Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Send us a textMike Nellis is the founder of Authentic, a digital fundraising firm that's raised over $1 billion for it's clients including Kamala Harris, Adam Schiff and numerous Governors, Senators, and high profile organizations. He was also a Senior Advisor to Kamala Harris 2020 presidential campaign, the co-founder of White Dudes for Harris in the 2024 presidential campaign, and an active thinker and leader on how progressive politics has to evolve in a changing world.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up in a conservative, middle class home in Omaha...Anti-Iraq War protests draw Mike into political activism...Mike's time as an Obama volunteer and fellow in the '07-'08 Iowa Caucus...On the campaign trail from Nebraska to North Carolina to Connecticut and more...Mike's connection to the 2016 Bernie Sanders' campaign...Mike's take on why a full primary would've helped the Kamala Harris' 24 presidential effort...Mike founds Authentic, a firm focused on online fundraising...Mike's time as a Senior Advisor to Kamala Harris 2020 presidential bid...Behind the scenes of designing the Harris' 2020 logo...Mike's recent focus as a General Consultant for campaigns...Why Democrats have become so risk-averse?Mike co-founds the White Dudes for Harris 2024 group...What Democrats must do to better appeal to younger men...The right balance of economics vs culture in Democratic campaigns...Should messaging and governance go big or go small?Where do Democrats need to move to the center?Mike's encouragement for those working in politics to stay healthy...AND...90s pro wrestling, AKAs, Avon, Brene Brown, George W. Bush, Pete Buttigieg, Carter Lake, James Carville, Bob Casey, Shirley Chisolm, Bill Clinton, John Fetterman, Flagrant, Scott Galloway, Jared Golden, Al Gore, Nikki Haley, hollowed-out banks, John Kerry, Larry King, Jane Kleeb, Scott Kleeb, Dan Malloy, Joe Manchin, Elaine Marshall, Ross Morales Rocketto, Morningside University, Elon Musk, music appreciation class, Trevor Noah, Martin O'Malley, Orange Theory, Ben Ostrower, Jordan Peterson, Ro Khanna, Chris Rock, Joe Rogan, Pat Ryan, Adam Schiff, Lis Smith, Tim Tagaris, Andrew Tate, Vampire Weekend, Theo Von, Tim Walz, Paul Wellstone, Wide Eye Creative & more!

Send us a textCongressman Mike Quigley is in his 9th term representing Chicago's North Side and Lakefront as a Democrat in the House. He made waves last year after the first presidential debate as one of the first elected Democrats to publicly urge President Biden to step aside as the party's nominee. In this conversation, we talk through what led him to speak out, the reaction from the White House and his colleagues, and why he believes it's an important conversation for the party to have now. We also discuss his path in politics as a staffer, as a reformer on the Cook County Board, winning a 20+ candidate '09 special election to replace Rahm Emanuel in the House, favorite moments during his tenure, what he's learned visiting Ukraine, and what Democrats need to do to better connect with voters.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up in a conservative, blue-collar household in in the Midwest...The teacher who made an impression on his politics and the advice he continues to quote today...Learning both theory at the University of Chicago and practical politics while cutting his teeth in Cook County politics...Why he lost his first race for office and how he turned a loss into a win a few years later...A decade on the Cook County Board as a reformer taking on the Chicago machine...How he won a 20+ person special election in 2009 to replace Rep. Rahm Emanuel in the House...Initial impressions and surprises in his early days in Congress...Two members who served as his mentors...Some of the work he's done in the House he's most proud of...Why Ukraine matters and what he's learned by traveling to the country several times...Why he was one of the first Democratic elected officials to call on President Biden to step aside as the '24 Democratic nominee in the aftermath of the debate...Reactions from colleagues and constituents after going public with his concerns about President Biden...Do Democrats have a larger problem of too many older Democrats refusing to retire and make way for younger leaders?Thoughts on how Democrats can better connect with voters...His favorite Chicago Blackhawks' memory and excitement for the new Chicago Pope...AND John Anzalone, big cats, Rod Blagojevich, burning your mortgage, cannon fodder, Frank Capra, Carol Stream, Forrest Claypool, Walter Cronkite, Paul Ehrlich, Sara Feigenholtz, John Fritchey, William Fulbright, Mary Gatey, Gabby Giffords, Newt Gingrich, Bernie Hansen, Kasie Hunt, Mark Kirk, John Lewis, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Vladimir Putin, Robert Redford, Branch Rickey, FDR, Paul Ryan, Helen Schiller, Glenn Schneider, Michael Sheahan, Adam Smith, spring chickens, John Stroger, Larry Suffredin, Studs Terkel, Harry Truman, The Weiner Circle, Gary Williams, working for the pension...& more!

