Rory Cooper, partner at Purple Strategies, has worked at all levels of Republican politics…cutting his teeth in campaigns, working in the George W. Bush White House, for the Department of Homeland Security right after 9-11, running communications for the conservative Heritage Foundation, and as Comms Director for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Rory tells great stories from these stops, with lessons and insights learned along the way.IN THIS EPISODERory’s early political memories growing up around Detroit…A high school Rory finds a way into the 1992 Presidential debate…Rory takes over a New Orleans GOP field office in 1996…A young Rory learns an important political staffing lesson from Trent Lott…Rory is one of the first staffers hired after the Dept of Homeland Security is created post 9-11…Rory talks being around President Bush and working in the Bush White House…An important campaign lesson Rory learned on a California special election…Rory runs communications for the Heritage Foundation as the think tank undergoes changes…Interviewing to become Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s Communication Director…Memorable fights with both Republicans and Democrats as Cantor’s Comms Director…Rory talks the leadership qualities he saw from then Speaker John Boehner…The GOP member who’s not a household name who impressed Rory…Rory talks the difference in good Hill boss versus a bad Hill boss…Rory reflects on the surprise loss of Eric Cantor in the 2014 GOP primary…Rory busts some myths about the Cantor loss and the impact of that primary on GOP politics since…How Rory approaches his next job off the Hill…Rory talks the work he does now at Purple Strategies…The messaging lesson Rory learned from Joe Biden…Rory’s two tips to help people succeed in their career…AND…Spence Abraham, aligning Powerpoint slides, Dick Armey, ascendancy principles, BRAC, Joe Biden, the boringest day of the campaign, Neil Bradley, Andy Card, carnival barkers, Alex Castellanos, Bill Clinton, corn chowder, Joe Crowley, Ted Cruz, Bob Dole, donut hole fixes, DREAMers, Eisenhower Internships, Rich Falkenrath, fiscal cliffs, Mike Forbes, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, the Grateful Dead, Joe Hagin, Laura Ingraham, John Jamian, Mardi Gras beads, making Tucker Carlson happy, Mel Martinez, Kevin McCarthy, Mitch McConnell, Patrick McHenry, Steve McMahon, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Meet the Press, the members only elevator, Milk Duds, navigating cubicles, Obamacare, participants vs pundits, Phish, quoting Hayek, the Republican Study Committee, remaining sticky, rude customers, RINOs, Save Your Asks, serious legislators, Steve Stombres, the Tea Party, Donald Trump, VAWA, village city councils, What It Takes, yellow tape around memorials, & more!

John Anzalone has been a Democratic pollster winning tough races for 30+ years, most recently as Chief Pollster for Biden 2020 helping navigate a crowded primary and grueling general election en route to ousting Donald Trump. John talks his working class roots growing up in Michigan, cutting his teeth in the Biden '88 ('87) presidential, his path to polling, and ultimately starting and growing his own firm to become on the handful of top-tier Democratic pollsters in the country.  IN THIS EPISODEJohn grows up a “free lunch kid” and the son of a Teamster in Michigan…John learns an unfortunate lesson from his childhood nickname…Practicing dirty tricks in his first campaign involvement…John talks about his mentor David Wilhelm…John’s first big campaign working for Biden for President in 1987…John’s memories from his early 20s of being around then Senator Biden…John talks the All-Star team he was part of with James Carville and Paul Begala in a 1988 Senate race…John’s FOMO from missing the 1992 Clinton Presidential…The John Anzalone best practices for campaign managers…John’s decision to go into polling…John opens up his own polling firm after apprenticing at Frederick Schneiders…John talks the value of “coming in second” in client pitches…The challenge of starting a new Democratic firm in the South in the mid 90s…The firm’s success in 04/06 sets the stage to be brought on board with Obama 2008…John talks lessons learned from working at high levels in four straight presidential races…John talks the fabled slide deck that informed some of the