The Midpod: The Midterms Podcast

There wasn't much coverage, but this Fall Congress actually stepped up and passed a $6 billion, bipartisan bill to help communities fight the opiod epidemic. Senator Hassan (D-NH) tells us about new law and how it came together.

Newly elected members of congress have been attending King's orientation program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government for over two decades. King tells us what new members need to learn to hit the ground running, and provides some sharp insights into this historically large, diverse and ambitious class.

Hunter describes how decades of research and activism contributed to historic gains at the ballot box for women this year.

Morris' model for the house was spot on. We get his takeaways, and discuss a winning strategy for taking voter turnout to the next level. Hint: grab an apron & a long fork.

This Virginia-based political scientist has a model for the House based on 'negative partisanship,' and she sees a blue wave.

Farmers here know the trade war with China first hand. Tribes know the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women first hand. We speak to both, and have a long overdue conversation on abortion.

A "recovering politician" and former member of Congress, Nye heads the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. He thinks elected officials will perform better if we fix the system in which they operate

This businessman and first-time candidate is taking on controversial, 30-year incumbent Dana Rohrabacher. Rouda talks through the challenges of running one of the most competitive and expensive races in the country.

When we were in Austin in late September, we had the chance to catch up with the face of the Never Trump movement and the king of the one-liner, Rick Wilson.

Nicie and Heather return to Austin, Texas for breakfast tacos, Tex Mex (more about that on our blog), MJ Hegar, and for the Beto/Willie rally! Willie Nelson has a new anthem, "If you don't like who's in there vote 'em out!"

Nicie shares the story of the MidPod with Nathaniel Pearlman and gets his insights into political technology and Progressive entrepreneurship.

Tzintzun Ramirez fought to build power for undocumented workers in Texas. Now she wants to empower young Latinos to become voters and leaders for Texas and America.

Maine State Representative Jared Golden describes himself as a "progressive heart with a pragmatic approach to delivery." He's running for U.S. House of Representatives in a vast rural district in a state without Medicaid expansion. Preserving the ACA and expanding Medicaid here is about delivering healthcare and creating important jobs; that's progressive and pragmatic.

This former Air Force Intelligence Officer and trade expert from San Antonio is running for congress in a majority-minority swing district where health care, immigration and education are key concerns.

Professor Miller, who teaches at Barnard College, became a leading elections scholar after some serious time in the trenches of electoral politics.

Chris Pappas' family has 100 years of history in New Hampshire, and he's vying to become the state's first LGBT member of Congress. Lucas Meyer has been recruiting a new generation of candidates to run for office and inspire a new generation of voters.

Nicie moderates a conversation about the future of our democracy with Tom Steyer and 200 active citizens in Manchester, NH.

Environmental lawyer Mike Levin is running to replace retiring congressman Daryl Issa in this swing district that stretches along the coast north of San Diego and into southern Orange County. He shared his aspirations for making an impact in Congress on key issues facing the district, and reflected on the legacy of his immigrant grandparents.

Using data mining and modeling, Stinnett has discovered a millions of passionate environmentalists, who defy our stereotypes. Now he's working to get them to the polls.

Lauren Bear is a foreign policy and human rights expert running against incumbent Brian Mast. If elected, she would be Florida's first openly LGBTQ+ member of congress. She tells us about her family story in this district, and shares her insights into the causes and costs of our current political crisis.

Delivering healthcare in this vast, rural district has become almost impossible under a whittled away ACA, which the Republican incumbent voted to repeal. One doctor in the district says the 5th vital sign should be "suffering." Traditional work here - lobstering, forestry, and wild blueberries - is the stuff they make postcards of, but these industries are being forced to change. Some are changing in surprising ways.

This engineer and green energy entrepreneur is running in a toss-up seat near Chicago. The moms went into full geek mode with Casten on what Congress could and should be doing to help America and the world respond to climate change.

