Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Send us a textGhida Dagher came to the U.S. at age 9 seeking asylum after she and her family fled their home in Sierra Leone amidst civil war. Soon after locating in Dearborn, MI the 9/11 attacks created more instability in her Arab-American and Muslim community and helped forge her own budding political conscioussness. Her focus on politics and public service led her to become Director of Appointments for Governor Gretchen Whitmer and, more recently, to take the helm as President & CEO of New American Leaders - an organization committed to preparing first and second generation Americans to run for political office. In this conversation, Ghida talks her amazing story as an immigrant and refugee and how it motivates her work with New American Leaders to change the face of US politics. IN THIS EPISODEGhida’s roots as both 3rd generation Sierra Leonese AND 100% Lebanese…The amazing story behind Ghida’s family held hostage in a burning hotel before escaping war-torn Sierra Leone…Ghida’s early memories of the US as a 9 year-old…Ghida talks about the impact of 9/11 on her community and political consciousness...Ghida gives a flavor of Dearborn, MI – “the Arab American Capital of the US”…Ghida’s 101 on the multi-faceted Arab American community…Ghida’s path changes from focusing on the medical profession to working in politics…Ghida’s entry in the political orbit of Gretchen Whitmer….Ghida talks the nuts-and-bolts of being a senior aide and Director of Appointments for Governor Whitmer…Ghida talks important advice she received from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, and her influence as a trail-blazer…The impact of the organization New American Leaders on Ghida & her path to eventually becoming its President / CEO…Going deep on the work Ghida and New American Leaders are doing to elect more 1st and 2nd Generation Americans…Ghida talks her leadership strategies and best practices in running a big political operation… AND Munira Abdullahi, Alter Road, apple committees, Bill 1070, Blood Diamond, George W. Bush, Ron DeSantis, Ford Motor Company, Al Gore, green zones, Shahana Hanif, Orville Hubbard, John Kerry, Shekar Krishnan, magic sauce, Mammy Yoko, Maronites, Genevieve Mina, Steven Raga, the Red Cross, Suzanne Sareini, Nabeela Syed, taboos, Raquel Terán, third culture kids, unusual suspects, visitors’ visas & more!

Send us a textCongressman David Price served 34 years representing North Carolina's Research Triangle, leaving the House just this January. Beyond his time as an institution in the House, he's lived a remarkable political life...present on the Washington Mall during the MLK "I Have A Dream" speech...a Senate staffer witnessing key civil rights votes in the mid 1960s...a leading political scientist at Duke University...a Democratic Party leader who helped devise the primary reforms now known as "super delegates"...and an influential House member who's served across parts of five decades in the House and been a witness to - and a part of - some of the most important political moments of the past half century.IN THIS EPISODE...Growing up in the unique political culture of small-town East Tennessee...The Civil Rights Movement inspires an awakening for public service...Memories of being on The Mall during the March on Washington and the MLK "I Have A Dream" Speech...His time as a Senate staffer during the critical 1964 vote to break the filibuster on civil rights... How he merged teaching Political Science at Duke with activity in real-world politics...His time in state party leadership and as part of The Hunt Commission reforming the Democratic Presidential Primary process...The political skill and legacy of North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt...North Carolina's legacy as a progressive Southern state...Remembering the 1984 Senate "race of the century" of Jesse Helms vs. Jim Hunt...His path to running and winning his first race for Congress in 1986...Memories of his first few terms in the House...The story of his loss in the 1994 GOP wave and comeback win in 1996...His thoughts on the legacy of the Newt Gingrich Revolution of the 1990s...His proudest accomplishments from 30+ years in the House...The toughest two votes he took...His analysis on the leadership success of Speaker Nancy Pelosi...The closest Congressman Price came to a statewide race...The advice he gives to new House members...His current work and focuses in his post-House career...AND Lamar Alexander, Howard Baker, Bob Bartlett, Joe Biden, Jack Brooks, C-Span after hours, cabals, Tom Carper, Chapel Hill, church suppers, Joe Clark, Bill Clinton, Jim Clyburn, committee barons, the Confederate Cause, the Contract with America, Harold Cooley, Thomas Dewey, John Dingell, down-home types, Clair Engle, existential questions, Bill Ford, the Gang of Eight, Albert Gore Sr., Jerry Grinstein, Phil Hart, Helms' proteges, Hope VI, Steny Hoyer, inherited Republicanism, inner clubs, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, Jacob Javits, Warren Magnuson, Mars Hill, Kevin McCarthy, the McGovern Commission, metal aprons, Bob Michel, midterm effects, moral suasion, Morehead Scholarships, Mountain Republicans, Ed Muskie, Bill Nelson, Barack Obama, PLEOs, peer pressure, pep talks, Mike Pertschuk, the Political Science Caucus, Edward Pugh, Ronald Reagan, Dan Rostenkowski, rump conventions, Terry Sanford, the Sanford School of Public Policy, Saul Shorr, shouting matches on the House floor, sit-ins, Sputnik, Freddy St. Germain, super-delegates, talk radio, the Tea Party, Donald Trump, turbulent townhall meetings, turnaround artists, Jamie Whitten, Jim Wright, Yale Divinity School, yeoman farmers & more!