early Biden 2020 conversations…John on early challenges for Biden 2020 and what is underappreciated about the winning campaign against Trump…John’s advice to the next generation pollsters…John’s travel tips…John talks the rebrand of Impact Research…AND…$50,000, Pete Aguilar, Kevin Akins, Jason Altmire, David Axelrod, Barcaloungers, Anna Bennett, big damn deals, Chris Bollwage, Bobby Bright, Joe Burrow, Pete Buttigieg, Don Cazayoux, the Chicago Sun-Times, Travis Childers, Citizens for Tax Justice, Sam Coppersmith, Country Club Republicans, the DC vortex, Rich Daley, Buddy Darden, Pete Dawkins, dead-bang losers, Nathan Deal, Delta Comfort, David Dixon, David Doak, Mike Donilon, Mike Doyle, Anita Dunn, Rahm Emanuel, Rob Engel, Paul Finebaum, the Florida House Caucus, Pete Giangreco, Gwen Graham, Larry Grisolano, Kay Hagan, Debbie Halvorson, Tom Harkin, Gary Hart, Paul Hodes, Jimmy Hoffa, Matt Hogan, Paul Johnson, Larry Kissell, Ron Klein, Amy Klobuchar, Bruce Koeppel, Leading Edge Computers, Jeff Link, Jeff Liszt, Local 7, Jon Macks, Frank Mascara, Paul Maslin, Steve McMahon, Charlie Melancon, Walter Mondale, the Monkey Business, Molly Murphy, Karen Olick, Jen O’Malley Dixon, Bob Packwood, Steve Paikowsky, David Plouffe, prayer warriors, Mark Pryor, Ronald Reagan, Jay Rhodes, Karl Rove, Mitch Rubin, Dan Rostenkowski, John Salazar, Bernie Sanders, Rick Santorum, Greg Schneiders, Heath Shuler, Sicilian enclaves, Clay Shaw, Bob Shrum, Mark Siljander, Steve Sisolak, David Stockman, stray dogs, Brian Stryker, Survey Monkey, Charles Taylor, Dina Titus, Trenton labor people, Uncle Izzy, Fred Upton, Chris Van Hollen, Jon Vogel, Terry Walsh, Whirlpool HQ, Sheldon Whitehouse, whiz-bang kids, Howard Wolpe, & more!

Joe Crowley was a district party leader at 23, in the New York State Assembly at 26, and in the US House at 37...a political prodigy by any measure. He talks the early lessons learned in Queens politics, his time around Governor Mario Cuomo, his rise through the Assembly and Congress, his 2018 primary against AOC, and memorable moments and valuable insights from 20 years in the House. IN THIS EPISODE…The Crowley family lore that intersects with the Titanic…Congressman Crowley’s early political memories growing up in Queens…The family connection between the Crowleys and the Cuomos…The story behind a 26-year-old Joe Crowley elected to the state legislature…The enduring mystery behind his candidacy for Queens College president…Memories of the “totalitarian” nature of the New York State Legislature…He remembers the “magnetic” personality of Mario Cuomo, plus how close he came to a Cuomo Presidential bid…He talks how Mario Cuomo and Geraldine Ferraro opened the door for pro-choice Catholics in New York politics…The unusual story behind his surprising 1998 candidacy for Congress…His first impressions of Congress…The Joe Crowley 101 of what new members should know…Congressman Crowley “expends some political muscle” to advance marriage equality…How Congressman Crowley climbed the leadership ladder to become Democratic Caucus Chair…Congressman Crowley’s perspective on the Pelosi-Hoyer relationship…A glimpse into the intensity surrounding the ACA legislative process…How he views the 2018 primary against AOC with a few years hindsight…How he’s approached his post-congressional career…The Broadway musical Congressman Crowley is helping produce…His thoughts on running for mayor or running statewide…Advice for those in government relations…Congressman Crowley’s relationship with both Presidents Obama and Biden…Who’s the hardest working person in Washington?Congressman Crowley’s early instincts toward Donald Trump…Congressman Crowley’s 2022 advice for Congressional Democrats…AND…9/11, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bella Abzug, John Adams, John Boehner, boiler engineers, Dick Cain, Steve Chabot, civility in discourse, County Armagh, the DCCC, Geraldine Ferraro, the Five Points, Frontline Democrats, Ben Gillman, Thomas Jefferson, John Kennedy, Ed Koch, John Larson, Barbara Lee, Donald Manes, a members’ member, Cathy Nolan, Tom Manton, the New Dem Coalition, Dave Obey, Paradise Square, Nancy Pelosi, Powell Memorial High, Paul Ryan, John Sabini, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Chuck Schumer, shoe leather, Bud Shuster, Squire Patton Boggs, Tammany Hall, Walter McCaffery, Watergate babies, & more!

