Send us a textBen Nelson has lived an iconic political life...two terms as Governor and two terms in the Senate as a Democrat in deep red Nebraska - and the key swing vote on landmark legislation from the Bush tax cuts to judicial votes to Obamacare. In this conversation, he talks his political career - beginning with his first Governor's race (starting at 0% and winning by 42 votes). And he goes into depth about his time in the Senate - weighing in on colleagues that impressed him and disappointed him, and touching on the themes of the breakdown of the body in his new book Death of the Senate.  IN THIS EPISODESenator Nelson reminisces about growing up in idyllic Western Nebraska…The significance of being an only child…A memorable first experience in the Nebraska’s Governor’s Office as a 17-year old…Senator Nelson talks about the importance of his political hero Senator George W. Norris…The value of a unicameral legislature…Why Senator Nelson gravitated toward Democrats despite growing up in very Republican turf…Senator Nelson’s academic background in Philosophy…Winning his first race for Governor by 42 votes…Senator Nelson talks about his lone loss in the 1996  open Senate Seat…How he came back four years later to win a Senate race…Which of his new Senate colleagues were the biggest surprises to him?Senator Nelson pinpoints the transition from Trent Lott to Mitch McConnell as the start of the breakdown of the Senate…Senator Nelson talks his vote for the Bush tax cuts…Did he get close to switching parties?Senator Nelson explains his early primary endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton?Senator Nelson walks through the process that led to the passage of the ACA Obamacare…Setting the record straight on the so-called “Cornhusker Kickback”…The letter Senator Nelson wrote correcting Justice Scalia…Why did Senator Nelson forgo running for re-election in 2012?Senator Nelson’s “rough” perspective on Donald Trump…Weighing in on the debate over eliminating the filibuster…Senator Nelson’s advice on hiring and managing…Senator Nelson’s itinerary for getting the Nebraska Experience…AND….Barbara Boxer, John Breaux, burrow-crats, Robert Byrd, Dick Cheney, circuit breakers, conference committees, Tom Daschle, Bill Frist, Chuck Hagel, hollow math, the Hyde Amendment, Interstate-80, Jeffersonian principles, JFK, kooks, Lala Land, laboratories of democracy, Joe Lieberman, Trent Lott, making it rain, Joe Manchin, One Nebraska, party theology, Harry Reid, ridiculous carrots, sophists and skeptics, Tom Sawyer, Saul Shorr, Olympia Snowe, so-called autobiographies, stare decisis, Toadstool Park, unfunded mandates, Wildcat Hills, & more!

Send us a textJessica Taylor is the Senate Editor for the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and recently made history as the first woman to be a Senior Author for the Almanac of American Politics. Jessica talks her small-town Tennessee roots, her path to political journalism, her early thoughts on the 2022 Senate map, and a deep-dive into both the history of The Almanac and her ground-breaking role at that hallowed institution.IN THIS EPISODE…Jessica traces her interest in political journalism to both her mother and father…How a neighbor from Arkansas made an important impact on a 7-year old Jessica…Jessica’s first job working at her local paper…Jessica’s career goals take shape at Furman University…Advice Jessica gives to young aspiring journalists…Jessica’s controversial tenure as editor of her college paper…Jessica’s first job in DC political journalism…Jessica talks her time working with both Stu Rothenberg and Charlie Cook…Jessica shares a memorable “candidate interview” from a now high-profile elected official…Jessica explains the “race ratings” that are a big part of her job…Jessica’s early take on the 2022 Senate map…Jessica talks the history of the Almanac of American Politics…A couple of Jessica’s favorite details she’s learned researching for The Almanac…AND…Lamar Alexander, John Armstrong, Judy Bainbridge, Michael Barone, Cheri Beasley, Ted Budd, Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Bill Clinton, Rich Cohen, Roy Cooper, Ted Cruz, Howard Dean, Val Demings, David Dewhurst, Doug Ducey, Jennifer Duffy, John Edwards, The Elizabethton Star, Ally Flinn, Friday Night Lights, Nathan Gonzales, Jeff Jackson, Meg Kinnard, Kristin Kobes du Mez, Charlie Mahtesian, Pat McCrory, nationaljournal.com, the New York Times, The Paladin, David Perdue, Rob Portman, Kyrsten Sinema, Grant Ujifusa, Herschel Walker, Amy Walter, Dave Wasserman, the Watergate Building, William Rehnquist, & MORE!

