It Takes a Village Politics Podcast

Tonight on It Takes a Village , Political Jess sat down with Democratic congressional candidate Matthew Levine, who is running for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District — a sprawling rural district where people are tired, frustrated, underrepresented, and frankly exhausted by politicians who seem more interested in cable news appearances and corporate donors than the actual human beings trying to...

Tonight on It Takes a Village , Political Jess lights the entire patriarchal group chat on fire with a conversation about women in the year of our lord 2026 — how far we’ve come, how much we’ve survived, and how exhausting it is watching some people try to drag us backward with the energy of a haunted church pamphlet and a podcast microphone. This episode is furious. It’s funny. It’s deeply person...

Tonight on It Takes a Village , Political Jess sits down with Oklahoma congressional candidate Jeff Pixley for a conversation about chaos, courage, and why some of the most important fights in America are happening in the places political consultants already gave up on. Because here’s the thing the Village understands that establishment politics never seems to:People still live in these districts....

Tonight on It Takes a Village , Political Jess sits down with Oklahoma congressional candidate Brandon Wade for a conversation that feels a little bit like group therapy for democracy goblins and a little bit like the opening scene of a revolution. This episode is deeply Village at its core: ordinary people refusing to surrender their communities to extremism, corruption, and billionaire-sponsored...

“We rise together, louder than fear.” That’s how we open. And this episode lived up to it. This week on It Takes a Village , we sat down with Bernard Taylor , firefighter, EMT, community organizer, and candidate for Congress in Florida’s 21st District — and we didn’t just talk politics. We talked about what it looks like when policy failure shows up in the back of an ambulance. We talked about sen...

This week on It Takes a Village , we did what we do best: we let the truth breathe — messy, loud, unfiltered — and then we turned it into action. From the opening anthem — “We rise together, louder than fear” — to the last fiery exchange, this episode wasn’t about polite politics. It was about the moment the camel didn’t just break the straw… it hit us square in the face. Our guest, Chelsea Hocket...

When Justin Early first joined us back in September, he was one of four candidates in a crowded primary, building something from scratch. Now? It’s a two-person race. Early voting is here. And what started as a conversation is officially a movement. In this return episode of It Takes a Village , we check back in with Justin — cybersecurity architect, father of seven, activist-turned-candidate — to...

What happens when a career prosecutor realizes she helped put innocent people behind bars? You either look away. Or you run for the highest criminal court in Texas. In this episode of It Takes a Village , we sit down with Holly Taylor — candidate for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — the most powerful court most Texans have never heard of. Holly spent over 25 years prosecuting violent crime an...

Sometimes the straw isn’t a straw. Sometimes it’s the whole damn camel. In this episode of It Takes a Village , we sit down with Virginia congressional candidate Ericka Kopp — healthcare attorney, caregiver to a disabled combat veteran, and regular human being who got tired of watching the Constitution get shredded. The breaking point? Her own Congressman voting to cut Medicaid — a program he once...

In this episode of It Takes a Village , we sit down with Alabama State Senate candidate Mandie Ledkins for a conversation that goes far beyond campaign talking points. This isn’t about polished slogans. This is about the moment Mandie looked around a press conference and thought, “Where are the adults?” — and realized she might have to step up and become one. From growing up without a washer and d...

What happens when someone inside the system looks behind the curtain… and decides it’s broken beyond repair? In this episode of It Takes a Village , Political Jess sits down with Kevin Ryan — Marine veteran, public school teacher, Pentagon insider turned Senate candidate — to talk about the moment he realized waiting his turn wasn’t an option anymore. After witnessing what he calls a “critical fai...

What do Alabama, Kansas, and the state of American democracy have in common right now? People are being ignored, hospitals are disappearing, and elected officials are hiding behind $1,200 dinners and email “town halls.” In this episode of It Takes a Village , Jess pulls zero punches and welcomes two candidates who didn’t wait for permission to step up: ✨ Candace Duviehl , a policy expert, educato...

If you’ve ever screamed “THIS IS NOT NORMAL” at your phone while paying a medical bill, congratulations — this episode is for you. In this no-holds-barred installment of It Takes a Village , Jess is joined by Karishma Manzur , a scientist-turned-Senate-candidate who looked at America’s healthcare system, watched it chew people up and spit them out… and decided to run straight at the problem instea...