Adnaan Muslim has been a leading player in Democratic direct mail for more than 20 years, initially helping start Mission Control mail and now as a partner at Deliver Strategies. In this conversation, Adnaan talks his path to working in politics, how he gravitated to direct mail, importance races in his career like electing Elizabeth Warren, Jared Polis, and Raphael Warnock, and the passion he has for campaign speechwriting. Great stories, insight, and advice from one of the most unique voices in politics.IN THIS EPISODEThe member of Congress that made an impression on Adnaan at age 10…The Congressional internship and specific moment that led Adnaan to a life in politics…Adnaan’s talks the value of starting a political career by working in campaign fundraising…Adnaan gives his perspective as a staffer of color in a historically white business…Adnaan tells the story of building the Democratic mail firm Mission Control…The early races that Adnaan cut his teeth on as a strategist…Adnaan talks his approach to designing effective mail pieces…Adnaan joins his current firm Deliver Strategies…Adnaan’s role in Elizabeth Warren’s first campaign in the 2012 Massachusetts Senate race…Adnaan talks one of the most important inflection points in the Elizabeth Warren 2012 win…Adnaan’s best practices for political speechwriting…Adnaan’s talks through two of his favorite political speeches…Adnaan talks about his passion for writing screenplays and being involved in filmmaking…Adnaan talks some of the creative tactics behind Raphael Warnock’s Georgia Senate win…Adnaan’s travel tips and hacks…Adnaan’s strangest work habit…Adnaan’s unconventional relationship with one of his competitors…AND Gabby Adler, Advent calendars, bad packers, Scott Brown, Rob Burch, Maryanne Connelly, checkered reputations, crescendos and decrescendos, Mario Cuomo, Happy Fernandez, Gema, Mandy Grunwald, Jesse Jackson, joining a supergroup, Tim Johnson, Elena Kagan, Ted Kennedy, Haroon Khan, kitchenettes, Mack Sumner, Betsy McCaughey Ross, the Mujahideen, Mindy Myers, Newburgh NY, Bob Ney, photocopies of business cards, George Pataki, Ed Peavy, Jared Polis, Larry Pressler, Ayanna Pressley,  Ronald Reagan, roleplaying, Marla Romash, Antonin Scalia, screenplays in a drawer, Sony Walkman, speeches only a Dad could love, unforced errors, Sujata Tejwani, Vernon CT, Raphael Warnock, Charlie Wilson, Michelle Wu, & more!

Kelly Hall is the Executive Director of the Fairness Project, which works to pass ballot measures on economic fairness issues such as the minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, and paid leave. Before taking the helm at the Fairness Project, she worked in campaigns and as a Hill staffer prior to entering the Obama Administration to focus on implementing the Affordable Care Act. In this conversation, Kelly talks through her own experiences to offer insight about working on the Hill,  passing Obamacare, winning ballot measures, and running a political non-profit.IN THIS EPISODEHow the first campaign Kelly worked shaped her career...Memories of interning for Senator Tom Daschle...Kelly is behind the scenes at the Obama breakout moment at the 2004 Convention...Kelly’s memories as a Hill health care aide during the tense moments around the Affordable Care Act…Kelly’s time in the Obama administration implementing the ACA and what she thinks has gone right and wrong with 10 years hindsight…Kelly’s advice and best practices for Hill staffers...Kelly’s path to the Fairness Project and the work it does…Kelly provides case studies from the Fairness Project about expanding Medicaid in "red" states like Oklahoma and Missouri…Kelly talks the need to build cross party coalitions to win ballot measures…Kelly on what she’s learned about the nuts and bolts of running a political non-profit...Kelly’s advice to people early in their political career…And...Agent Orange, Ann Arbor, Xavier Becerra, Blue Dogs, bullshit detectors, George Bush, Lincoln Chafee, complaining over pizza, constellations of vendors, Joe Crowley, cutting turf, do-gooder lefties, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, marriage counseling, Mindy Myers, monorail salesmen, Nancy Pelosi, Pete Rouse, SEIU, Allyson Schwartz, shouting into the wind, Sheldon Whitehouse, The Simpsons, Zoom culture…& more!

