An Honorable Profession The NewDEAL

This week, we bring you another episode of our Road to November 2024 election series, as co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty sit down with Jesse Ferguson. Jesse is a leading Democratic strategist and consultant. With over two decades of experience, he has led national campaigns on issues ranging from health care to clean energy. Today, Jesse discusses recommended strategies for effectively engaging with persuadable voters across a range of topics. He talks with Debbie and Ryan about former president Trump’s legal issues and specific messaging around the economy, public safety, and abortion, as well as how to appeal to young and rural voters. Jesse also gives us practical and inspiring advice – offering tangible do’s and don’ts for Democratic candidates and supporters. Tune in to gain valuable insights on connecting with voters and learn about the critical issues that will define November’s election.
 
• [01:04] Introducing today’s guest, leading Democratic strategist, Jesse Ferguson.
• [01:49] Jesse’s insights on persuadable voters throughout the country.
• [05:38] Trump’s felony charges and convictions,and what it means for his candidacy.
• [07:47] The challenge of reaching young, persuadable voters, and what resonates with them.
• [11:55] How Democrats can improve their messaging about the economy.
• [15:39] Strategies for running against someone who lies and makes up the facts.
• [17:44] The impact of third-party candidates in this election.
• [20:05] Rural voters: how Democrats can appeal to them.
• [24:20] How Democrats should be talking about public safety.
• [25:50] Addressing the issue of abortion in this election.
• [28:15] Reforming the immigration system and meeting voters where they are.
• [29:50] Why the issue of democracy is not too big a topic for voters to understand.
• [33:08] What drew Jesse to this field and how he stays motivated.

In this week’s episode, NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Newport News, VA’s youngest elected mayor Phillip Jones. They discuss his first State of the City Address, where he proclaimed 2024 as the Year of the Youth, thanks to his initiatives like Night Nets and the Summer Youth Employment Program, as well as investments in expanded childcare throughout his city. Debbie and Mayor Jones also talk about his journey to becoming an “Education Mayor,” his work on climate justice, and what has surprised him the most about the job of mayor. Tune in to listen to Mayor Jones' tips on how to engage young people in government and his insights into what will motivate Virginia voters this November.
 
• [01:04] Welcome to Newport News, VA, Mayor Phillip Jones, the youngest person to be elected mayor of his hometown.
• [02:36] His favorite thing about being Mayor so far and why his parents are his toughest constituents.
• [05:08] The two initiatives that funding allocated to the youth is going towards: Night Nets and Youth Career Program.
• [08:52] Why education is always top of mind for Mayor Jones and the results he has seen.
• [11:55] His efforts to impact climate change.
• [13:06] What Mayor Jones loves most about his city.
• [15:05] How service became such a major theme in his life.
• [16:21] The journey to running for office.
• [20:29] How education became a priority prior to his appointment as mayor.
• [21:58] Which issues Mayor Jones hears about the most and how he is responding to them.
• [23:10] Advice for young people looking to get involved in politics.

This episode continues our Road to November 2024 election series, as co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty talk with political consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project Mike Madrid. Madrid has long been a leading analyst of Latino voters and has led strategic outreach to Latino communities for various campaigns over the past 30 years. Now, he’s written a forthcoming book, titled The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy, to provide a comprehensive study on voting trends among Latino voters. In today’s conversation, Mike, Debbie, and Ryan discuss why both Democrats and Republicans have struggled to reach Latino voters, how issues like the economy and housing are pushing Hispanic voters further right, and why dangerous stereotypes are costing both parties key votes. Mike also addresses how Republicans have changed their tone on American exceptionalism and instead embraced “cowardly” anti-immigration, anti-Latino rhetoric. Tune in to hear what drew Madrid to the Republican party many years ago and what inspired him to push back against Trump and co-found the Lincoln Project in 2019. 
Find more information on The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority Is Transforming Democracy and pre-order the book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Latino-Century/Mike-Madrid/9781668015261
• [01:04] Welcoming Mike Madrid to this episode of An Honorable Profession.
• [01:52] Discussing some themes of Mike’s new book, The Latino Century.
• [06:48] The young nature of the Latino vote and why there’s no compelling economic agenda.
• [11:26] What each party gets wrong for Latino voters and who Mike thinks will win.
• [18:01] Mike debunks incorrect perceptions about Latino voters and their political views.
• [23:37] Our guest shares his opinions on what’s needed to win the upcoming election.
• [28:44] The evolution of the Republican Party and his work with The Lincoln Project.
• [37:40] How Mike feels about the 2024 election and what we can expect from The Lincoln Project.
Learn more about The Democracy Group at www.democracygroup.org.
 
