1 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to WOKF Daily with Me 2 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: your Girl. Danielle Moody pre recording from the home Bunker 3 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: as I am taking a much needed respite this week, 4 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: but as always leaving you all with fresh content and 5 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: interviews with people that we all need to know. Coming 6 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: up on today's show is the co founder of Forward Majority, 7 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: a political pack that is invested in building democratic power 8 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: in the state legislatures. Vicky Houseman is the co founder 9 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: of Forward Majority, and her and I get into a 10 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: really thoughtful conversation and dare I say hopeful one about 11 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: how we need not fear that all is lost, that 12 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: there have been significant moves that have been made at 13 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: the state legislatures. We're looking at Pennsylvania, we're looking at Michigan, 14 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: and how her organization is looking forward to twenty thirty. 15 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: Now I joke and say, I'm not quite sure we 16 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: fucking get there, but hey, you know, give me the 17 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:24,279 Speaker 1: plan because critzy to think about it. But twenty thirty, 18 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,040 Speaker 1: which sounds sci fi ish because it sounds so far away, 19 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: is only seven years off. So Vicki and I get 20 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: into a conversation about what is going right in state legislatures, 21 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: what states they are going to be focused on for 22 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: their twenty thirty agenda, and where they think that Democrats 23 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,279 Speaker 1: need to be paying attention to as we enter into 24 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four election cycle. And also I know 25 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: that so many of you DM me, message me, comment 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: under shows and ask what can I do? How can 27 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: I get involved? I don't want to feel hopeless. And 28 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: Foreign Majority is one of those organizations that you can 29 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: consider volunteering for, that you can consider donating to because 30 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 1: they are doing the work on the ground. I think 31 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: that for too long Democrats have only been focused on 32 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: the presidential races and on some high level congressional races. 33 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: But we have ceded the localities to the Republican Party 34 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: and look at what they have done right. States's rights 35 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: is now all about denying women and people with uteruses, abortions, 36 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: about denying trans people health care, about erasing black culture 37 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: and bipock experiences. All of that is happening at the states, 38 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: and the federal government is just sitting around with their 39 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: hands in the air, like, oh, I don't know what 40 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: to do. And so I think that today's conversation with 41 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 1: Vicky is a really important one and it's one that 42 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: helps us feel hopeful, like work is being done and 43 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: that all is not lost, folks. I am very happy 44 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: to welcome to OKF Daily for the first time Vicky Houseman, 45 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: who is the co founder of Forward Majority, a PAC 46 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: focused on protecting free and fair elections and securing a 47 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: representative democracy by investing in a long term strategy to 48 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: reclaim power in state legislatures. We're all about free and 49 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: fair elections on this show. We're all about free and 50 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: fair elections. I'd like to think in this country, but 51 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: that is not really the case. So Vicky, tell me 52 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: more about what it is that Ford Majority does and 53 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: why you co founded it. 54 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 55 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 3: Well, first of all, Danielle, thank you so much for 56 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 3: having me on your show today. Really excited to be 57 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 3: with you and speak of you about this critical work. 58 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 3: So in terms of Ford Majority, our work is grounded 59 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 3: in the simple fact that state legislatures are ground zero 60 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 3: in the fight for demodocracy. They are foundational to free 61 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 3: and fair elections and to representative government. And as you 62 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 3: and I and many of your listeners may know, the 63 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 3: challenge is that for the past fifty years until very recently, 64 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 3: building power in state legislatures has at best been an afterthought, 65 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 3: we're distant priority for democrats, while Republicans have patiently strategically 66 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 3: invested to take over state houses across the country. And 67 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 3: we've all seen and we've all lived with the results. 68 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 3: What were once described as laboratories of democracies in the 69 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:45,359 Speaker 3: states have become incubators of autocracy, quite literally, innovating on 70 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 3: tactics of gerrymandering, voter suppression, election subversion, partisan power grabs, 71 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 3: instituting minority rule. 72 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 2: So we saw this back. 73 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 3: In twenty sixteen when Donald Trump was elected, when all 74 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 3: of us were you know, so many of us were 75 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 3: having kind of a wake up call about how we 76 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 3: approach politics, how we engage in democracy, and we saw 77 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 3: that state legislatures create this unique opportunity to build power 78 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 3: and this urgent need to build power. So we aggressively 79 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 3: help democrats compete for power where they can have the 80 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:26,799 Speaker 3: biggest impact, where they can dislodge Republicans and state legislatures 81 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 3: that affect national power and affect democracy nationally. So we've 82 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 3: been making great progress. I'm really excited to get in 83 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 3: some of the details with you, and much more work 84 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 3: lies ahead as we all work to make a more 85 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 3: perfect union. 