The Depolarizers

In this episode of The Depolarizers, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, who represents Michigan’s eighth congressional district. You may recognize McDonald Rivet’s name as the one that tops Split Ticket’s WAR (Wins Above Replacement) Model chart — McDonald Rivet was the biggest over-performer of the 2024 election cycle, with a WAR score of a whopping 8.6 points, and she over-performed Harris by 8 points. McDonald Rivet is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, serving as the caucus’ Freshman Leadership Representative.

In today’s episode of The Depolarizers, Welcome co-founder Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Rep. Adam Gray, who represents California’s 13th congressional district. Now serving as Whip of the Blue Dog Coalition, Gray ran as a Blue Dog in a district that is home to one of the founders of the original Blue Dog Caucus, and he is one of many Blue Dog Democrats to serve CA-13 district in Congress. Remarkably, in 2024, Gray was the only Democrat to flip a district that voted for Trump in that election cycle. Gray is speaking at WelcomeFest June 4 in Washington, DC. RSVP to hear from him live!

In today’s episode of The Depolarizers, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Rep. Brad Schneider, who represents the northern Chicago suburbs in Illinois’ 10th congressional district. Rep. Schneider is Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, commonly known as the New Dems caucus. New Dems were a co-sponsor of last year’s inaugural WelcomeFest. You can join us at WelcomeFest 2025 on June 4 in Washington, DC! Read more and watch the video for this episode via WelcomeStack.org.

In today’s episode of The Depolarizers, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Reed Howard, who helped lead Biden Republicans in 2020 and Republicans for Harris in 2024. Reed is also a 2025 Democracy Practitioner Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, and a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Millennial Leadership Network. Reed writes about centrism and rejecting extremism on his Substack, Maverick. You can catch Reed at WelcomeFest on June 4 in Washington, DC! Learn more and RSVP here.

In today’s episode of The Depolarizers, I’m in conversation with Rep. Ami Bera. Bera, a medical doctor, is one of about 20 medical professionals in the U.S. House and is the son of Indian immigrants. Bera is a true depolarizer. Despite being political opponents in 2010, Bera formed an unlikely friendship with Republican strategist Rob Stutzman, who designed attack ads against him for Bera’s Republican opponent, demonstrating Bera's ability to form connections across party lines. Read more and watch this episode at WelcomeStack.org.

In this episode of The Depolarizers, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents New York’s third congressional district (aka the district of former Republican Rep. George Santos). Rep. Suozzi served in Congress from 2017-2022 after a career of public service and was re-elected in 2024 in a special election in a district Biden won in 2020 by 11 points and Trump won in 2024 by 4 points. Suozzi was recently appointed co-chair of the bipartisan Problems Solvers Caucus alongside Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). His win in NY-03 in 2024 in a Biden-to-Trump district highlights evidence of where Democrats have ample opportunity: winning over voters by talking about and having solutions for the issues that matter most to them. Suozzi authored an op-ed in The New York Times this year titled, “Let’s try something different in how we deal with Trump.” Read more about this episode at WelcomeStack.org.

Marshall Kosloff, host of "The Realignment" and "Arsenal of Democracy," dives into the shifting tides of American politics. He discusses the impending end of the sixth party system and what a new era could look like. Topics include the electoral significance of class and education, the challenges of left populism, and the need for a fresh approach to political abundance. Kosloff emphasizes the importance of bridging divides within the Democratic Party to regain voter trust and advocates for understanding individual needs to foster constructive political discourse.

On this episode of The Depolarizers podcast, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Josh Barro about what went wrong for Democrats in 2024, how to address the problems, and who can lead us out of the wilderness. Josh is an independent journalist who writes the publication Very Serious on Substack. He previously wrote for The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Business Insider.

A member of Gen Z herself, Rachel Janfaza is a Gen Z expert and researcher focused on youth culture and the evolving civic engagement of her generation. In this episode of The Depolarizers, Lauren and Rachel discuss insights on Gen Z from the 2024 election cycle, and what to expect from America's youngest voters in the years to come.

Yair Zivan, author of the recently-published The Center Must Hold, joined me in conversation for Episode Six of The Depolarizers podcast to talk about why centrism is the “antidote” to upholding liberal democracy and fighting extremism. Throughout the episode, Zivan offered crucial insight into why it’s not enough to simply reside in the center; the center must offer a vision for a healthy society.