Cast Iron Resistance

Y'all, pull up a chair because we've got something special tonight. While the GOP machine keeps telling us Tennessee's a lost cause for progressives, Jerri Green's already out there proving them wrong, even if it means campaigning in a bulletproof vest after death threats from the folks who think democracy only works when they win. This ain't your polite politics podcast episode. We're talking to...

Y'all, the Republican machine wants you to think Tennessee's 7th Congressional District is theirs for the taking. They're dead wrong. In this episode, we sit down with Kate Briefs, the Boston-bred, immigrant-raised campaign manager who's helping Aftyn Behn turn what everyone called a "safe red seat" into a battlefield. This ain't your typical campaign —this is grassroots organizing with teeth, str...

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's shocking assassination, we sit down with Kevin Jenkins—a young Black man running for Congress in Tennessee's blood-red 1st district, where he's one of the few faces that don't look like the overwhelming majority. From the poorest county in Tennessee, Kevin's doing the hard work of building bridges in Trump country while folks on the right try to paint progressives as...

From Alaska to Marshall County: How One Woman is Building a Progressive Resistance in Rural Tennessee In this powerful episode, the Cast Iron crew sits down with Jess Limbird, the Democratic Party chair in Marshall County, Tennessee—a place so red it went 78% for Trump in 2024. But don't let those numbers fool you. Jess, who spent two decades in Alaska working with Native students and fighting bro...

When Boots-on-the-Ground Meets Policy Hell This week, Steve sits down with Nathan "Narcan Nate" Smiddy, a fellow traveler from the rooms who went from small-town Tennessee addict to one of the most respected harm reduction advocates on the West Coast. Nate's story cuts deep—from growing up in a cop family in Jellico to chasing that first devastating high, to finding his calling keeping people aliv...

In this episode, hosts Steve Wildsmith, Nathan Higdon, and Jeremy LaDuke welcome Lee Jones, Middle Tennessee Regional Vice Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party and Chair of the LGBTQ+ Caucus, for a deep dive into what Democrats need to do to win—and it's not what you might think. Opening with the stunning upset victory of democratic socialist Zoran Mamdani in New York's mayoral primary, Steve s...

In this episode of Cast Iron Resistance, we are joined by Jesse Mayshark Executive Director at the Progressive South and host of the Headlights podcast as we discuss the current geopolitical climate, particularly the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, and the role of media in shaping public perception and accountability. We explore the challenges faced by journalists in today's fast-paced...

This is not a drill.

This episode kicks down the door with Southern fire and righteous fury. Hosts Steve, Jeremy, and Nathan celebrate unexpected wins—like a young Black Democrat flipping a deep-red South Carolina seat and Georgia’s youngest lawmaker stepping into the fight for justice. Even the return of North Carolina’s blue ghost fireflies gets its moment as a symbol of hope. Then comes the main event: Tennessee St...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Cast Iron Resistance, a new podcast for Southern progressives who refuse to let their region be defined by hate and division. Hosts Steve Wildsmith, Jeremy LaDuke, and Nathan Higdon introduce their mission: reclaiming Southern identity from fear and fanaticism while building real political momentum in red counties across the South. In this episode, the hosts sit...