Send us a textFor nearly 40 years, Mark Mellman has been an industry leader in Democratic polling. In this conversation, he talks the serendipitous start of his consulting firm, stories from his iconic clients Al Gore, John Glenn, and Harry Reid, and lessons as lead pollster from John Kerry's '04 Presidential campaign. Mark also talks his founding of Democratic Majority for Israel and the work DMFI is doing to help mold the Democratic Party  and shape American policy toward Israel.IN THIS EPISODE….Mark talks his roots in a politically interested family in the Columbus, OH area…The serendipitous phone call while at Yale that gave Mark the opportunity to become a pollster…The 1982 House upset that kicked off Mark’s consulting career….How Mark grew his new firm in the 1980s among the established “Big 3” Democratic pollsters…Mark compares the polling process of his early days to the current approach…Mark shares stories of some his iconic clients, including Al Gore, Harry Reid, John Glenn, and Steny Hoyer…Mark on the good and bad as lead pollster from Kerry’ 04 vs George W. Bush…What led Mark to found Democratic Majority for Israel…Mark gets under the hood of the Nina Turner vs Shontel Brown special election primary & the role of DMFI…Mark’s 101 on how Israeli politics work…Mark on what makes a good pollster… AND Yasser Arafat, Atari Democrats, Joe Biden, Pat Caddell, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Congressional Quarterly, Tom Daschle, Doak Shrum & Donilon, dominant troikas, Elizabeth Drew, Carter Eskew, giant hypodermic needles, John Gilligan, Bill Hamilton, Kamala Harris, Peter Hart, IBM cards, institutionalists, Yair Lapid, Carl Levin, long-haired college students, Joe McCarthy, Meretz, Walter Mondale, Bruce Morrison, Benjamin Netanyahu, Newsweek, Barack Obama, Ohio State University, the Oslo Agreement, Reaganomics, regression analysis, Bernie Sanders, sine qua non, Adlai Stevenson, Bob Squier, Swift Boat Veterans, Harry Truman, UW-Oshkosh, the UK Labour Party, unknown legal aid lawyers, Tim Wirth, Dick Wirthlin & more!

