Crashing The Political Party

This week we’re joined by Andre Easton, an independent Socialist running for Congress in the NY-15. We talk about his background as a teacher, his policy priorities, what it means to be a Socialist, why interest in Socialism seems to be growing in America, books, fatherhood, and more.

For this week, our guest is Austin Ahlman, an independent running for Nebraska's 1st Congressional District. In this conversation, we discuss a bit about Austin's background, why he's running as an independent, anti-monoply being part of his platform, why monopolies are a problem and what he proposes America do about them, rural attitudes towards Big Tech and datacenters, having policy positions t...

In this episode, we talk with Ann Marie Danimus, an independent running for Washington’s 5th congressional district. We discuss her background, why she’s running as an independent, policy priorities, issues specific to the WA-5, running against 11 opponents in Washington’s top 2 primary system, life outside of politics, and, of course, book recommendations.

For this episode, we head to South Dakota to speak with independent senate candidate Brian Bengs. We talk Brian's background, how he's returning to his independent roots after a detour as a Democrat, "The Code of the West", why anti-corruption and anti-big money are major themes of his campaign, what issue Brian has shifted on over time, the biggest issue facing South Dakota that gets overlooked n...

This week, we’re joined by farmer and independent candidate for New York’s 24th Congressional District Ken Estes Jr. We talk farming, what Washington DC can learn from farm life, what’s one thing DC could do to help rural America, Ken’s “four pillars”, what a World Cafe is and why his campaign holds them, learning from voters, book recommendations, and more!

In the Season 5 premiere of our special "Hidden in Plain Sight" episodes, AJ sits down with farmer, author, and rural policy expert Brian Reisinger to unpack how the conflict with Iran is quietly reshaping American agriculture. They dig into the ripple effects most people never see: rising diesel and fertilizer costs, the squeeze on crop yields, and why higher grocery prices don’t necessarily mean...

For this episode, we head down to Mississippi to talk with independent senate candidate Ty Pinkins. Ty and AJ talk about Ty's background, leaving the Democratic Party to run as an Independent, what Ty tells voters about supporting an independent over the major parties, policy priorities for Ty's campaign, how Ty's military service and being a father influence how he'd govern, book recommendations,...

In our first Research Note mini-episode, AJ walks through one of his academic publications which tests the theory that alternative candidates would perform better in America under ranked choice voting than the current widely used electoral system. He answers questions about why that might be the case, how he and his coauthors went about studying this, what they found, why even small improvements c...

AJ is back with another conversation featuring an alternative candidate in the IL-4 race, sitting down with independent Lindsay Church. They get into the decision to run outside the two-party system, military service, perspectives on U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and how being trans shaped the path to candidacy. The conversation also covers key policy priorities, political violence, testify...

This week we're pulling back the curtain a bit and showing you a selection of our Patreon-exclusive show Five Minute Briefing, where Dr. AJ Simmons takes 5 minutes to highlight a news story we weren't able to cover on our regular show. This selection is from the first 3 shows. If you want more Five Minute Briefings and more join us at our Patreon!

AJ and Ed talk about his background, who the party is, policy priorities, why the 4th congressional district is drawing so many alternative candidates, lessons learned in Ed's previous campaigns for office, how being a teacher and union organizer will shape his governing style should he win, what success might look like beyond election results, and book recommendations.

For episode 5 of season 5, AJ is joined by Jack Ternan, chairman of the American Solidarity Party. AJ and Jack talk about who the ASP is, what sets them apart from the Democrats and Republicans, what Christian democracy means, some of the major policy positions of the party, the party's stance on the US and Israel attack on Iran, Jack's goals as chairman, party goals in 2026, how Jack came to be p...

In this episode, AJ talks with Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez about his independent campaign for 4th congressional district in Illinois, why he's running as an independent, challenges he's faced going that route, his policy priorities, vying for voter attention in a five way race, what his governing experience in Chicago has taught him, what his children have taught him about governing, books...

In episode three of season five, AJ sits down with Rich Whitney, chair of the recently formed Independence Party. They talk about who the party is, what some of their policy priorities are, what it looks like to start a new party, issues around collecting voter signatures, lessons learned from Rich's prior experiences in alternative politics, convincing voters to support a new party, and more!

In this episode, AJ talks with Todd Achilles, a former state representative turned independent candidate for the U.S. senate election there. They talk about Todd's background, why he's running as an independent as opposed to one of the major or alternative parties, his policy priorities, what he hopes to achieve in the senate, and how he might try to work with both Democrats and Republicans to get...

In this season five premiere, AJ sits down with Justin Magill, Chairman of the Constitution Party. They talk about who the party is, some of their policy priorities, where they've had electoral success, what some of their goals are for 2026, strategies for growing the party, barriers to alternative party successes, what a chairman does exactly, and, of course, books! If you like what you hear plea...

In this bonus kick-off episode, Crashing The Political Party shares expectations for our new super-sized season, as well as some exciting things happening on Patreon. To hear the entire conversation join us over at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/CPPShow/home

In this season four finale, AJ is joined by Dr. Richard Gilman-Opalsky (RGO), a political philosophy professor and expert on Marxist thought. RGO teaches us the differences between Democratic Socialism and Communism, including some important historical debates that matter.

Continuing our conversation on the challenges facing American agriculture, AJ is joined by farmer Greg Gunthorp. They discuss the challenges facing farmers who raise livestock, regenerative farming, meat processing, how farming consolidation has hurt farmers and consumers, supporting independent farmers, and book recommendations!

In this episode, AJ is joined by Sarah Carden of Farm Action. They talk about why independent farmers are struggling, how these issues hurt consumers, what policy changes are needed, her experiences as a farmer, and more.

This week, AJ talks with Ben Sooy. Ben is a musician, member of A Place for Owls, and founder/president of the musician-support nonprofit Holy Fool. They get into the band’s backstory, the real challenges new artists are facing right now, how Holy Fool hopes to help working musicians survive, the importance of community, why DIY has become the new normal for many bands, and of course… book recomme...

For our second episode of Season Four, AJ sits down with Sean Park of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs to talk about community owned grocery stores. They discuss the different types of stores, why communities in food deserts are turning to them, why we're seeing the need for them in both rural and urban communities, how Sean got involved in establishing them, the connection between communi...

In this season four premiere, AJ is joined by labor journalist, historian, and troublemaker Kim Kelly. They talked about how she got into covering the labor movement, the history of Illinois as a labor hotbed, shifting attitudes towards labor and unions, recent wins for the labor movement, Kim's books Fight Like Hell and Fight to Win, and additional book recommendations! If you like what you hear...

Today on a special unlocked Patreon “Office Hours” episode, AJ sits down with producer Kylan and Brittany, owner of our partner bookstore, Tropes. They swap favorite book recs from the season, reveal where you can find a handy list of them all, and look back on Season 3, complete with some of Kylan’s burning questions for AJ. Check out the list of all the book recommendations we received this seas...

And now for something completely different. In this Season Three finale, we debut our first-ever “Hidden in Plain Sight” episode. Instead of interviewing a politician, we spotlight a news story you may not be hearing elsewhere. To kick things off, AJ is joined by Basel Musharbash to discuss corporate consolidation. They unpack what a monopoly is, why Basel became an anti-monopoly lawyer, how monop...