At Our Table with Jaime Harrison

We sit down with Roger Wolfson to talk about storytelling, leadership, and why facts alone rarely change minds. A former Senate staffer, speechwriter, and Emmy-winning Hollywood writer, Roger brings a unique perspective shaped by careers in both politics and entertainment. We discuss what leaders can learn from great storytellers, why Democrats often struggle to connect with voters, and how authen...

We’re joined by Kelley Robinson to talk about LGBTQ+ rights and the fight to decide who belongs in America. As the first Black queer woman to lead the Human Rights Campaign, she brings an organizer’s view of power rooted in community and story. We discuss anti-trans attacks, the fragility of Bostock and marriage equality, and HRC’s midterm investment, while confronting a hard truth: rights many pe...

Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York talks with us about the fight over representation and whether American democracy can withstand a coordinated effort to weaken voting rights. The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and daughter of Jamaican immigrants reflects on an upbringing shaped by activism and argues that democracy is endangered both by those who undermine it and by those who lose faith in i...

We sit down with Skye Perryman to talk about what happens when democratic institutions are tested and ordinary citizens are forced to defend them. A lawyer who left corporate practice to help build Democracy Forward, she explains how her organization has challenged government actions in court while uncovering allegations involving DOGE, Social Security data, and election-related activities. We dis...

Dr. Jamal Bryant talks about faith and power in a moment of democratic crisis. We discuss voting rights, affordable housing, health care access, and the economic power behind boycotts. A pastor, organizer, and former NAACP youth leader, Dr. Bryant argues that the Black church must recover its prophetic voice while rebuilding trust with young people. He also explains why the next fight for civil ri...

We sit down with Stephanie Miller to talk about comedy as resistance in a politics built to exhaust people. A longtime progressive radio host with roots in Republican politics, she brings a rare perspective on media and the collapse of old rules. The conversation moves through voting rights, the 2026 midterms, progressive media, and why women in politics and entertainment are still treated as if t...

We talk with Scott Colom about what it takes to fight for a place others have written off. A seventh-generation Mississippian and district attorney, he explains how public service, criminal justice reform, and listening to voters shaped his run for the U.S. Senate. The conversation draws a sharp contrast between politics rooted in trust and leadership that disappears from public view. We also talk...

Candidate for DC Delegate, Kinney Zalesne, sits down with us to talk about what it takes to fight for opportunity when power is unevenly distributed. A former White House and Justice Department official who helped build college access work in DC, she connects education, public service, and her campaign for Congress around a single idea: talent is everywhere, but support is not. We discuss DC state...

We sit down with Xavier Becerra to talk about what it means to be ready to govern in a moment that demands experience over performance. Drawing on decades in public service, from Congress to leading the Department of Health and Human Services during COVID, he argues that leadership is tested in crises, not campaigns. We explore the fight to pass the Affordable Care Act, managing a pandemic, and hi...

U.S. Representative Sean Casten of Illinois talks with us about why energy policy is really a fight over who pays and who profits. Drawing on his background in the energy business before Congress, Rep. Casten argues that high bills are the result of political choices that protect producers over consumers. We dig into blocked clean energy projects, rising gas and electricity costs, and the case for...

Rahm Emanuel joins us to talk about what Democrats have lost and what it would take to look strong and future-focused again. Drawing on a career that spans Congress, the Obama White House, City Hall, and diplomacy, he argues that toughness only matters if it delivers, and that the party has drifted from accountability and working people. At the center of the conversation is a harder question about...

We sit down with Heather Williams to talk about why the fight for Democratic power in 2026 may be won or lost in the states. As president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, she brings a ground-level view of how state legislatures shape the rights that affect our everyday lives. We dig into special-election gains, the battle to break Republican supermajorities, and the danger of trea...