Send us a textYou know Edward-Isaac Dovere from his work at The Atlantic, and Politico before that. His recent book Battle for the Soul chronicles the 2020 presidential campaign, especially the Democratic primaries. In this conversation, we discuss Isaac's path to writing about politics, the genesis of his book, and several of the key moments from the 2020 campaign trail.IN THIS EPISODEThe member of Congress who helped Isaac first get involved in the political process…Isaac talks through the genre of “campaign books”…Isaac shares the original title of the book and how “Battle for the Soul” later emerged…Isaac’s contention that Medicare For All hindered the candidacies of the most progressive candidates…Isaac talks through a symbolically important dinner at the Georgetown Four Seasons…How close did Hillary Clinton get to jumping in?Isaac’s take on why Beto O’Rourke’s campaign didn’t catch on…Isaac talks the importance of Lis Smith to the rise of Pete Buttigieg…Isaac breaks down the post-debate boom for Kamala Harris…Why Isaac sees the Clyburn Fish Fry as a microcosm of the primary…Isaac gets behind the scenes of the Clyburn endorsement of Joe Biden…Isaac talks Bernie at his high point post-Nevada caucus…Isaac’s contention that Amy Klobuchar had an enormous impact on the Biden VP decision…The trail restaurant Isaac is most eager to visit again...AND…David Axelrod, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, CBD dispensaries, Guy Cecil,  classic Iowa questions, the Clyburn Fish Fry, Cobble Hill Restaurant, Ted Cruz, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kamala Harris, The Hill, Amy Klobuchar, John Lewis, Terry McAuliffe, Pat Moynihan, Jerry Nadler, Barack Obama, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Beto O’Rourke, Nancy Pelosi, Bernie Sanders, Al Sharpton, Stephanie Schriock, Chuck Schumer, Lis Smith, St. Kilda, Eric Swalwell, Neera Tanden, Elizabeth Warren, Gretchen Whitmer, and MORE!

Send us a textChuck Rocha, Democratic operative and founder of Solidarity Strategies, may have the most interesting and unusual story of ascent in politics. From a 19-year old single father working a union job at a rubber plant in East Texas, to the political director of the national Steelworkers' Union, to a senior advisor to both Bernie Sanders' campaigns, and founder of the largest Latino-owned political consulting firm. Chuck's stories, insight, and advice match his unconventional path in the industry...this is a great conversation with one of the most distinctive voices in American politics.IN THIS EPISODE… Chuck talks navigating both the Mexican and Anglo sides of his family…Chuck talks his first job out of school working in a rubber factory…Chuck’s eyes are opened once he starts working in his local union…The Chuck Rocha 101 of Political Organizing…Chuck’s early intersection with Ann Richards campaigns…Chuck cuts his teeth on Martin Frost’s campaigns in Texas…Chuck’s path from the factory floor to the National Political Director of the Steelworkers…How Chuck makes the decision to start his own firm, Solidarity Strategies…Chuck learns important lessons after making a professional mistake…Chuck’s advice for anyone starting their own political business…Chuck helps elect an underdog insurgent Mayor of Providence, RI…Chuck talks the different vibes in pitching the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton vs Bernie Sanders…Chuck talks how the mistakes and experiences from Bernie 2016 led to the early Bernie 2020 momentum…Chuck’s advice as to how local campaigns can replicate the Bernie 2020 organizing success…Chuck’s insight into Bernie Sanders’ the person that the rest of us don’t know…Who had the best Bernie impression on the campaign?Chuck stars the innovative Nuestro Super PAC?Chuck’s advice to help Democrats better connect with Latino voters…Chuck talks the importance of cultural competency in communicating with Latino voters…Chuck’s career advice for the next generation of operatives…The new habit that is “changing Chuck’s life”…AND…Luis Alcauter, aspirational messaging, beepers, the Blue Green Alliance, Buddy Cianci, Larry Cohen, economic populism, eggheads, El Charro’s, Jorge Elorza, Jim English, Martin Frost, Eileen Garcia, Daysi Gonzalez, Goodyear Tire, Google translate, Maria Hinojosa, Yvette Herrera, keyboard warriors, Matthew McConaughey, John Nash, Nuestro PAC, Vinny Panvini, Ari Rabin-Havt, rapid-response fax machines, rednecks in East Texas, Ann Richards, Jon Soltz, Larry Scanlon, Terry Turner, Tio Bernie, Tortilla Coast, Vote Vets, Jeff Weaver, woke white consultants, & MORE!