Jeremy Ben-Ami was born into a family among whom politics was very personal – and became active in politics himself at a young age, interning for the 1976 Carter campaign at 14. From there, he worked for numerous politicians from Ed Koch and David Dinkins and Mark Green to Bill Clinton and Howard Dean. Jeremy talks his life in campaign politics, working in the White House, what led to the creation of J Street, and how J Street has grown to become an influential voice that’s changed the debate on American policy toward Israel. IN THIS EPISODEThe first campaigns that caught Jeremy’s attention at a young age…Jeremy’s measures of iconic NYC political figures like Ed Koch and David Dinkins…The surprising presidential candidate for whom Jeremy served on the ballot as an “elector”…The issue that led Jeremy to switch from local NYC politics to national politics…What happened when Jeremy “just shows up” in Little Rock to seek work in the 1992 Clinton campaign…Jeremy talks about the Bill Clinton he saw up close and personal…Jeremy gives a glimpse into what it’s like working in the White House…Jeremy tells the story of managing Democrat Mark Green’s NYC mayoral race that was interrupted and defined by 9/11…The best practices for campaign managers Jeremy has seen over the years…Jeremy’s time as Research Director on Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign and how Dean caught fire (temporarily)…How his time on the Dean campaign led to the formation of J Street…The first steps Jeremy took to get J Street off the ground…Jeremy cites the key moments early in the J Street experience that showed it was getting traction…Jeremy talks through some of the criticisms he and J Street have received from within the Jewish community…Jeremy gives his 101 on Jewish communal politics…Jeremy talks the rising threat of anti-Semitism and how it’s intertwined with the attacks on democracy…Jeremy’s thoughts on why the issue of settlements has become an important flashpoint in the Israeli / Palestinian debates…Jeremy weighs in on the impact of Benjamin Netanyahu…Why Jeremy wants to expunge the term “peace process” from the discussions of Israel and Palestine…How Jeremy thinks of one day passing the torch as President of J Street…Jeremy’s “strangest work habit”…AND…the 3 Ps, Mahmoud Abbas, the ADL, AIPAC, alphabet soup, John Anderson, asterisks in the polls, Michael Bloomberg, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, chopped salads, creeping annexation, the “Dean scream”, the Democracy Alliance, “dog and pony shows”, the first rule of holes, founder syndrome, Rudy Giuliani, hanging from the rafters, imprimaturs of seriousness, Martin Indyk, institutional infrastructure, invitations from Hogwarts, Dan Kurtzer, the Man from Hope, meetups, Aaron Miller, the NYC groove, the New York Times magazine, Barack Obama, Ehud Olmert, the Oval Office, the Palestinian Authority, panic attacks, Nancy Pelosi, Ronald Reagan, silent majorities, Rob Stein, talks about talks, a vocal left, Paul Wellstone, The West Wing, & more!

