Identity Politics, Voting, and Messaging

The battle for 2026 has already begun, and it’s all about the maps. Step three in the 10 steps to authoritarianism is to weaken competing powers, and step 10 is to end democracy itself by disrupting election systems and restricting who can vote so no meaningful opposition can ever win again. In California, voters passed Prop 50, the Election Rigging Response Act as a way to fire back at Republican gerrymandering in Texas that was designed to steal power by making it harder for voters to make their voices heard. Now, the battle lines for a competitive democracy are being redrawn, with partisanship, not representation, as the explicit strategy. More than 13 states across the country are seeing mid-census redistricting efforts taken on by Republicans, with Democrats fighting back. This week, Stacey is joined by co-host of Pod Save America, author of The Message Box, and Crooked Media’s resident polling expert Dan Pfeiffer to break down what this redistricting war means for democracy, why it’s a fight for survival, and what it reveals about the Democratic Party’s future. 

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More: 

• Be Curious: If you enjoyed my conversation with Dan Pfeiffer, subscribe to his weekly Message Box newsletter, where he breaks down the latest polls, key events, and political trends—it’s one of my go-to sources for analysis and insight. You can also become a Friend of the Pod here at Crooked Media and get access to his subscriber only shows like Pollercoaster!
• Solve Problems: As Dan said, polling can offer useful insight into where people stand, but it is a reflector, not a predictor. However, we have the ability to shape outcomes using polling as an illuminator: what people are hearing, what worries them and what they want for the future. Instead of slipping into anxiety, we can channel that energy into action - starting now. Voting is the end of the process, but the work starts immediately: encourage your neighbors, your community, your friends, and your family to understand how politics will affect them, whether they know it or not. Look for issues that resonate, and work together to see who is responsible for making it better. The midterms are more than Congressional races. City, county and school boards will also be impacted. All of this may feel far away, but they’ll be here before we know it. Start planting seeds now. Volunteer with organizers. Knock on doors. Have real conversations with people - asking what they need to make their lives better. Percentages can only tell you so much, but talking to real people can tell you everything.
• Do Good: This past weekend, more than a thousand Starbucks workers went on strike across 40+ cities, due to stalled contract negotiations. Organizers say they’re ready to widen the strike if executives don’t budge—and they’re asking customers to stand with them by steering clear of Starbucks as part of the ‘No Contract, No Coffee’ campaign. We’ve talked a lot on this show about the power of protest, and boycotts are one of the most effective tools we have. It’s also a muscle we have to flex if we want to be ready for broader actions.  So please: do your part. Skip the latte. Stand with the workers.

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