 

Exciting news! An Honorable Profession has found a new home at The Democracy Group – a network of podcasts united around the goal of helping listeners understand what’s broken in our democracy, and how people are working together to fix it. Learn more at www.democracygroup.org.
In today’s episode, Ryan Coonerty sits down with the Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel for an energizing conversation on reproductive rights, governing in a superminority, and the November outlook from the Gem State. Rubel is a shining example of beating the odds; she was born in Canada to a single mother and lived out of a car throughout her childhood years. Armed with a keen understanding of how policy impacts the most vulnerable communities, Rubel found her way to D.C. to attend Georgetown University and then to Cambridge to receive her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Now, as the Democratic leader in the Idaho House of Representatives, she continues to beat the odds, winning approval for legislation to protect public schools, defend the right to contraceptives, and legalize fentanyl testing strips. During her interview, Rubel breaks down the pending Supreme Court case on Idaho’s new law that prevents abortions for women experiencing dire medical conditions, and she describes the economic consequences of the state’s abortion ban along with the mass exodus of qualified medical professionals from Idaho. She also provides an analysis of the political landscape of Idaho heading into November and what issues will be key to voters in her community this year.
 
• [01:04] Idaho Representative Ilana Rubel updates listeners on happenings in her State.
• [04:54] The current lawsuit around the legal implications of Idaho’s abortion ban.
• [07:05] How the people of Idaho are reacting to the extremity of this ban.
• [08:40] Systems in Idaho that have led to the lack of public opinion representation in the law.
• [12:41] Impacts that the republican changes have made to business.
• [14:54] Representative Rubel’s path to public service rooted in her own experience.
• [17:50] Some of the surprising things she has been able to achieve even as a minority.
• [19:58] How she navigates door-knocking and interfacing with Republican constituents.
• [21:37] Advice for minority Democrats in Republican states.
• [23:54] How she hopes to create change as a leader.
• [26:04] Candidate recruitment in Idaho.

This week, we bring you another episode of our Road to November 2024 election series, as co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty sit down with Nina Smith. Nina is a political communications strategist with a track record of collaborating with some of our very own NewDEALers, such as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, former Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams, and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Nina shares the lessons she’s learned from working on these campaigns and discusses what to expect from Republicans over the next six months, as well as what the Democratic Party should do about it, particularly in majority Black districts in the south. The conversation addresses the importance of youth engagement, challenges around misinformation in historically marginalized communities, and the importance of empathic messaging that can overcome ideological differences. Tune in to learn more about what inspires Nina.


[01:04] Nina Smith’s background as a political strategist.
[02:57] Her perspective on the position of Democrats leading up to the elections in six months’ time. 
[05:00] Observations of Republican behavior and how best Democrats can respond.
[06:41] The influence of AI and misinformation on elections and the importance of finding trustworthy sources.
[08:29] Advice for handling the upcoming elections: take it one day at a time.  
[10:14] How the Democratic Party can continue to stay relevant, using Georgia as an example.
[17:47] Balancing talking about the future and using the past to prove that the Democratic party can deliver results.
[19:25] How Nina’s love for media began and what motivates her today.
[23:45] Her predictions for how reproductive rights will play out in 2024.
[25:40] Advice for listeners looking to become more active in this year’s election.
 

In this week’s episode, NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan talks with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. In 2022, Secretary Simon was named by TIME Magazine as a “Defender of Democracy,” and – as we pass the six-month mark in the lead up to November’s election – he talks about his work to make this election one with high turnout and low drama. Simon reflects on Minnesota’s historically high voter turnout over the years, how young voters are feeling about this election, and some of the exciting legislation he’s collaborated on this legislative session to both expand ballot access and bolster election security. Secretary Simon also talks about Minnesota’s historical accomplishments as early adopters of Election-Day voter registration starting in 1973 and longstanding laws that give eligible voters the option to vote from home. Tune in to learn about Secretary Simon’s early interest in current events and how that led him to public service, and his exciting story of meeting the cast of Hamilton.
• [01:04] Introducing Minnesota Secretary of State and New Dealer, Steve Simon.
• [02:21] The cautious optimism he currently feels in respect to the upcoming elections.
• [04:28] Minnesota’s consistently high election turnout.
• [08:03] Why 2023 was such an epic year for democracy especially in regard to legislation.
• [10:41] The reasoning behind opening voter registration to 18 year olds.
• [13:21] An insight into the sentiment of young people leading up to this year’s election.
• [20:26] Restoring trust in leadership through transparency.
• [25:31] Secretary Simon’s view on the partisan issue of voting by mail.
• [27:06] New means to detect the validity of information with the rise of AI.
• [31:16] Advice for those feeling apprehension about the upcoming elections.
• [33:39] The story of Secretary Simon’s first glimpse of public service.
• [36:14] Hanging out with the cast of Hamilton.