Send us a textFrank Lavin served under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush in positions as varied as personnel, national security, international trade negotiations, Ambassador to Singapore, among others. In this conversation, we discuss his 8+ years in the Reagan White House from 1981-1989 - which is chronicled in his recent book Inside the Reagan White House. In the Reagan White House, he wore several different hats, was in hundreds of meetings with President Reagan, worked alongside some of the most influential administration officials - culminating in his stint as White House Political Director during the 1988 elections.IN THIS EPISODEFrank grows up in small-town Ohio in a tensely political time...Frank talks the establishment vs. conservative sparring in the GOP of the 1970s...Frank's early campaign activities in the late 70s and working for an IE backing Reagan as a college student in 1980...An important political lesson Frank learned from James Baker in Baker's 1978 race for Texas Attorney General...Memories of how Jim Baker ran the Reagan White House as Chief of Staff...How Reagan borrowed from FDR to become a powerful political communicator...How Reagan led the White House in meetings behind closer doors...Frank's first White House job of letting unsuccessful job applicants down easy...How the White House was a tug-of-war between "true believers" and "pragmatists"...Memories of his time at the Office of Public Liasion and how the President would "freeze" the first 10 minutes of a meeting...The 1984 Democratic challenger the White House was most worried about and how Reagan bounced back from a bad '82 midterm to win an '84 landslide...The difference in "desk truth" and "street truth"...How Reagan staffer Mike Deaver fundamentally changed the way a White House handles presidential travel...Frank's time as a White House national security staffer negotiating with the Soviets and spending time with President Reagan and Margaret Thatcher at Camp David...Frank demystifies his role as White House Political Director during the 1988 elections...The origin of the famous Reagan "11th Commandment" maxim...How Reagan initially won - and successfully held - the voters who came to be known as "Reagan Democrats"...Frank's memories of being around President George H.W. Bush...The low point of Frank's time in the Reagan White House...Quick memories from Frank of prominent figures including Karl Rove, Colin Powell, Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Roger Stone, and Pat Buchanan...AND Al Haig Disease, Lee Atwater, Jimmy Carter, George Christopher, Bill Clinton, creative tension, Peter DelGiorno, Terry Dolan, Tony Dolan, Frank Donatelli, Mike Dukakis, exotic tendencies, the FEC, fireside chats, forced marriages, force multipliers, Gerald Ford, John Glenn, Barry Goldwater, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bob Haldeman, Warren Harding, Kamala Harris, Gary Hart, hatchet men, horizontal management, LBJ, jelly beans, Dick Lyng, Paul Manafort, Eugene McCarthy, George McGovern, Ed Meese, Walter Mondale, Brian Mulroney, Daniel Murphy, Ed Muskie, NCPAC, neutral recapitulations, the New Left, non sequiturs, Oliver North, John Poindexter, the Reykjavik Summit, Stu Spencer, Robert Taft, Donald Trump, Bob Weed, George Wortley...& more!

Patrick McHugh, co-founder of Gambit Strategies and former Executive Director of Priorities USA, shares his journey from suburban Maryland to the political frontlines. He discusses pivotal experiences from major campaigns, highlighting a humorous research trip to Hawaii. Patrick reveals new opposition research tactics he pioneered in 2008 and reflects on effective digital persuasion strategies that shaped Biden's 2020 win. With insights on adapting to evolving media landscapes, he emphasizes the importance of cohesive communication in modern campaigns.