Send us a textNo operative is more identified with their state's politics than Steve Schale is with Florida. Steve cut his teeth winning tough legislative districts in Florida as the state drifted red, then ran Florida for the winning Obama campaign in 2008 and was deeply involved again in Obama 2012.  And beyond Florida, Steve helmed the Draft Biden 2016 effort and the 2020 Biden Super PAC Unite the Country. This is a great conversation not just about Steve's experiences in Florida politics, but also covering how a high-level political operative approaches campaigns, building organizations, and navigating a career in a tough industry.IN THIS EPISODESteve’s “uncle” who was elected Governor of a Midwestern state (before spending time in prison)…Steve’s early activism in the anti-apartheid movement…How Newt Gingrich inadvertently helped Steve during the first campaign he worked…Steve develops a reputation for helping Florida Democrats win in red areas…What races Steve thinks are the best training ground to learn politics…The “argument” Steve had during his Chicago interview to run for Florida for Obama 2008…The one tactical decision that helped Obama 2008 keep Florida on their swing state map…Steve talks what put Obama over the top in Florida…Steve remembers the Election Eve event in Jacksonville when he told Sen. Obama he was going to carry the state…Steve talks how the Obama 2012 win in Florida was different than winning in 2008…Why Steve initially held a grudge toward Joe Biden…and what Biden did to win him over for good…Steve talks how 2015-2016 Draft Biden effort was the most interesting four months of his life…Just how close did Biden get toward jumping in the 2016 race…Steve’s role in creating and running the Biden Super PAC Unite the Country…Steve’s advice for doing live television…The HR lessons Steve learned from hiring and running a 600-person campaign…Steve’s international involvement with the NGO American Council of Young Political Leaders…AND…Biden’s aviators, Jeb Bush, Stephen Colbert, the Congo, Charlie Crist, Rich Davis, Dick Durbin, Florida House Victory, Peter Gabriel, Newt Gingrich, GOPAC, Gwen Graham, Leonard Hamilton, Steve Hildebrand, Michael Jordan, Nelson Mandela, Jonathan Martin, Mitch McConnell, Jen O’Malley Dillon, David Plouffe, Greg Schultz, soft diplomacy, Paul Simon, Jerry Springer, the Tallahassee Crowd, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Doug Wiles, win and advance, & more!

Send us a textMaren Hesla has done virtually everything there is to do in Democratic politics. She’s currently a partner in leading Democratic direct mail firm Mission Control…but before that she managed campaigns, worked for the DNC, DCCC, and EMILYs List, and spent time as a media consultant and pollster. Maren talks her personal journey as a Minnesota transplant growing up in the Deep South and what she’s learned navigating the political profession. Great episode with both smart political stories and highly actionable advice for pursuing and succeeding in a career in politics. IN THIS EPISODE…Maren’s first political memory at a local protest…Maren’s memories growing up in the Atlanta area during the height of the Civil Rights Era…Maren’s memories of seeing a fellow Georgian in the White House….Maren’s first campaign with a local political icon in the Atlanta area…How a mistake calculating voter IDs played havoc in the Mondale targeting operation…How Maren built the first statewide voter file in Georgia county by county…Maren manages the campaign of Ben Jones (“Cooter” from the Dukes of Hazzard)…The Democratic member who broke Maren’s heart…Maren talks what a field plan looked like in the 1990s…Maren’s time in the polling industry learning under Diane Feldman…Maren remembers Tammy Baldwin’s underdog first race for Congress…Maren’s unlikely path to EMILY’s List…Maren’s best practices to running independent-expenditure campaigns…Maren’s early modeling project at EMILYs List…Maren talks the talent pipeline produced by EMILYs List…How Maren joined up with Mission Control and Ed Peavy…Maren explains Direct Mail 101…The most common mistakes in direct mail…Maren talks how smart direct mail aided in the recent elections of Sherrod Brown and Jon Ossoff…AND…the Analyst Institute, Julian Bond, Sherrod Brown, cutting turf, Rahm Emanuel, Emory University, Jennifer Granholm, Amy Green, Clay Henderson, Allison Jaslow, John Lewis, Ann Liston, Lester Maddox, Hal Malchow, Ellen Malcolm, Manuel Maloof, Martha McKenna, Ellen Moran, Jim Moran, Jerry Nadler, Jon Ossoff, the Peanut Brigade, Mike Podhorzer, psychographic profiles, Jim Quackenbush, Connie Schultz, Doug Sosnik, standard-issue white guys, Pat Swindall, George Wallace, Karen White, Andrew Young, and MORE!