We sit down with Senator Elizabeth Warren to talk about what it will take for Democrats to win back working-class America. She shares how her upbringing on the edge of the middle class shaped her fight against corporate power and economic inequality and why courage—not just good intentions—is the missing ingredient in politics today. We dig into housing, wages, and Trump-era policies, and we explo...

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins us to talk about what leadership looks like in a moment of chaos. After a brand new segment where we ask him a series of rapid fire questions, we get into how Brooklyn shaped him, why House Democrats are governing from the minority with unusual force, and how he is keeping a diverse caucus united without demanding unanimity. We also talk about what it...

We’re joined by Lauren Kapp and Parker Butler, two of the digital strategists who helped lead Kamala Harris’s online operation during the 2024 campaign. They share how Kamala HQ grew into one of the largest progressive accounts on the internet and what it was like running a digital war room in the middle of a presidential race. We also discuss how they’re now helping turn that massive following in...

We talk with A’shanti Gholar, president and CEO of Emerge, about what changes when government actually reflects the people it serves. We explore how Emerge trains Democratic women to run, why Black women and other leaders of the new American majority remain underinvested, and why community plays such a big role in representation. She also digs into voter suppression and the stakes of representatio...

We sit down with Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware for a conversation about history and heart. She talks about what it means to serve as one of the first two Black women ever to serve together in the Senate, how grief shaped her sense of purpose, and why democracy is a team sport. Senator Blunt Rochester also opens up about why making housing more affordable and expanding access to health c...

We sit down with Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey for a conversation that covers the personal, the political, and everything in between. We trade marriage proposal stories and talk about the importance of mental health—especially for Black men—and why community is a lifeline. We connect it to policy: Medicaid and mental health access, childcare, senior care, and the Child Tax Credit. Then we get...

Former U.S. Representative Colin Allred of Texas pulls up a chair for a candid talk about what shaped him and what’s next. We trace his path from being raised by a single mom in Dallas to the NFL, civil rights law, and Congress. He reflects on brokering the donation of a hospital to the VA as proof that leadership isn’t just about votes and legislation. We also unpack what he learned from his 2024...

We sit down with Roland Martin, a Houston original who built an independent media empire by centering Black audiences and telling the full story. After the laughs about Texas teams, Roland gets blunt about how campaigns and corporations treat Black-owned media like an afterthought. We unpack why “no” is a complete sentence, how gatekeepers freeze out Black platforms, and what it will take to build...

We talk with U.S. Representative Robert Garcia of California to talk about power, accountability, and the human cost of oversight. From his immigrant upbringing and values shaped by service, to becoming the youngest Ranking Member of House Oversight in more than a century, we dig into how he leads with kindness in a cynical moment. He unpacks government corruption, the Epstein files, ICE abuses, a...

We sit down with U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas for a deeply honest conversation about power, justice, and urgency. We trace her path from public defender and civil rights attorney to Congress and discuss how her current U.S. Senate run is rooted in lived experience and hard math. Rep. Crockett also explains why the system is designed to stay broken, why Black and Brown voters are k...

We’re joined by Eliana Pinckney, daughter of the late Rev. Clementa Pinckney, to reflect on the Charleston massacre’s lasting impact and her father’s legacy of love, service, and civic duty. Eliana takes us back to being 11 and honors her mother’s quiet strength. She then talks about what it’s like to be part of the 9/11 generation shaped by gun violence, living with vigilance and exhaustion while...

We kick off the new season in Los Angeles with Mayor Karen Bass, and she doesn’t hold back. She takes on her journey as a public servant and explains why she left Congress to come home and lead a city in crisis. We also dig into affordability and the policies that push people onto the streets and how her team has fought homelessness by cutting red tape and fixing broken systems. We also talk wildf...

In our season finale, we sit down with Kamala Harris for an unguarded conversation about the weight of leadership and the search for steadiness through faith, family, purpose, and friendships forged through fire. Vice President Harris reflects on building a presidential campaign in 107 days, making history with the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and refusing to let others define he...