86 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's really unfortunate. I think that Democrats 87 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: have done such a poor job. You know. It's in 88 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: the same way that they have neglected to really talk 89 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: about the Supreme Court and engage people on the issues 90 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: of the Supreme Court and on federal judges. It is 91 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: the same thing that we find ourselves that Republicans, to 92 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: your point, over the last fifty years, have spent time 93 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: seeding ground, right, like literally planting seeds, planting seeds in 94 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,480 Speaker 1: the state legislature, building a pipeline, planting seeds in the 95 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: federal court system, build building a pipeline. And we are 96 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: now at a place and Vicky, you tell me if 97 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: I'm wrong. We're playing catch up, and I wonder, you know, honestly, 98 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 1: if we're so far behind, you know that we might 99 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: not catch up. So what do you think about that? Like, 100 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,119 Speaker 1: are we just is it too far gone? 101 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 2: H It is a great question. 102 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 3: And when we got started in twenty sixteen, Democrats had 103 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 3: the least amount of power in state legislatures across the 104 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 3: country than any other point in time in modern history. 105 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 3: So we have been digging out of a hole. There 106 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 3: are no two ways about it. I want to share 107 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,720 Speaker 3: two things with you. One is, we're making great progress. 108 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 3: So there are so many reasons to be incredibly concerned, upset, 109 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 3: outraged about the state of democracy today, but there also 110 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 3: were reasons for great hope and optimism. And I think 111 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 3: a path we see back to back to power and 112 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 3: a start for the democracy that we all want for 113 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 3: the future. I point to the wins of twenty twenty two. 114 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 3: Obviously Democrats outperformed all expectations. Obviously election deniers were defeated 115 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 3: up and down the ballot and key places. But what 116 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 3: we saw was, you know, we were able to win 117 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 3: state legislative power in the Pennsylvania State House, in the 118 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 3: Michigan State House and Senate, in the Minnesota State House 119 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 3: and Senate, and in these states, I mean Michigan has 120 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 3: a Democratic trifecta for the first time in forty years, 121 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 3: and we have seen what that has meant for policy. 122 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 3: I mean, we live in a tale of two countries 123 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 3: right now. Depending on whether your legislator is Republican or Democratic. 124 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 3: You live in Texas with a Republican legislature, you're literally 125 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 3: living in the Handmaid's tale. You get pregnant as a 126 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 3: result of rape or incest and you're forced to carry 127 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 3: you know, the childhood terms. It's just insanity. And meanwhile, 128 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 3: you live in Michigan and abortion rights have been protected 129 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 3: in the constitution, voting rights are being expanded, gun violence 130 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 3: and gun control measures. 131 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 2: Are being passed. 132 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 3: It's just a total dichotomy. So I think there's a 133 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 3: reason for optimism. I can talk to you about how 134 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 3: we think about the long term, but we'll leads hear 135 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 3: what you think about your view on progress as well. 136 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,360 Speaker 1: You know, But I appreciate it because sometimes I get 137 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: so stuck in the what hasn't been working that I 138 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: rely on folks like yourself to remind me, way, way, wait, right, 139 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,839 Speaker 1: all is not lost, Like we have been making in roads. 140 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: And I think that Michigan is a really good example 141 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: because you know, the kinds of policies that they have 142 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: been passing, whether it be you know, gun reform, policy is, 143 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: whether it is around abortion, whether it is you know, 144 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: codifying you know, equity and dignity for LGBTQ plus people. 145 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:13,960 Speaker 1: They are doing right, the very opposite of what a 146 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: DeSantis and an Abbot are doing with their Republican controlled legislatures. 147 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: And so I do think that it's important to say no, 148 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: these things are happening. And I think too because of 149 00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: this idea, the lie around states rights and why states 150 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: should have rights and be able to not be dictated 151 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: to by the federal government that has always been the 152 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: Republican push, I think that more people are angry and 153 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: recognize that they could run right. Like when you see 154 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: some of the people that are up in this legislature, 155 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: you're like, I become smarter. I think I could do 156 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,559 Speaker 1: this job right. Like, we've kind of removed they've removed themselves, 157 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 1: but we've also removed them from a pedestal. But you know, 158 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: talk to me about the ways that your organization is 159 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:06,600 Speaker 1: working to strengthen to use the places that you have named, 160 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: like Michigan, like Pennsylvania as a blueprint for how we 161 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: need to go state by state in order to win 162 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: back power. 163 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, great question. 164 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 3: So you know, I think one of the biggest things 165 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,040 Speaker 3: we need to do is start aggressively competing and actually 166 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 3: an addition in addition in Michigan, one of the states 167 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 3: that I love to point to is Virginia, which has elections, 168 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 3: big elections this November, but we're literally just competing and 169 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 3: holding Republicans' feed to the fire in twenty seventeen, not 170 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 3: even flipping the legislature led to the expansion of Medicaid 171 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 3: to almost half a million low income families, like literally 172 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 3: poor children getting health coverage. And so a big piece 173 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 3: of our ethos is aggressively competing. Let us not just 174 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 3: hold on to what we have. Let us not just 175 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 3: go after the most incremental wins. Let's go after transformational power. 