The Pink State

This is our final episode of the season, and we have the perfect end note because this politician spent her time fighting discrimination with love. This week, we sat down with Jennie Armstrong of Alaska. She is a House Representative, a mom, and identifies as pansexual. She made history when she was one of the first three out LGBTQ+ politicians elected in Alaska in 2022. While in office, she has f...

In honor of this week's episode falling on Election Day 2024 in the United States, we sat down with Rep. LaKeshia Myers of Wisconsin to talk about her experience as a Black woman in politics and get her take on what Kamala Harris has faced as a Black woman running for president. LaKeshia also discusses her experience as a school teacher and how that has helped her as a representative in Milwaukee...

This week’s episode takes us to the Sunshine State post-hurricanes Helene and Milton, where we talked to Barbie Harden Hall. She is a Florida native who was raised in a Republican family and is running for the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat after the loss of her child to a rare, genetic disorder. She shares her story of transitioning into motherhood and politics. Sound Editor: Jaxon W...

The fourth episode of the season features Jayme Davis. She is a House Representative for District 9 in North Dakota. She is making waves as the first Indigenous person to hold a leadership position in the North Dakota Legislature, where she is head of the Democratic Caucus Chair. In this episode she shares a moving professional triumph after a bill to make a Buffalo hunting gun the state gun and a...

This week’s episode features Nabeela Syed. She is an Indian American, Muslim, and hijab wearing-woman who made history in 2022 when she became the youngest woman elected to the Illinois House at 23 years old. She also flipped her district from red to blue. Nabeela talks to us about her run for office in 2022, including how she was told to wait to run until there was a district that looked more lik...

We are back in Tennessee for this episode to talk about "The Year of the Mom" with Ailina Carona - one of three moms in the state who banded together to run in their districts to better protect children in their communities. While she didn't plan to be a politician, after a school shooting happened less than 30 miles from her home and continued efforts to take away women's bodily autonomy, Ailina...

We’re back for Season 2! This season we are conducting one-on-one interviews with women running for office, in office or who have run for office. We are kicking off the first episode with former California State Assemblywoman for the 38th District Christy Smith who learned the in-and-outs of running for federal office when she was a candidate for U.S. House of Representatives. While she didn’t win...

In this seventh episode, we interview Jen Eyer, former communications director for Gov. Whitmer of Michigan and current Ann Arbor City Council Member, and Matthew Yarbrough, former Deputy Campaign Manager for Congresswomen Carolyn Bourdeaux and current political strategist. They share their experiences working with women politicians, from election to in-office, and how the opportunities for women...

In this sixth episode, we interview Olivia Hill, the first transgender person elected to office in the state of Tennessee. She shares her path from childhood to the campaign trail as a politician working to move Nashville forward and her hope to inspire others in the LGBTQ+ community through representation. Copyright info: Music Pixabay License purchased. Licensor's user name:  https://pixabay...

In this fifth episode, we discuss dangers women politicians face on the campaign trail, including harassment and stalking, and the importance of prioritizing mental health. This episode features Marissa Roy and Camille Zapata from California Women's List as well as Dr. Sarah Carson from Emerge California, authors of " Her Stories on the Campaign Trail: Analyzing the Mental Health Impacts...

In this fourth episode, fashion takes a center stage after previous guests shared their thoughts on the critiques and styling of women politicians. In addition to past voices, this episode features Kristen Stewart, a fashion historian and Ph. D. student at Virginia Commonwealth University. Copyright info: Music Pixabay License purchased. Licensor's user name: https://pixabay.com/users/lemonmus...

In this third episode, we talk with two journalists who cover politics in their states to discuss media framing of women in politics. This episode’s guests include Holly McCall, a 37-year veteran journalist who is editor in chief of the Tennessee Lookout in Nashville, and Josie Lenora, a more recent j-school graduate who is currently working as a politics and government reporter with KUAR in Littl...

In this second episode, we explore how fundraising and family are top concerns of women entering a political race. This episode's guests include Freda Player, executive director at Emerge Tennessee and a school board representative in the city of Nashville, as well as Martesha Johnson, Nashville's elected chief public defender. Copyright info: Music Pixabay License purchased. Licensor'...

The Pink State is a new podcast that focuses on women in politics - women running for office, women in office, journalists who cover them and more. In this first episode, we take a look at women who have made history from Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Victoria Woodhull to Sarah Palin and Kamala Harris. This episode features Dr. Lori Ginzberg, professor of history and women’s studies at Pennsylvania S...