Searchlight Institute's Purpose and Approach

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck sits down with Adam Jentleson, executive director of the new Searchlight Institute, to talk about how Democrats can build a broader, more durable governing coalition. Jentleson explains why Searchlight is designed to promote ideological diversity within the Democratic Party — and why policies that blend progressive and moderate ideas tend to last longer and win in more places. He warns that Democrats’ electoral path to the presidency and a 60-seat Senate majority is narrowing and argues the party’s best hope lies in economic populism — the same force that powered Trump’s rise but could be reclaimed with a focus on kitchen-table issues and fairness for working Americans.

The conversation dives deep into the party’s messaging struggles during the government shutdown, the growing divide between “fight Trump” and “look past Trump” factions, and the need for Democrats to recruit candidates who can win in red and purple states — even if they don’t align perfectly on social issues. Jentleson also offers sharp insights on the filibuster’s evolution from a necessary safeguard to a legislative dead end, and why Democrats need to get more strategic — not louder — if they want to govern effectively and outlast Republican populism.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Adam Jentleson joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Why choose the name “Searchlight Institute?

02:30 How is Searchlight different from the Center for American Progress?

06:00 Ideologically diverse policies tend to be more durable

08:00 Democrats must embrace ideological diversity to win in red states

11:00 Democrats have to make trade offs to win in more places

12:00 Democrats electoral path to presidency gets more narrow in ‘32

12:45 What does Democrats’ path to 60 senate seats look like?

13:45 Economic populism is a powerful force, it’s why Trump won

15:00 Economic populism beat out Republican orthodoxy

16:15 Populism hasn’t been transferable from Trump, but it’s durable

17:15 This economy is ok if you have money and horrid if not

19:00 The Kerry/Edwards economic policies are what are popular today

19:45 When Democrats succeed it’s on economic ideas

20:15 Is an economic downturn the only path for Dems to win presidency?

22:15 Democrats give Republicans ammo on cultural issues

23:15 Mamdani won by relentlessly focusing on kitchen table issues

24:30 Why weren’t Democrats able to sell their decision to reopen govt

26:15 Congressional leadership & communication are different skills

27:15 No side demanding a major concession in a shutdown got it

28:00 Dems succeeded in driving a message about healthcare

30:30 Divide on left is “look past Trump” or “fight Trump”

32:00 Democrats need to find issues they can run on in every state

33:45 The litmus test for Dems should be can they take back the senate

34:45 The path for Dems to take back the senate

36:15 Dems will have to embrace candidates with different social views

37:00 Gavin Newsom has been winning lately on tactics not policy

38:00 Dem candidates need to be fighters with broadly palatable policy

39:45 Any worries about an insurgent third party?

42:15 A third party candidate could certainly cause Dems to lose

43:45 The filibuster has become a pocket veto

45:45 The filibuster should require work and not be used passively

47:15 The filibuster started as needed reform, now is a problem

49:00 The origin of budget reconciliation

51:45 The judiciary was designed to be non-partisan

53:00 Vote threshold for judges should be higher to avoid partisans

55:30 If you raise the threshold too high there will be judicial backlogs

57:45 Do you see Searchlight as an incubator for policy, tactics or both?

59:00 What does Graham Platner’s staying power say about him?

1:01:00 Democratic aligned groups need to be smarter about their asks

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