What do you do when democracy feels like it’s being body-slammed by an entire camel instead of one lousy straw? You laugh. You rage. You organize. And then you hit record . In this episode of It Takes a Village , Jess brings the chaos (the good kind) with Brit Robinson , a fearless grassroots candidate running for Congress in Florida’s 4th District, and Matt Brewer , our resident activist with a b...

This episode of It Takes a Village is exactly why we built this space — two grassroots candidates, two different states, one shared mission: flip the damn script on American politics. We open with Lexy Doherty, running for Congress in Georgia’s 10th District — a district so gerrymandered it looks like someone drew it during a caffeine crash. Lexy walks us through the moment she realized no one was...

This week on It Takes a Village Politics, we’re talking to Jon Kiper, Democratic candidate for Governor of New Hampshire—and if you’re looking for a leader who actually understands what working families are up against, Jon’s your guy. He’s not a career politician. He’s a dad, a restaurateur, a former town councilor, and a community activist who’s seen firsthand how broken systems push people out o...

This week on It Takes a Village Politics, we’re talking to someone who’s not just running for office—she’s running on radical empathy, lived experience, and the kind of grassroots fire that can’t be faked. Meet Paige Beauchemin, registered nurse, mother of three, and candidate for New Hampshire’s 2nd congressional district. Paige isn’t your typical politician—and thank God for that. She’s spent he...

This week on It Takes a Village Politics, we’re sitting down with the incomparable Kate Barr—behavioral scientist, protest candidate, and founder of the Can’t Win Victory Fund. Kate is the kind of force who doesn’t just play the political game—she flips the damn board, snow‑globe style, and dares the system to catch up. Expect sass, grit, and a masterclass in turning “unwinnable” districts into la...

In this episode, we sit down with Conrad Cable , the first‑generation vegetable farmer from Union Parish who looked at the state of Congress, looked at his fields, and said, “Well, somebody’s gotta clean this mess up.” Conrad is running for Congress in Louisiana’s 4th District — yes, that district — challenging Speaker Mike Johnson with nothing but grit, truth, and the kind of grounded common sens...

🎙️ SHOW DESCRIPTION — “It Takes a Village: Mike Heidenreich and the Wisconsin We Deserve” In this episode, we sit down with Mike Heidenreich , the Wisconsin organizer‑turned‑candidate who has decided that “working families deserve better” isn’t just a slogan — it’s a job description. Mike is running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 6th District, bringing the kind of straight‑talking, working‑class fire...

In this episode, we sit down with Blythe Potter , the Indiana Secretary of State candidate who has somehow managed to make election administration sound… cool? urgent? actually worth fighting for? Yes. All of the above. If you’ve been craving a conversation that blends real talk, righteous frustration, and a roadmap toward a saner democracy , you’re in the right place. Blythe joins us to break dow...

🎙️ It Takes a Village Show: Shelby Campbell x Liberty Network We’re bringing the fire with Shelby Campbell, candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 13th District, alongside the Liberty Network, who are out here educating, mobilizing, and reminding folks that democracy isn’t a spectator sport. This isn’t your polite Sunday panel—it’s a full‑on call to action. Shelby’s campaign is rooted in working‑cla...

This week’s episode is a three-part masterclass in grassroots grit, electoral defiance, and economic resistance. If you’re tired of playing nice with broken systems, this one’s for you. “Granite State, Shaky Ground” We kick off with Arya, a New Hampshire native and activist who’s not here to sugarcoat the state of politics in the Northeast. She breaks down the power players, the quiet saboteurs, a...

This week on It Takes a Village , we dive headfirst into the political deep end with Robert Hunter, the unapologetically bold candidate for Alabama’s State House District 28. He’s not here to play nice — he’s here to flip the script, shake the table, and maybe even burn it down (metaphorically… mostly). Joining the fray is Kate Barr from North Carolina’s Can’t Win Victory Fund , a political action...

It Takes a Village: Healthcare, Book Bans, and the Bright Red Pen of Justice Welcome back to It Takes a Village , where grassroots grit meets political wit—and this week, we’re serving up a double dose of righteous rebellion. First up: Dr. Kenneth Morgan Aguilera , candidate for Texas’s 12th Congressional District, joins us to break down his plan to fix America’s healthcare system. Spoiler alert:...