Send us a textLiam Donovan, a principal at Bracewell PRG, is a regular presence on cable news, in print, and on twitter as an expert explainer of what's going on in Congress and in the Republican Party. With a background both in GOP campaign politics and government relations, Liam's expertise on the intersection of politics and policy gives him tremendous insight to distill what really matters in Washington from the rest of the Beltway din. In this conversation, we talk Liam's path to politics, his time in GOP campaigns, his shift to government relations, and get his insights into the chaos of last week's (eventual) ascent of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker...what to expect from Congress over the next two years...and his early takes on Trump vs. DeSantis '24 & the future of the Republican Party. IN THIS EPISODELiam’s upbringing as a Navy Brat who went to high school in DC…Liam’s stint working in GOP politics and at the NRSC…The iconic GOP Senator Liam served as an aide to at the Senate committee…Liam’s shift to government relations and lobbying…Liam’s initial take on the chaotic House GOP process to anoint Kevin McCarthy as Speaker…Liam on why it was probably inevitable for McCarthy to cave to the hard-right members…Liam unpacks how McCarthy peeled off the different factions to earn the Speaker’s gavel…Why the GOP center-right members never wavered for McCarthy…Liam on why there was never a real chance of a few Republicans working with  Democrats to elect a coalition Speaker…Liam's thoughts on the risk McCarthy could be deposed mid-term…The Trump impact on the Speaker’s race and the Trump-McCarthy relationship…Liam analyzes the CLF / Freedom Caucus “truce”…Liam’s insight on what to expect on the debt ceiling…Liam’s early handicapping of Trump vs DeSantis 2024…The origin story of Liam’s unusual twitter profile photo…Liam shouts out one of his favorite twitter accounts… AND AOL IM, almost congresspersons, Justin Amash, beating the previous question, Bill Bennett, Joe Biden, Lauren Boebert, John Boehner, John Bolton, Bracewell PRG, Scott Brown, Al Bundy, Alex Burns, George W. Bush, the CLF, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, John Cornyn, Tom Cotton, Eli Crane, Ted Cruz, determined rumps, David Dewhurst, discharge petitions, Empower America, John Ensign, Al Franken, the Freedom Caucus, frozen budgets, Matt Gaetz, Georgetown, getting your teeth kicked in, Bob Good, Al Gore, Maggie Haberman, Nikki Haley, Andy Harris, Orrin Hatch, hot mic moments, Amo Houghton, Wesley Hunt, Hakeem Jeffries, Jim Jordan, Jack Kemp, kissing the ring, Mike Lee, letter-writing campaigns, Morgan Luttrell, Joe Manchin, Mar-a-Lago, Jonathan Martin, max-out donors, Ted McGinley, Mark Meadows, the meaty middle, Mitch McConnell, Tim Miller, non-privileged motions, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Scott Perry, Politico Pro, Mike Pompeo, the precipice of failure, Punchbowl, Ringwiss, Mike Rogers, Chip Roy, Paul Ryan, Rick Santelli, Pete Sessions, shoe-leather lobbying, shooting down the rule, the side of chaos, Aaron Sorkin, Arlen Specter, the Sword of Damocles, Marjorie Taylor Greene, turning the screws, the Trevor Project, Truth Social, trust deficits, the Uniparty, Fred Upton, West Wing story arcs & more!

Send us a textTom O'Neill is a legendary political figure in his own right - operative, legislator, statewide official, government relations juggernaut - and is, of course, the eldest son of former US House Speaker Tip O'Neill. In this conversation, Tom talks early memories growing up in a political household, lessons from his father, time spent around figures like John Kennedy and Ted Kennedy, the ups and downs of his own political career, and great stories and insights as an observer and participant at the highest level of politics.IN THIS EPISODEEarly memories, political and otherwise, growing up in North Cambridge, MA in the 1940s and 50s…The impact of Tom’s mother Millie on his father’s and his own political career…The role opposing the Vietnam War played in his father’s career…Remembering the “last of the great Irish vs Italian” primaries when Tip O’Neil replaced John Kennedy in the US House…The impact of his grandfather Tom O’Neill Sr…Breaking down the political skills and career of Tip O’Neill…Tom recalls his time around John F. Kennedy…Tom recounts running campaign for and with Ted Kennedy…Tom talks the significance of another Massachusetts House Speaker, John McCormack…Tom on his own path of running and winning political office…Tom remembers the energy in the Massachusetts legislature of the 1970s…Tom’s successful elections running for Lt Governor…The story behind his final run for office in 1982…How Tom was thinking of his future after being out of office before the age of 40…Highlights and insights from nearly four decades in government affairs…How close he came to running to succeed his father in 1986…Tom talks the importance of the Big Dig in modernizing Boston…Tom's recommendations of the best sites of Boston, including his favorite Irish pub and Italian restaurant… AND American metaphors, Back Bay, Birch Bayh, Beacon Hill, the Bellevue Hotel, bocce courts, the Boston telephone directory, Jimmy Breslin, the Bricklayers Union, Brighton, Jimmy Carter, Silvio Conte, Charles De Gaulle, William Delahunt, Delaware North, the Department of Sewers, Paul Dever, Leo Diehl, Brian Donnelly, Mike Dukakis, Donald Dwight, Charlie Flaherty, Gerald Ford, Barney Frank, Newt Gingrich, the Green Necklace, Harvard, John Hume, Joe Kennedy, Ed King, Paul Kirk, Ed Markey, Joe McCarthy, Mike Neville, Middlesex County, Richard Nixon, Mrs. O’Brien, the Odessa Sea, old Italian matriarchs, Regulars, John Rhodes, FDR, Jimmy Roosevelt, Blanche Rufo, Fred Salvucci, Frank Sargent, Haile Selassie, self-righteousness, Al Smith, Sovereign Bank, steel jungles, street corner games, thumbing to Washington, Donald Trump, Paul Tsongas, Watergate, white Xs & more.