Loretta Sanchez served 20 years in the US House, one of the first Democrats to breakthrough in historically GOP Orange County, CA. She also made history, with her sister Linda Sanchez, as the only two women related by family to serve in Congress. In this conversation, she talks growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in LA, her 1996 upset over GOP fixture Bob Dornan and the election contest that ensued, her 2016 election for Senate ultimately won by Kamala Harris, and memories & insights from two decades in the House.IN THIS EPISODECongresswoman Sanchez talks growing up in the LA-area as the daughter of Mexican immigrants…The candidate who her father walked door-to-door for, even before he could vote himself…Her path to running for office in the mid 1990s…Congresswoman Sanchez talks through the history and politics of Orange County, CA…The great story behind her 1996 upset of GOP icon Bob Dornan, a race dubbed “the upset of the decade” by Time Magazine…The year-long election contest that followed her 1996 victory…Congresswoman Sanchez’s memories of lunch with Joe Biden in 1997…She explains what makes Nancy Pelosi an effective party leader…Who Congresswoman Sanchez is keeping an eye on as the next generation of Democratic leaders in the House…The story behind the history-making election of sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez as part of the same Congress…She recounts her decision to run for US Senate in 2016…Congresswoman Sanchez’s advice to Democrats who want to better communicate with Latino voters…The advice that Congresswoman Sanchez would offer AOC…Congresswoman Sanchez talks her current priorities and interests…AND…Pete Aguilar, Karen Bass, Barbara Boxer, Willie Brown, cause celebres, Chapman University, Gil Cisneros, Katherine Clark, Bill Clinton, Barbara Cubin, Blue Dogs, John Conyers, Lou Correa, Tom Daly, Willian Dannemeyer, David & Goliath, Val Demings, John Dingell, Veronica Escobar, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Barney Frank, Georgetown, Dick Gephardt, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore, Lindsay Graham, green cards, Kamala Harris, Head Start, David Hobson, Hubert Humphrey, Italian Grandmas, Hakeem Jeffries, the Joint Economic Committee, Patrick Kennedy, Barbara Kennelly, Jerry McNerney, John McCain, George Miller, John Murtha, Richard Nixon, Barack Obama, Old Bulls, Colin Peterson, Katie Porter, Ed Rendell, Kathleen Rice, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Harley Rouda, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Rotary Clubs, Ronald Reagan, Tony Rodham, George Stephanopoulos, Univision, the Western White House, Pete Wilson, & more!

Scott Simpson, is a founder and managing partner of the direct mail firm Resonance Campaigns, one of the most successful Black-owned firms in politics.  In this epsiode, Scott talks growing up middle class in Massachussetts, early formative political experiences, his time working a pollster before making the jump to direct mail, and ultimately starting his own firm that helped elect - among many others - Joe Biden in 2020.IN THIS EPISODEThe political issue that kept an 8-year old Scott up at night…The election that made politics seem cool to Scott…The pol that left Scott star struck after seeing him on a plane…Scott’s first internship on a congressional campaign…Scott’s first (and only) job as a manager shows him managing might not be for him…Scott’s memories of working on DC Mayor Anthony Williams first campaign…Scott weighs in on the value of grad school for those who want to work in politics…An internship with pollster Celinda Lake makes an impact on Scott’s career…Important races early in Scott’s career in polling…What caused Scott to make the jump to direct mail and ultimately start his own direct mail firm…The most irritating comments mail consultants get from the rest of the team…Legislative races help Scott come into his own as a mail consultant…Scott lands Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign as an early client for his new direct mail firm…Scott helps Doug Jones break through in the 2017 Alabama Senate Special Election…Scott goes in depth on his role working for the Joe Biden 2020 campaign…What Scott’s learned in starting a successful political consulting firm…Scott talks his experience as one of the few Black-owned consulting firms…AND Dave Beattie, Shirin Bidel-Niyat, James Blaine, George W. Bush, Justin Caffrey, Campaigns and Elections Magazine, Tricia Cavell, DC jerks, Ray Dalio, Rich Davis, David Dixon, Jonathan Ducote, Michael Dukakis, Jeff Gumbinner, Elizabeth Guzman, Maren Hesla, the Kennedys, John Kerry, kitchen islands, Lancaster PA, Claire McCaskill, Jeremy McPike, mileage reimbursements, Robby Mook, Roy Moore, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Steve Murphy, Ed Peavy, phone calls at Costco, Joe Pitts, rookie cards, rotary phones, Elizabeth Sena, Donna Shalala, Oren Shur, Doc Sweitzer, Harry Teague, Rashida Tlaib, Jon Vogel, Sean Whitson, Xerox machines, Bobby Zirkin…& more!