Send us a textOther than those who've been elected President, I'm not sure anyone in his generation has had a more remarkable political career than Haley Barbour. Running Mississippi for Nixon while he was still in college...ED of the MS GOP at a critical building phase in the 70s...battling a Senate Giant in his unsuccessful first race in '82...running the Reagan White House's political operation...chairing the RNC during the '94 GOP wave...2-term Governor...and starting what has become one of the most successful lobbying government affairs firms in the country. Great conversation hearing about Haley Barbour's rise from small town Mississippi to the highest corridors of political power. IN THIS EPISODEHow Haley Barbour got into politics “totally by fluke”…Running Mississippi for Nixon in ’68…What made a young Haley Barbour gravitate to the Republican Party…The rise of Thad Cochran and Trent Lott…Haley Barbour’s time in the early 70s as executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party…The story of Haley Barbour’s lone political loss in the 1982 Senate race against longtime Dem incumbent John Stennis…Haley Barbour’s rules for candidates and campaign managers…Haley Barbour’s time running the political operation in the Reagan White House…Haley Barbour tells his favorite Jim Baker story…The connection between Haley Barbour and serial killer John Wayne Gacy…Why was Barbara Bush so angry at Haley Barbour in the ’88 campaign?Why Haley Barbour turned down working out of the White House?The one time Ronald Reagan overruled Haley Barbour?The early days of the rise of Newt Gingrich…Haley Barbour beats two future US Senators to take over the Republican National Committee in 1993…Haley Barbour talks the GOP wave of 1994…Haley Barbour talks his 2003 Governor’s campaign ousting a Democratic incumbent…How he overcame the “lobbyist” label in the Governor’s race…Getting close to jumping in the 2012 presidential race…How Haley Barbour started one of DC’s premier lobbying firms…Haley Barbour rules for being an effective lobbyist…AND…Spencer Abraham, John Ashcroft, Lee Atwater, James Baker, Lloyd Bentsen, Kirk Blalock, Remy Brim, Barbara Bush, Bob Calloway, Gil Carmichael, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton Mitch Daniels, Democrats for Eisenhower, Walt Disney, Bob Dole, James Eastland, Frank Fahrenkopf, Don Fierce, Gerald Ford, Kirk Fordice, Jim Free, Lanny Griffith, Mike Huckabee, Paul Johnson, Paul Laxalt, Ron Lewis, Zell Miller, Ronnie Musgrove, Lyn Nofziger, the OEB, Mike Parker, Heather Podesta, Tony Podesta, Scott Reed, Ed Rogers, Ed Rollins, Mitt Romney, George Shultz, Sam Skinner, Stu Spencer, John Sununu, Jim Thompson, George Wallace, Wendell Willkie, and MORE!

Send us a textFrom a very early age, Jim Messina knew he wanted to manage a presidential campaign. And he made it happen as the manager for the 2012 Obama re-elect. In between, Jim ran campaigns at all levels across the country, served as Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill, and served as a White House aide helping pass much of the first-term Obama agenda. In this conversation, Jim talks growing up in a blue collar Mountain West family, his early activism against nuclear weapons, how he connected with eventual mentor Senator Max Baucus, and the lessons learned on his path to managing the campaign to re-elect President Obama.IN THIS EPISODE…The story of Jim “managing” his first campaign in 4th Grade…The book a young Jim read that turned him onto politics for good…Jim helps save the political career of the mayor of his college town…The impact of the “no Nuke” movement on Jim…Jim talks his relationship with his mentor Senator Max Baucus…The similar approach in the Baucus ’02 re-election and the Obama 2012 re-elect…Jim’s involvement in stopping the Bush ’05 Social Security Privatization plan…Jim talks why Republicans often have the strategic advantage on messaging…Jim’s theory as to why Montana creates so many talented political operatives…Jim’s best practices for working on Capitol Hill…The Republicans that have impressed Jim over the years…Jim waxes nostalgic about Prairie Populism…Jim talks about the greatest living Senate staffer…Why Jim almost passed on working for the Obama 2008 race…Voter file controversies in 2008…Jim tells great stories from helping put the Obama Cabinet together… Jim talks how President Obama wouldn’t let the ACA fail…The “shrewdest political operator” Jim has ever seen…Jim’s conversations with President Obama before taking the helm of the 2012 re-elect…What surprised Jim about running a presidential campaign…Jim talks inflection points in the 2012 presidential campaign…Why Jim was confident Biden wouldn’t have major gaffes in 2020…Jim's approach to starting The Messina Group after 2012… AND…21 Rules, Yohannes Abraham, actual mullets, Al D’Amato, David Axelrod, Baucus Burger Bonanzas, the Beast, Steve Bullock, Andy Card, Jimmy Carter, Tara Corrigan, Jim Crounse, Tom Daschle, Byron Dorgan, John Elway, Rahm Emanuel, FABIO, Tim Geithner, Girl in Red, Newt Gingrich, half-gin/half-tonic, Dave Hunter, Jesse Jackson, Liz Jarvis-Shean, Peter King, Celinda Lake, Trent Lott, Mike Mansfield, Ty Matsdorf, Carolyn McCarthy, midnight calls from Bill Clinton, Olivia Morgan, Patty Murray, Jen O’Malley, Alyssa Mastromonaco, Nancy Pelosi. David Plouffe, Prairie Populists, Marc Racicot, Harry Reid, Mitt Romney, Pete Rouse, Eric Schmidt, Stephanie Schriock, Nate Silver, Julianna Smoot, Steven Spielberg, Gail Stoltz, Taylor Swift, Larry Summers, Jon Tester, Three Mile Island, walking across Montana, Pat Williams, Anna Wintour, and MORE!