Send us a textChristie Roberts is the DSCC Executive Director, coming off of the first cycle since 1962 when Senate Democrats expanded their majority while holding the White House...during a cycle when many observers assumed a "red wave" was imminent. Christie talks her path to politics, the importance of learning her craft in Montana politics, and managing Jon Tester's 2018 re-election. And, of course, going deep on all things 2022 Senate races...her original theory of the case of how to succeed in a tough cycle, how the DSCC tried to mold the GOP primary fields, the impact of the Dobbs' decision, the big difference in Dem vs GOP fundraising, and the message & strategic decisions that led to Democrats virtually running the table in the closest Senate races. IN THIS EPISODE…The well-known political figure Christie partnered with to help win an 8th grade election…The first campaign Christie ever worked…Christie talks how her background in political research prepped her to run big campaigns and orgs…Christie talks managing Tester 2018 and what makes him a different type of political figure…Christie’s theory on why Montana produces so many talented Democratic operatives…Christie on the political tenacity of Chuck Schumer…Christie talks the leadership of DSCC Chair Gary Peters…Christie lays out the DSCC’s initial theory-of-the-case as to how to hold the majority…Christie talks how the DSCC tried to dissuade GOP Govs Sununu and Ducey from  running for Senate…Christie talks the “pivotal impact” of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision…Christie's expectations heading into Election Day…Christie on the GOP spin that Colorado and Washington were in play…The role that competitive losses in North Carolina and Ohio played in protecting the Democratic majority...Christie gets under the hood of the critical Democratic candidate fundraising advantages…Christie talks how Catherine Cortez Masto pulled off the cycle’s closest Senate victory…Christie's take on how the Georgia runoff win in 2022 was different than in 2021…Christie's surprising similarities between Raphael Warnock and Jon Tester…Christie on some of the smart strategic decisions by the NRSC…Christie on how the “friction” between the NRSC and McConnell PACs likely hurt GOP candidates…Her lessons from 2022 to take to the 2024 cycle…What might surprise people about the day-to-day role running the DSCC…AND….300 clips a day, Samuel Alito, Tom Allen, Cheri Beasley, boot camps, Campaign Corps, Jay Carson, the Clinton Foundation, Susan Collins, dirt farmers, EMILYs List, earned media oxygen, Ebenezer Baptist Church, English Lit, entering field data at 11PM, flip phones, free advice, hands in the dirt, Maggie Hassan, hybrid ads, Mark Kelly, Brian Kemp, knife fights, red waves, Matt Rosendale, Tim Ryan, shooting distance, [solidcore], strong visibility gains, Sharla Tester, true alignment, JD Vance, Herschel Walker, Dave Wasserman, workhorses & more

Send us a textPolitical forecaster Logan Phillips had the 2022 election cycle's most accurate projections. His website, RacetotheWH.com, hosts all of his models - including his recently-released 2024 White House and Senate polling trackers. In this discussion, Logan talks his time as an Obama White House intern, his path to political modeling, recapping his hyper-accurate 2022 models that came within 1 seat of anticipating the GOP's 222-213 House majority, and gives a nuts-and-bolts Modeling 101 tutorial of what goes into forecasting and how he thinks about the field.IN THIS EPISODELogan’s stint as a White House intern for President Obama…How Logan gravitated