Patrick Ruffini has been on the cutting edge of politics for 20+ years, as one of the first wave of operatives working in the tech and digital political space. After working at the RNC in 2004, he started an early political tech firm and then formed Echelon Insights to merge political data and tech. In this conversation, Patrick talks his career trajectory, the advancement of digital political tools, and how American politics has evolved in the age of Donald Trump.IN THIS EPISODE…Patrick’s unusual bi-national upbringing…Patrick starts following politics at a very early age…A young Patrick on the cutting edge of the political boom on the internet…Patrick’s 1998 correspondence with Karl Rove…Patrick’s stint at the RNC in 2004….Patrick breaks down the tech impact of the Obama 2008 campaign…Patrick starts his own digital firm Engage…The importance of the 2012 GOP “autopsy” report on Patrick’s career…Patrick starts Echelon Insights with GOP pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson…Patrick’s advice on how to balance reliance on polling vs analytics…What Patrick has learned about social media listening…Patrick’s dissection about the recent populist direction of the Republican Party…Patrick talks of Glenn Youngkin-type candidates as the future of the GOP…Patrick’s take on the recent reduced racial polarization in the electorate…Patrick previews a book he’s working on that outlines a rising cross-racial coalition of the Republican Party…Patrick talks some of the new measurement tools he’s excited about…AND base politics, Joe Biden, blaming the internet, Blue State Digital, Scott Brown, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Eric Cantor, the center-right blogosphere, Mike Connell, Howard Dean, Chuck DeFeo, Becki Donatelli, Efficient Market Hypothesis, Facebook, Mindy Finn, governing agendas, Don Green, Mickey Kaus, John Kerry, Josh Marshall, John McCain, mybarackobama.com , RCTs, relational organizing, Mitt Romney, snake oil, Andrew Sullivan, the War on Terror, & more!

Ace Smith, Partner at Bearstar Strategies, has lived a fascinating political life intersecting with a long list of the most iconic figures of the last several decades...Harvey Milk, Pat and Jerry Brown, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Richard M. Daley, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, & many more. In this conversation, we talk his memories of growing up in a Bay Area political family, cutting his teeth in smaller races and opposition research, transitioning to running campaigns, his role in several key states for Hillary Clinton in 2008, and building Bearstar Strategies to become a dominant media and strategic firm. IN THIS EPISODEThe prominent Democratic pol Ace is named after…Ace remembers his father, Arlo, working for iconic CA politician Pat Brown…Ace’s memories of the 1966 surprise win of Ronald Reagan and similarities to the Trump 2016 win…Ace talks about Harvey Milk, the groundbreaking LGBT pol, that he knew personally…Ace’s personal connection to the Harvey Milk / George Moscone assassination…Ace weighs in on why the Bay Area is a breeding ground for many of the state’s most successful politicians…Ace talks the value of working small, local races…Why Ace left a successful career in California politics to start fresh in DC…A fateful 1987 meeting between Ace and a young Rahm Emanuel…How opposition research gets Ace’s foot in the door in DC politics…Ace talks his formula for being an effective political researcher…Ace’s role in the Bill Clinton 1992 Presidential campaign…Ace gives insight about Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton from knowing both personally for decades…Ace talks running Texas and North Carolina for Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries…Ace’s best practices of what makes a good campaign manager…Ace gives a California Politics 101 of what makes CA politics different…Ace gives a case study from the Kamala Harris 2010 Attorney General’s race…Ace talks the rise of Bearstar Strategies…Ace on what makes Jerry Brown so unique…Ace talks the strategy utilized (and defining moment) to beat back the 2021 recall attempt against Gavin Newsom…Ace looks back on the 2020 Kamala Harris Presidential campaign in which he was involved…Ace’s insight on building political teams…Ace’s agenda for anyone visiting the Bay Area…AND David Axelrod, Albert Camus, chaotic minds, Richard M. Daley, dearths and deluges, disappointing Political Science classes, Mike Dukakis, Joe Freitas, Gallic Wars, Averell Harriman, Fred Harris, hippie journey years, Harry Johnston, Tom Lynch, George McGovern, news pyramids, the political club movement, printing obscenities, Robert Redford, Bernie Sanders, Arlo Smith, Adlai Stevenson, testing hunches, Donald Trump, the twinkie defense, Elizabeth Warren, Dan White … & more!