Building the Bench

Rep. Haley Stevens was chief of staff on Obama's Auto Rescue Task Force when Michigan was at the bottom of the Great Recession. She took calls from workers and small business owners who were scared they were going to lose everything. That experience shapes everything about how she approaches her work in Congress. On this episode, the Michigan congresswoman talks about what tariffs are doing to...

Congresswoman Emily Randall won her first state Senate race by 102 votes. She knocked more doors than anyone else in the race and asked every voter (including the ones who told her they'd never vote for her) what they actually wanted. That instinct runs through everything she does. On this episode, she talks about her sister's experience with Medicaid, why it motivated her to run, and what...

Texas (and national) Republicans keep passing wildly harmful legislation legislation. Some of the lawmakers voting for it, Rep. Julie Johnson says, privately know it’s wrong. So why does it keep happening? Johnson, the first LGBTQ woman elected to Congress from the South, joins me to talk about cowardice in politics, the anger she feels watching rights get weaponized, and why she has zero patience...

Millions of Epstein documents are now public. Millions more remain unreleased. Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández , chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus , joins Building the Bench to explain how disclosure was forced, why resistance inside Congress lasted as long as it did, and what finally made delay unsustainable. She also describes how the Democratic Women’s Caucus has pushed healthcare, ca...

The vanguard of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization shines a light on modern voter suppression and how democracy is quietly being reworked outside of public view.

Congresswoman Summer Lee returns for a Building the Bench bonus episode to unpack a turbulent week in Washington. Lee discusses the ongoing Republican paralysis in the House, the approaching expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits, and why temporary health care extensions leave families one step from losing coverage. She also reflects on recent Democratic electoral momentum and why it will o...

Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth joins Building the Bench to trace the path from her first experience testifying before lawmakers at nineteen to becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Maryland Senate. She talks about learning politics from inside Congressional icon Steny Hoyer’s office as an intern, developing a reputation for preparation and follow-through, and how those habits shape her work...

Rep. Summer Lee opens up about her upbringing in Western Pennsylvania, the pressures new members face inside Congress, and how big money shapes what gets attention in Washington. She reflects on changing representation in Congress and what it takes to stay rooted in the community that sent her there.

From space exploration to Congress, Whitesides shares how curiosity, empathy, and mission-driven leadership guide his work in Washington.

Ramirez joins me to discuss the ICE raids upending families and neighborhoods, the grassroots networks stepping up in their wake, and why the real test of democracy is how people respond when government fails to protect them.

As the shutdown drags into its fifth week, Whitesides joins me to talk about the GOP using hunger as political leverage, the impact of Trump's attacks on science, and why hope still matters.

On the third week of the shutdown, Congresswoman Stansbury joins me to discuss skyrocketing health insurance premiums, the Adelita Grijalva standoff, and the fight to stop an authoritarian weakening of the legislative branch.

Stansbury shares how grassroots organizing and lived experience shape her approach to politics, from winning tough races to delivering community projects that change lives.

A candid follow-up with the Congresswoman on the shutdown, ACA tax credits, and why this is an “Article I moment.”

Rep. Hillary Scholten talks about becoming the first Democratic woman to represent Michigan’s 3rd District, and how her experiences in faith and motherhood shape her approach to politics.

Rep. Delia Ramirez opens up about her identity as a Guatemalan-American, the realities of running as a working-class candidate, and why Democrats are struggling to connect with voters.