to the field of political modeling…Logan breaks down what goes into a political model…Logan compares his approach to 538…Logan talks lessons learned during the 2020 elections…Logan breaks down how his model fared in 2022…Logan talks the differences between forecasting Democratic versus Republican primaries…Logan’s take on whether Republican polling intentionally “flooded the zone” to influence political modeling…Logan’s big surprises of 2022…Logan talks the DeSantis factor in Florida…Logan’s initial thoughts on modeling the 2024 Presidential, both Biden vs. Trump and Biden vs. DeSantis… AND American Institute of Architects, David Axelrod, Charlie Baker, Mandela Barnes, Joe Biden, Lauren Boebert, George HW Bush, butterfly effects, Hillary Clinton, Susan Collins, Dwight Eisenhower, Election Twitter, Emerson Polling, Excel, Adam Frisch, Google trends, Kathy Hochul, hope and change, impostor syndrome, Laksyha Jain, January 6th, Karine Jean-Pierre, Ron Johnson, Marcy Kaptur, John Kasich, Brian Kemp, Kari Lake, Al Lawson, lower-priority initiations, JR Majewski, Doug Mastriano, Cecilia Nunez, Dr. Oz, David Perdue, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, QAnon, Rasmussen, Ronald Reagan, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Tim Ryan, Larry Sabato, Nate Silver, Split Ticket, Adlai Stevenson, Trafalgar Polling, Harry Truman, Donald Trump, JD Vance, Wikipedia & more!

Send us a textZee Cohen-Sanchez came to politics from an unconventional background…growing up in Australia as the child of “atheist, socialist American Jews”. Back in the United States she took her passion for social justice to work in the labor movement, for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and AOC’s upset primary win in 2018. In this conversation, Zee talks these early formative experiences and how they led her to start Sole Strategies as a firm that helps insurgent candidates – especially first-time candidates and women of color. Great conversation about how the small nuts-and-bolts of politics can fuel big social change. IN THIS EPISODE…The activist movement that led Zee to an interest in progressive politics…Zee’s time growing up in Australia and working in Australian politics…Zee’s initial connection to Senator Bernie Sanders…Zee works on AOC’s insurgent 2018 primary win…Zee starts Sole Strategies in 2020…Zee gives her definition of “no-good consultants”…Some of the big wins of Sole Strategies…Zee on her transition from labor activist to owning and running her own business…Zee’s 101 for first-time candidates…Zee talks why the AOC model of political success is almost impossible to replicate…Zee recalls getting grief from left-wing activists for her work in Democratic primaries…Zee talks “learning to assert herself” as a woman working in politics…Zee’s thoughts on how “branding” works in politics…The best career advice Zee ever received…AND 1984 RVs, Joe Biden, Charles Booker, Boulder City, CUNY, Dan Carlino, Shirley Chisolm, Joe Crowley, DSA, East Harlem for Bernie, election lawyers, Mike Esposito, explaining experience, John Fetterman, firm handshakes, the Flux Party, Lori Gonzalez, grad school misery, the Green Party, The Heights, John Howard, impossible races, Innocence Project, Gale Kaufman, Rodney King, leading the room, longshots, mandatory voting, mini-Americas, New South Wales, Barack Obama, Occupy Wall Street, Planned Parenthood, ranked choice voting, shoestring budgets, Staten Island, The Sunrise Movement, Tasmania, Torrance CA, Donald Trump, volume games, Wagner College, Amani Wells-Onyioha, What’s The Matter with Kansas, Mark Zuckerberg & more!

