Nina Smith on Appealing to Young People and Black Voters

This week, we bring you another episode of our Road to November 2024 election series, as co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty sit down with Nina Smith. Nina is a political communications strategist with a track record of collaborating with some of our very own NewDEALers, such as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Nina shares the lessons she’s learned from working on these campaigns and discusses what to expect from Republicans over the next six months, as well as what the Democratic Party should do about it, particularly in majority Black districts in the south. The conversation addresses the importance of youth engagement, challenges around misinformation in historically marginalized communities, and the importance of empathic messaging that can overcome ideological differences. Tune in to learn more about what inspires Nina.

• [01:04] Nina Smith’s background as a political strategist.

• [02:57] Her perspective on the position of Democrats leading up to the elections in six months’ time. 

• [05:00] Observations of Republican behavior and how best Democrats can respond.

• [06:41] The influence of AI and misinformation on elections and the importance of finding trustworthy sources.

• [08:29] Advice for handling the upcoming elections: take it one day at a time.  

• [10:14] How the Democratic Party can continue to stay relevant, using Georgia as an example.

• [17:47] Balancing talking about the future and using the past to prove that the Democratic party can deliver results.

• [19:25] How Nina’s love for media began and what motivates her today.

• [23:45] Her predictions for how reproductive rights will play out in 2024.

• [25:40] Advice for listeners looking to become more active in this year’s election.