown upside down after that tragic incident. Hear about his story, his take on the Las Vegas shooting, and his campaign platform in this interview. Chris's election is coming up in November 2017, and you can find him on Twitter @ChrisHurstVA or sign up to get involved or donate at his website www.hurst4delegate.com
Dylan, Jordan, & Nathan discuss the news of the week, going in-depth on the NFL Protests and Chelsea Manning's short-stint as a Harvard fellow. A little later in the episode, Nathan interviews Josh Stanfield, the Executive Director of Activate Virginia, a PAC working to elect Democrats to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017.
Jordan and Nathan go over the news of the week and introduce a new segment, "Around The World". Then, Nathan is joined by political operative, activist, and co-founder of Run For Something, Ross Morales Rocketto (@RossMoRock).
Jose Avila, an MP Contributor, DREAMer and DACA recipient, joins Jordan, Dylan, & Nathan on the podcast. Jose shares what it means to be a DREAMer, his personal background, and what Trump's decision on the DACA program means for him and his future.
Mike Tolkin, a serial entrepreneur and tech investor turned NYC (D) Candidate for Mayor joins Nathan on the pod. They explore his personal background, campaign platform, and his experience running a campaign as an outsider with a technology and innovation mindset.