DeJear is bringing her family legacy of civic engagement to her pathbreaking bid for Secretary of State in Iowa. She's got ideas about how to inspire the next generation of active citizens.

This Navy veteran is running in a highly competitive open seat race south of Los Angeles. His passion is education.

Swers, a political scientist at Georgetown University, studies women in congress: the challenges they face in getting elected and the tensions they confront once in office. She's charted the careers of Republican women in congress especially closely, as the issue of reproductive rights has become a litmus test in electoral politics.

Stevens grew up in this suburban district outside of Detroit. Now she wants to bring her auto industry expertise to Washington and she wants to help build a vibrant 21st century manufacturing ecosystem in America.

Gina Ortiz Jones fights to win back this swing district and citizens protest as the Trump Administration tears refugee children from their parents and moves to build a wall on the Rio Grande.

Lauren Underwood has had a passion for health care since childhood for very personal reasons. She channeled that passion into a career in health policy and now into her bid for congress.

One in ten school-aged children in America lives in Texas. Saenz charts the evolution of the Latinx communities in Texas, and the profound challenges they face in achieving political representation.

Jessica Morse describes her deep roots in this rural district, and her calling to public service to Baghdad and now back home to the mountains of Yosemite . She's giving incumbent Tom McClintock a serious challenge.

We interview 7 candidates and tell 1 stunning story of citizen activism. We also ask what it means to stand for something, because saving this country may soon mean that we all learn.

Hacker describes how our kids are suffering from the polarization of the GOP that has undermined the constructive role that government used to play in partnering with business and fostering prosperity.

Katie Hill jumped the candidate line, ran in the primary, and won the Democratic nomination in this key swing district. She grew up here; she comes from a law enforcement family. At 30, Hill's spent the last 8 years as Executive Director of PATH, a 50 million dollar a year organization that fights homelessness in Los Angeles County.

Barkhuff is a 2001 Naval Academy graduate and a former Navy Seal. He believes moral courage is what is missing in Washington, D.C., but it's alive and well in the U.S. military. What started as a Facebook page just after the 2016 election, VFRL is now a PAC with a mission to support veterans who are running for office in 2018.

Kopser shares what he learned about the Zero Tolerance policy from a recent visit to the border, and reflects on his life's journey and describes his aspirations to work across the aisle and make a difference in congress.

Family separations, civil disobedience, sanctuaries. How should a people behave when a government makes immoral laws? It's time to look at this time in history again.

West of Chicago citizens worry about health care, tariffs and democracy and Democrats celebrate a rising star.

Get to know this former Navy pilot and prosecutor running in an open seat district near New York City.

We journey to DC to talk with the hosts of the House Talk podcast, Ali Lapp, Democratic strategist at House Majority PAC, and Liesl Hickey, GOP strategist at Ascent Media.

Heilbrunn, Editor of the National Interest, reviews recent actions by President Trump and has one word of advice for citizens: "Panic."

We check in with Elliott Morris, Data Journalist at the Economist for his analysis of the June 5th primary results and his outlook for the midterms.

The Former GOP Governor of NJ talks about leading the National Task Force for the Rule of Law and Democracy and reflects on a lifetime of public service.

With the June 5th primary around the corner, we summarize the contests for GOP-held House seats in Southern California and introduce you to four women candidates: Julia Peacock, Jess Morse, Katie Porter and Delaine Eastin.

A crowded field vies to unseat 30-year incumbent Dana Rohrabacher, and the moms hold an upbeat, down ballot potluck.

Over breakfast bowls and chilaquiles, we talk with this LA Times Columnist and book author, also known as The Mexican With Glasses, about Orange County history and the hero of the homelessness impasse.

Tony McMullin shares the story or Postcards to Voters. With a powerful digital platform, he's enabled thousands of dedicated craftivists to reach out in the most analog, fridge-friendly way to get out the vote in elections up and down the ballot.