Send us a textCatching up this week with return guest Dr. Michael Cohen, who just released a new edition of his book Modern Political Campaigns this month. He studied under iconic pollster Bill Hamilton as a student, worked in the trenches in Republican campaigns, spent time at Gallup, apprenticed under renowned GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio and worked with famed Dem strategist Mark Penn when Michael was an in-house pollster at Microsoft. Along the way, Michael started his own firm (Cohen Research Group), built the successful Congress in Your Pocket tech app, and wrote Modern Political Campaigns to bring the campaign literature up to speed with the ever-evolving political industry - including a new edition that includes a focus on the role AI is playing in political campaigns. This is a great nuts-and-bolts conversation on the political industry with a smart pollster, tech entrepreneur, and author.IN THIS EPISODE…The new edition of Modern Political Campaigns, including a focus on AI in campaigns...How political campaigns are (and are not) using AI at this point...What Michael knows about Gen Z from teaching courses at NYU and Johns Hopkins...Lessons he learned from a recent heart attack and recovery...Michael’s formative years growing up on Long Island…The political switch flips for Michael in college…Michael crosses paths with famed Democratic pollster Bill Hamilton…Michael makes the jump to political polling under Tony Fabrizio…The bizarre story of how one of Michael’s candidates was pilloried on the Colbert Report…Michael starts his own polling firm to move beyond partisan politics…Michael’s stint as an in-house pollster at Microsoft with Mark Penn…Michael’s compares working with legendary Dem pollster Mark Penn and iconic GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio…Michael creates the wildly successful Congress in Your Pocket app…Michael’s 101 on how to create an app…The long journey behind Michael’s new book Modern Political Campaigns…Michael’s advice to those who want to write a book and get it published…Michael’s take on what makes a good pollster…Michael weighs in on the question of a “polling crisis”…Michael’s advice on the best books to understand how politics works…AND AAPOR, Michael Bender, Sidney Blumenthal, Stephen Colbert, Sean Cook, Bob Dole, enlargement ads, Ezra Cohen Corporation, Arthur Finkelstein, the Gallup Poll, Josh Gottheimer, Sasha Issenberg, Peter Jennings, Steve Jobs, Ed Koch, Celinda Lake, Massapequa mannerisms, mobilization vs. persuasion, Never Trump Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Rowman & Littlefield, Jake Rush, Karen Thurman, Chris Tompkins, Tevi Troy, vampire roleplaying, Ted Yoho, & more!

Send us a textPat Leahy is a giant of the US Senate...the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Vermont...the third longest serving Senator in US history...the Senate President Pro Tem...Chair of Appropriations, Agriculture, and Judiciary...and 8 terms in the US Senate. In this conversation, we talk his roots in small town Vermont, overcoming the state's deep Republican roots in a 1974 upset, entering the Senate in his mid 30s, and his favorite stories, lessons, and proudest moments from nearly 50 years in the US Senate.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up in small-town Montpelier with a love of reading...How his service as District Attorney propelled his successful run for Senate in 1974 as the first Democrat to win a Vermont Senate seat...Early days in the US Senate in his mid 30s...How he won 8 terms in what was initially a very Republican state...The interesting story behind his 1998 re-election, his first true landslide...The most tense and high-stakes moments during his career in the Senate...Passing anti-land mine legislation...A day in the life of the Senate President Pro Tem...How trust among Senators one late night saved lives during a mid 80s Capitol bombing...Senator Leahy receives a tip he received from an "anonymous jogger" during the Iraq War debate...When Vice President Dick Cheney swore at Senator Leahy on the Senate floor...The Senator who gave the best Senate floor speeches...The most effective Majority Leader he saw...When his colleague Jim Jeffords switched parties and changed control of the Senate...His views on the rise of Bernie Sanders as a national figure...Why he didn't run for re-election in 2022...How he received the Order of the British Empire designation...His connection to the Batman character and appearing in several Batman films...His status as the Senate's leading Grateful Dead Head...The status of his wife Marcelle as his political secret weapon...AND anatomical impossibilities, Howard Baker, James Baker, Leonid Brezhnev, Dale Bumpers, George H.W. Bush, Robert Byrd, George Clooney, DC Comics, designated survivors, Charles Dickens, John Durkin, Jim Eastland, Jerry Ford, Jerry Garcia, John Glenn, holy water, Hubert Humphrey, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Heath Ledger, Mike Mansfield, Miranda Rights, Mitch McConnell, Bobby Muller, Christopher Nolan, Sam Nunn, Barack Obama, organic farming, Colin Powell, Quebec City, Hugh Scott, secret weapons, Alan Simpson, Bob Stafford, Ted Stevens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fred Tuttle, Mark Twain, Vincent Van Gogh, Wayne Industries...& more!