Send us a textNse Ufot is CEO of The New Georgia Project, an integral part of the infrastructure that contributed to Georgia turning blue for Joe Biden and delivering two US Senate seats as part of a Democratic majority. Under her leadership, NGP has trained local activists,  built innovative organizing apps, and helped register over 400,000 voters. In this conversation, Nse talks her childhood move from Nigeria to Atlanta, her early days as a labor lawyer, building NGP with Stacey Abrams, and the strategies employed and lessons learned that helped turn Georgia blue in 2020/2021.IN THIS EPISODE…Nse talks her memories of growing up the first few years of her life in Nigeria…How growing up in a large family informed Nse’s early politics…What got Nse off a path towrard medical school…The childhood hero that taught Nse to “never meet your heroes”…How a UN conference in South Africa & 9/11 set Nse on her career path…Nse’s early career representing public employees in negotiations…Nse talks about what it’s like representing zookeeper’s in public-employee bargaining…Why Nse’s path nearly didn't cross with Stacey Abrams…Nse recounts the origin story of the New Georgia Project…How the Affordable Care Act was a launching pad for growing the New Georgia Project…Nse talks about the Stacey Abrams she knows from working closely with her for years…Nse talks the nuts-and-bolts of political organizing…Nse talks the mechanics of New Georgia Project’s registration efforts…The innovative technology NGP builds and employs…Nse talks NGP’s role in flipping GA in November 2020 & January 2021…How Nse & NGP are looking at the 2022 cycle…

Send us a textJournalist and author Sasha Issenberg recently released his new book, The Engagement: America's Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage. Sasha chronicles the path to progress on this issue from the early 90s when even most LGBT advocates didn't see marriage equality as an achievable goal..to the present with marriage equality cemented by the Supreme Court and over 70% of Americans (and rising) lining up behind these rights. In this conversation, Sasha talks the core thesis of his book, the strategic decisions that made a difference in the debate, the key political actors on both sides of the debate, and insight into the inner workings of the Obama White House as the positions of the President and VP evolved. A lot of smart stuff from Sasha to chew on as a primer for his authoritative book, The Engagement, on the seminal civil rights issue of the last thirty years(Please consider leaving a rating and review in your podcast app)IN THIS EPISODE…The conversations that led to Sasha sinking his teeth into this topic…Sasha explains why “civil unions” was a double-edged sword for the marriage equality movement…The problems gay marriage advocates had to solve to move from losing to winning at the ballot box…The “huge” breakthrough for the gay community in the ’92 presidential campaign…The Republican who played a key role in moving Senate Democrats toward marriage equality…Which marriage equality opponent was the most effective?What explains the “backlash” in public opinion against marriage equality in the mid 90s and mid 2000s?Inside the Obama White House when VP Biden comes out for marriage equality before the President…Sasha talks the 5-4 Supreme Court Obergefell decision…One elected official Sasha believes showed a Profile in Courage on this issue…Sasha talks the importance of pop culture in driving progress…Two book recommendations Sasha used as models for The Engagement…AND…George Allen, PT Barnum, Elizabeth Birch, Barbara Boxer, Bill Clinton, Brides Magazine, James Comey, contact theory, Betsy DeVos, Mike Dukakis, the ERA ratification fight, Andrew Flores, Barney Frank, Freedom to Marry, going to war with Bolivia, Whoopi Goldberg, Lisa Grove, Hawaii’s Future Today, Valerie Jarrett, Anthony Kennedy, Mark Kirk, the LDS Church, longitudinal connections, Claire McCaskill, Ken Mehlman, the movable middle, notebook factories, the NRCC, NYT wedding announcements, the Orlando Magic, the Portland Arch Diocese, the Reliance Doctrine, Rob Portman, Robin Roberts, Chuck Robb, Mitt Romney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, sending astronauts to Pluto, Amy Simon, the soil of South Carolina, Jon Tester, Third Way, The View, virtuous cycles, Dick Wirthlin, & MORE!