There's a new social platform and it's called the dinner table

The biggest surprise of the Texas primary was Mary Wilson's win in the 21st. Now heading for a runoff on May 22nd against Joseph Kopser, Wilson, a baptist pastor, tells her story and shares her vision for a more caring and just America.

This week the Two Moms review recent developments (Conor Lamb! Woo-hoo!), exhort listeners to sponsor the pod on https://patreon.com/themidpod and interview Kitsy McNulty of FairDistricts PA and G. Elliott Morris, editor of www.thecrosstab.com.

In the heart of California's fertile Central Valley, a growing number of voters are questioning whether Notorious Memo Author, Devin Nunes, has their interests at the top of his priority list. Heather & Nicie meet up with farmers and citizens who share their thoughts on local needs. And the Two Moms enjoy Thai curry cooked by candidate, Andrew Janz.

We see a wave of reform-minded candidates running for congress in 2018. There are real parallels with the group of Democrats elected to congress after Watergate in 1974. John Lawrence tells their stories and describes their political legacy.

Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Sonenshein gives us the skinny on this epic year in California politics.

This is Trump country, but the Democrat in the race has strong numbers. Opioids are devastating this district, but we learn an even darker side to the national opioid story. In this Special Election March 13th, working class America will tell us what they think of the President's first year in office.

John Lawrence worked on Capitol Hill for 38 years, most recently as Chief of Staff for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. He offers thoughts on Congress as a whole, on Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi, and he's got advice for candidates and voters.

Terry Madonna is the Professor of Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College and a veteran pollster and observer of politics in the Keystone State. He shares his insights on this crucial midterms battleground where a special election is coming on March 13th.

Meet Pam Keith and Lauren Baer, both running for U.S. House. We have some meaningful citizen stories in this episode, and we learn about toxic blue green algae. Listen, and join the "River-lution!"

Stevenson, a Professor of History at UCLA, has written extensively on the slave experience and the black family, as well as the events that led to the LA rebellion of 1992. She shares her insights into the legacy of slavery in our society and potential pathways to progress in race relations and for the black community.

We get lost in the Texas Hill Country and find a new generation of leaders.

Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor of "The National Interest" magazine and website shares the history behind Congress' shrinking role in national security. He makes the case that we should be asking tough and specific questions of our representatives and those who are challenging them in 2018.

David Chipman, Senior Policy Advisor at Giffords and a retired 25-year ATF special agent believes we can keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and better protect law enforcement from the threats of gun violence.

We headed to West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District to meet two young Democrats running for Congress, Talley Sergent and Aaron Scheinberg, to meet citizens, to understand the district.

It started as a google doc. Just a year later Indivisible has 6,000 groups around the country and hundreds of thousands of members resisting President Trump's agenda. Now they are pivoting to the 2018 midterms with the goal to make congress more progressive.

Jane Mansbridge has been studying democracy for decades. She has some surprising insights into what's causing our deep divisions, and thoughts about how citizens can support positive change.

What is it like to report a sexual assault? Why aren't victims believed? How do survivors heal? We visit The Crisis Center in Birmingham, AL to listen and learn.

On the eve of a crucial special election, Heather & Nicie listen and learn from Alabama citizens as they struggle with questions of belonging and division, belief and disbelief. These are not new questions in Alabama, or in America.

The two moms fire up a Ford Focus to explore these Motor City suburbs, and the candidates stepping up to replace the retiring "Foreclosure King".

Nick Penniman and his team at Issue One are fighting money in politics and they are finding allies in places that might surprise you.

Emily believes the men and women who have served this country in the most selfless ways could be the next generation of statesmen; sometimes they just need a little convincing.

The two moms travel to New Jersey, where they visit George Washington's winter headquarters, meet the candidates who are challenging a powerful incumbent, and the citizen activists who are changing the conversation about politics.

On The MidPod we are going to be visiting congressional districts all around the country, especially ones with close races.