Send us a textYoav Attias is a documentary filmmaker whose projects include Brick City chronicling the inner-workings of Newark, NJ under then-Mayor Cory Booker and CNN's Chicagoland featuring then-mayor Rahm Emanuel. His most recent role is as Director on the new documentary film Fault Lines - which examines the issue of affordable housing in American cities through the prism of several storylines in San Francisco where the housing crisis is especially acute. In this conversation, Yoav talks starting a legal career in South Florida before following his passion to become a documentary filmmaker...what he learned about the politics and challenges facing major American cities working closely around Mayors Cory Booker and Rahm Emanuel...the origin of the Fault Lines film project set in the Bay Area...and a deep dive on the challenges and complexities surrounding the American housing crisis.IN THIS EPISODEYoav's roots in South Florida and why he left a legal career for documentary film-making...Yoav's involvement in the Brick City project that follows Newark politics, including then-Mayor Cory Booker...The documentary that deeply inspired Yoav to enter the field...Yoav's time as showrunner on CNN's Chicagoland project that featured Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel...Yoav's pitch to pols like Rahm Emanuel and Cory Booker to agree to be filmed for hundreds of hours for a documentary project...Yoav's relative optimism versus pessimism regarding the trajectory of the modern major American city...The origin story of his latest project, Fault Lines - a documentary about the housing affordability crisis facing American cities...How the housing process became so broken in cities like San Francisco in the first place...The controversy over 100 proposed affordable housing units in San Francisco's Sunset Neighborhood...How Yoav found housing advocates and a homeless family to participate in Fault Lines...How one local Bay Area elected official found himself caught in a political vice on the issue of affordable housing...Is the housing problem better or worse than Yoav initially thought?The Grateful Dead song that appears toward the end of Fault Lines...Yoav's take on political ad-making from outside of the political industry...The recent political documentary Yoav strongly recommends...AND Mark Benjamin, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Clinton, Todd Davis, Liz Dozier, Fenger High School, field producers, Jerry Garcia, HUD, hippie utopias, Hoop Dreams, hornets' nests, Nate Houghteling, Robert Hunter, Steve James, Flo Kimmerling, Ezra Klein, Marc Levin, Gordon Mar, the Mission, PCE, Section 8 vouchers, Sarah Sherman, toxicology reports, trust-building, undesirables, University of Florida, verité documentaries, Scott Weiner, zoning laws..& more!

Send us a textKaren Deflippi is launching Versus Media Group, after nearly 20 years in politics - including running campaigns, being a House Chief of Staff on the Hill, senior positions at Emilys List and the DCCC, and her current role as a media consultant for Democratic candidates and progressives causes. In this conversation she talks her path in politics from a Catholic family in swing Western PA to helping run some of the most impactful political organizations in the country and now putting a stamp on campaigns as a media consultant.IN THIS EPISODEKaren grows up in a "social justice" Catholic family in Western PA...Why Karen's initial goal of being a Naval fighter pilot wasn't in the cards...The moment Karen realized she wanted to work full-time in political campaigns...Memories of Hillary Clinton 2007-2008 primary campaign...Karen's stints working on Capitol Hill, including as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Debbie Dingell...Karen spends 3 memorable cycles at Emilys List, from 2016-2020...What structural barriers do women candidates still face running for office?Inside how Karen has tackled candidate recruitment at both Emilys List and the DCCC...Karen takes on the challenge as Deputy ED at the DCCC ahead of the difficult 2022 midterm...Karen on tell-tale signs that a campaign may be in need of intervention...How Democrats exceeded expectations in the '22 midterms...Why Karen took on the role of media consultant as her next challenge & her favorite race she worked in 2024...The Launch of Versus Media Group...The evergreen advice Karen gives to anyone interested in working in politics...Karen's strangest work habit...AND Kelly Ayotte, basic sponges, Berlin Rosen, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Bill Clinton, Angie Craig, Sharice Davids, Deaniacs, John Dingell, framed post-it notes, giat Trump signs, Jared Golden, Maggie Hassan, Chrissy Houlahan, the Iowa State Fair, John Kerry, Ellen Malcolm, Nancy Pelosi, Project 314, Stephanie Schriock, Mikie Sherrill, sleep hygiene, Abigail Spanberger, Sunday staff meetings, Susan Wild...& more!

