Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams What's the future of organizing? + Ken Martin with Vote Save America’s Shaniqua McClendon (Crooked Con)
Nov 27, 2025
Guest
Kate Barr
Guest
DeRay McKesson
Guest
Melissa Morales
Guest
Ezra Levin
Guest
Maurice Mitchell
Guest
Ken Martin
In a lively discussion at Crooked Con, guests include Ken Martin, DNC Chair focused on rebuilding party infrastructure, and Maurice Mitchell, the Working Families Party's National Director advocating for independent political strategies. Ezra Levin of Indivisible highlights grassroots organizing against authoritarianism, while Melissa Morales emphasizes rebuilding trust in Latino communities. DeRay Mckesson challenges narratives around public safety, and Kate Barr creatively confronts gerrymandering through protest campaigns. Together, they explore effective ways to engage low-information voters and the importance of grassroots activism.
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Episode notes
Gerrymandering Silences Voters
- Kate Barr argues gerrymandering silences 81% of Americans by creating noncompetitive state districts.
- Running visible "Can't Win" candidates forces conversations and turns apathy into turnout for fair maps.
A Check That Revealed Economic Pain
- Melissa Morales shared a story about her father cashing a pandemic stimulus check and shaking at the sight of that much money.
- She uses thousands of direct-service interactions to rebuild trust and show tangible economic relief to Latino communities.
Working-Class Disaffection Is Structural
- Maurice Mitchell links Democratic drift toward elites to long-term loss of working-class trust and voter disengagement.
- Independent politics and WFP-style local organizing can reclaim voters by offering tangible alternatives to the status quo.