Send us a textMarshall Cohen is the Political Director of the Democratic Governors Association. Over 7 years at the DGA, he's been involved in 50+ races - and before that was an accomplished operative who - in 2016 - managed (and won) the most expensive congressional primary in history. In this conversation, Marshall talks his path to working in politics, his best practices for running and winning races and goes deep on this cycle's top governor's races...how Democrats pulled off upsets in several states, the messaging and strategic decisions that mattered, and lessons learned heading into the 2024 cycle. IN THIS EPISODEMarshall’s path to working in politics…How his New Jersey roots inform his political outlook…Marshall manages the winner in a 2016 House primary that was the most expensive congressional race in history at the time…Marshall breaks down the four factors it takes to be an effective campaign manager…How Marshall starts at the DGA & his theories of what makes governors’ races different…Marshall talks how he and the DGA have been successful winning in “red” states…Marshall talks the Virginia ’21 Governors race…how Youngkin won and why that didn’t signal a trend for ’22…Marshall rebuts the suggestion the DGA “meddled” in GOP primaries to elevate election-deniers…Marshall & Zac talk the 2022 Nevada Governor’s race…The “biggest surprise” for Marshall from the 2022 cycle…Marshall goes deep on several 2022 races, including Arizon, Kansas, and Wisconsin...Marshall talks Democratic difficulties breaking through in FL, GA, and TX…Marshall on lessons learned in 2022 that can be applied to the 2024 cycle…The media spending strategies that worked for the DGA in 2022…Marshall on the various “it factors” held by governors…AND American University, Lou Barletta, Andy Beshear, Matt Bevin, Sam Brownback, James Carville, Liz Cheney, Chris Christie, Roy Cooper, core competencies, Dan Cox, Shelbi Dantic, dead ducks, Ron DeSantis, the Dobbs decision, Doug Ducey, John Bel Edwards, Tony Evers, footsie, GW, Maura Healey, Katie Hobbs, Larry Hogan, Bobby Jindal, Doug Jones, Laura Kelly, Tina Kotek, Kari Lake, Joe Lombardo, Doug Mastriano, Kathleen Matthews, Pat McCrory, Tim Michels, Janet Mills, Wes Moore, Phil Murphy, north stars,  Beto O’Rourke, Panasonic, Corey Platt, political fiefdoms, Jamie Raskin, Derek Schmitt, self-realizations, Steve Sisolak, train conductors, David Trone, Donald Trump, Scott Walker, Tim Walz, The West Wing, Gretchen Whitmer, wine tasting, the Yuma County GOP & more!

Send us a textBrendan McPhillips was the campaign manager for John Fetterman's general election campaign, helping guide it to a win over Dr. Oz in the cycle's most chaotic and closey watched Senate race. In this conversation, Brendan talks his path to politics that started in a community college in conservative Southern California and includes running Iowa for Buttigieg in the 2020 primaries and working as Biden PA State Director in the general election. And, of course, we go deep on Brendan's time with Fetterman...from meeting him over a decade ago, running his '16 Senate race, taking the helm of Fetterman 2022 this spring...the candidates, the stroke, the message, the attacks, the debate, and the win. IN THIS EPISODE…Brendan’s path from conservative Southern California to working in Democratic politics…Brendan runs Iowa for Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 primaries…Brendan crosses paths with John Fetterman over a decade ago…The Brendan McPhillips 101 on how to run a race in Pennsylvania…Brendan’s take on the Fetterman dominant primary win…Brendan takes the helm as manager on the heels of the primary win & health scare…Brendan breaks down the case the campaign made against Dr. Oz…How the campaign beat back the “soft on crime” attack…Brendan weighs in on the Mastriano Effect on the Senate race…Brendan takes aim at grifting Democratic Scam PACs…Deep inside the Fetterman vs Oz debate…Brendan’s expectations heading into Election Day…and his analysis of the 5-point Fetterman win…Brendan’s take on Pennsylvania’s status as a swing state heading into 2024…Lessons other campaigns can learn from the Fetterman win…AND Amtrak tours, annoying naysayers, Val Arkoosh, Tony Baker, Joe Biden, Bob & Barbara’s, George W. Bush, carbon copies, James Carville, Bob Casey, Dave Chase, crazy kitchen cabinets, dive bars, gas bills, GED classes, Andrew Gillum, Lindsay Graham, grocery clerks, HQ Analytics, Ben Halle, hard-ass bouncers, hucksters, Bill Hyers, interesting dudes, Iowa steak frys, Johnstown, Rebecca Katz, Conor Lamb, Malcolm Kenyatta, media buyers from DC, mega churches, Middle Seat, the New Jersey State Hall of Fame, Notre Dame, Barack Obama, old adages, off-track betting, phone trees, Ed Rendell, resident gofers, Mike Schmuhl, Rick Scott, Josh Shapiro, The Situation, Snookie, special sauce, South Bend, the Susquehanna, Temecula, thrilling the DCCC, the Turf Club, UFCW, VFW halls, weirdos, wild rides...& more!