Send us a textTaegan Goddard is the founder and editor of Political Wire, one of the most widely-read political news sites over the last 25+ years. He created Political Wire in the late 1990s after stints as a Senate staffer on Capitol Hill and several years in state government in his home state of Connecticut. In this conversation, he talks his own development as a rabid political junkie, setting out early goals in the public and private sector, both encouraging and disheartening stints in government, why he decided against running for office, and starting Political Wire initially as a hobby - which has now grown into a site that is a regular stop for 10+ million readers a month. To become a paid subscriber to Political Wire to see additional content and no ads, click here.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up as a young political junkie in Hartford, CT...Taegan runs across an early version of the internet in the 1980s...The British politician who had an important important on the structure of Taegan's life...Important lessons working for the Senate Banking Chair, Michigan Democrat Don Riegle, on Capitol Hill...Highs and lows of working for Governor Lowell Weicker and others in CT state government...Why time working in state government made Taegan forgo an early desire to run for office himself...The core lesson of his book for elected officials, You Won, Now What?, that stands the test of time...The origin story of the Political Wire news website, which goes back 3+ decades...When Taegan realized Political Wire had found an audience and developed staying power...How Taegan has maintained and grown his audience in the tumultuous space of internet political sites...Taegan's sense of how important and history-making our current era of politics is...Taegan's most effective work tool & favorite non-political website...AND Spiro Agnew, David Bradley, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton's best friend, Congressional Quarterly, Charlie Cook, Al D'Amato, dark horse campaigns, the Federal Reserve Board, Joe Ganim, Newt Gingrich, Michael Heseltine, the Keating 5, John Kerry, Merck, nattering nabobs, The New Republic, Ross Perot, reader freakouts, Robert Redford, Chris Riback, Joe Rogan, Stu Rothenberg, John Rowland, William Safire, Ben Thompson, Chuck Todd, Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal, yellow legal pads...& more!

Send us a textDr. Larry Spinelli has worn numerous hats in and around politics...Hill staffer, senior positions in the federal bureaucracy, political science professor, historian and author. His new book is Watergate's Unexpected Hero, about the life of the incredibly impactful New Jersey Democratic Congressman Peter Rodino - to whom Spinelli was a staffer and friend for 30+ years. Rodino's 40-year career in the House spanned from Truman to Reagan as he played important roles on labor policy, landmark civil rights legislation, attempting to hold back the tide of 80s conservatism...but most notably, as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate crisis and Nixon impeachment hearings. In this role, the previously low-profile Rodino led the hearings watched daily by 80 million Americans amidst the greatest constitutional turning point since the Civil War. In this conversation, Dr. Spinelli talks his own connection to Rep. Rodino - and the 50+ year career of the legendary congressman who found himself at the center of a national crisis and ultimately became one of the most prominent and respected members of Congress of the past century.IN THIS EPISODEHow Larry's use of Machivellian high-school politics led him to first meet Peter Rodino in the late 1960s..How the Rodino family first came to the U.S. from Italy and located in Newark NJ...The anti-Italian discrimination the Rodinos faced and how a young Peter Rodino fought back... How Peter Rodino first gets his foot in the door in local politics in the 1930s...How his WWII service and a controversial anti-labor bill set the stage for him to come to Congress in 1948...Just weeks into his first term, Rodino bucks the seniority system and takes on a racist, autocratic committee chair...Peter Rodino's often under-realized impact on the landmark civil rights legislation of the mid 1960s...The two unexpected elections that made Peter Rodino Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 1973 and thrust him into the spotlight as the Watergate scandal grew...The steps Rodino took to ensure bipartisan cooperation and effectiveness out of the House Impeachment Committee...The liberal member of the Committee who worked against Rodino behind the scenes...What Rodino believed was on the infamous, missing "18 minute gap" in the Nixon White House tapes...Rodino's view Gerald Ford's controversial pardon of Richard Nixon...Rodino's stature as a popular, national-figure after the Watergate hearings...How close did Rodino come to being Jimmy Carter's VP nominee in 1976...How Rodino held on to a changing Newark, NJ district as it moved from majority Italian-American to majority Black...Peter Rodino's final 15+ years after leaving the House in early 1989...Is Peter Rodino the most influential Italian-American political figure in American history...