My First Race

All eyes are on the Great State of Texas as Primary Day approaches. With early voting numbers looking really good for the Democratic Party and polling all over the place, I brought in expert Jeff Rotkoff to give some insight into what to expect tomorrow night and throughout the cycle.  During this episode, we talk about how Jeff got his start in politics by being the "First Guy, Last Guy" on his f...

From the congressional level to the state legislature, Texas is an extreme case of Republican gerrymandering. We have a few opportunities to chip away at the GOP stranglehold, including State House District 118. This district is anchored in San Antonio and is THE most flippable state house seat in the entire state of Texas. The Democratic nominee here, Kristian Carranza , is one of the most talent...

In this episode, I talk with the Executive Director of Sister District, Sarah Curmi. We discuss her journey in politics and the vital work of building progressive power at the state legislative level. She shares her early experiences growing up in a politically active family, which inspired her to engage in political service from a young age. She recounts her first race for school board at just 18...

It's tough to win a campaign when a candidate is just putting in Minimal Effort; All Vibez, especially when it comes to fundraising. In this special holiday episode, I talk with expert Kimberly Wilke and we discuss some of the "most interesting findings in campaign finance reports" and her top 10 fundraising pet peeves.

One time during an all-staff meeting at a national organization I worked for, the head of the org was asked who her favorite candidate was out of that cycle. Her answer?  Former Virginia House of Delegate member and Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor, Hala Ayala. Virginia has competitive elections every single year. In 2017, a slate of diverse candidates flipped a historic number of seats...

We can't look away from the Olivia Nuzzi circus online! In this episode of 'My First Race', I interview Eric Garcia, the DC Bureau Chief at The Independent and author of 'We're Not Broken, Changing the Autism Conversation'. We discuss Eric's journey into journalism, his experiences covering significant political events, and the current media landscape. Our conversation also touches on the impact o...

The Tuesday elections sent shockwaves throughout the country with Democrats delivering resounding victories up and down the ballot. Although Democratic Party leaders and activists are seemingly reenergized and optimistic about the 2026, our guest today was feeling pretty good even before Tuesday's election. In this episode, I interview Charlotte Clymer , a writer, activist, and veteran from Texas....

“I had a gun pulled on me!”  “I stopped 4 lanes of traffic a block from the White House to load a podium into the back of a pickup.”  “I actually think I got food poisoning from licking so many envelopes.” “I was hooked.”  Get any group of political campaigners around a bar or hotel lobby and you’ll hear captivating, hilarious, unbelievable-but-true stories about the first time they worked on an e...