176 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 3: And so we started off at the beginning of this decade, 177 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:05,719 Speaker 3: having been at the work for about four years and 178 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 3: the run up to twenty twenty, saying, you know what, 179 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 3: rather than just rinse and repeat and the definition of 180 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:14,719 Speaker 3: in sandy be doing the same thing over and over 181 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 3: again expecting a different outcome, let us dream a different 182 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 3: dream and think of a different strategy. And so we 183 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 3: said we are going to build a ten year strategy 184 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 3: focused on the year twenty thirty. 185 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, Danielle, I see. 186 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 3: You looking at me, maybe thinking why that's futuristic sci 187 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 3: fi year. 188 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: I'm alosto the same, Mickey. I don't know if we're 189 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: making it there, but I like your optimism so well. Detail. 190 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 3: Look, we need to be able to walk and chew 191 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:43,280 Speaker 3: them at the same time. And what I mean by 192 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,320 Speaker 3: that is we work at Ford majority one hundred percent 193 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 3: on finding the sixty three votes that flipped the Pennsylvania 194 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 3: House in twenty twenty two. We fight the fights are 195 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 3: in front of us. We do it through a frame 196 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 3: and an orientation that's focused on twenty thirty for this 197 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 3: very reason. In twenty thirty, we have a once a 198 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 3: decade opportunity to shift how power is distributed in America. 199 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 3: That is through the redistricting process, when all of the 200 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 3: congressional and all the state legislative districts are redrawn. It's 201 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 3: literally seven years away. And so we've said we are 202 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 3: going to fight the fights in front of us, but 203 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 3: we are also going to invest in the districts that 204 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 3: we expect to be the tipping points for power in 205 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 3: twenty thirty. The lynchpins of Democratic majorities in six key states. 206 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 3: The states will not surprise you, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, 207 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 3: North Carolina, Virginia. We are laser focused on these one 208 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 3: hundred districts, and we've built a strategy and started to 209 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 3: build programs, one piece of which is a groundbreaking voter 210 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,319 Speaker 3: registration effort registering voters literally where there have been zero 211 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 3: voter registration efforts on the ground, and starting to build 212 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 3: for the fights ahead, including those that are going to 213 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 3: be transformational for the future. 214 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 2: And if we don't do that, what are we left with? 215 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 3: We are left with every single election feeling like an 216 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 3: existential crisis, quite literally being an existential crisis where we 217 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,320 Speaker 3: can hold on to what we've got at best by 218 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 3: the skin of our teeth, but we never have enough 219 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,079 Speaker 3: power to make change. And I'm tired of it, to. 220 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: Be honest, Look, I feel you because there is a 221 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: level of exhaustion. And this is what happens is that 222 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: people become so exhausted that they tune out right, that 223 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: they go back to being what I refer to on 224 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 1: this show political ostriches, burying their heads in the sand 225 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: and just waiting for somebody else to fix it. And 226 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: I think that, you know, I want to get into 227 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: the states that you've chosen, and you know, just for 228 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,840 Speaker 1: the audience, why those are the states, why they are 229 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: these one hundred districts, because I do have you know, 230 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 1: one of my thoughts has been around you know, what 231 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,559 Speaker 1: we have seen take place in a space like Georgia, 232 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: where Democrats had long abandoned Georgia until Stacy Abrams and 233 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:12,839 Speaker 1: a bunch of localized you know, electoral organizations built infrastructure 234 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: from the ground up that guess what, the D Triple 235 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: C and the DNC and the D s c s 236 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: weren't providing them right, but they did for themselves. And 237 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: because of that, Georgia turned blew not once but twice, right. 238 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: And so I wonder, you know, one, walk us through 239 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: your selection of these states and why, and then do 240 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: you think just as a larger party, we have been 241 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: seeding too much ground in southern areas assuming that they're 242 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 1: just going to be Republican forever. 243 00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, great questions. Stacy Abrams also got her start in 244 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 3: the state legislature. 245 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 2: By the way, this is the bench for the future. 246 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,840 Speaker 3: And in terms of the states that we selected, so 247 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 3: one of the things that we've really prioritized as an 248 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 3: organization is bringing top talent people who never thought about 249 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 3: our work on state legislative races before, where we've tried 250 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 3: to create a model for them to engage in this work. 251 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 3: And so one of those folks is my colleague Ethan Roder, 252 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 3: who's run our data operation, who built Obama's date operations campaigns, 253 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 3: and when we started the decade, we said, we want to, 254 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 3: in the words of Wayne Gretzky, not skate where the 255 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 3: puck was, but skate where the puck is going. We 256 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 3: worked where the future is and we asked him to 257 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 3: identify the key states that are going to be most 258 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,600 Speaker 3: competitive in twenty thirty. We're state legislative power. We're literally 259 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 3: having the ability to control the redistricting process, having the 260 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:48,560 Speaker 3: ability to control elections will make the biggest difference in democracy, 261 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 3: not for the twenty twenties, but for the twenty thirties, right, 262 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,480 Speaker 3: And so we identified these states as being the most 263 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 3: competitive where there's going to. 264 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 2: Be a path to flipping the state legislature. 265 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,240 Speaker 3: Some of those legislatures we've already flipped, and we need 266 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 3: to hold on to Pennsylvania, Michigan, others were on the 267 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 3: cusp of Arizona has been the State House in Arizona 268 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 3: has been in Republican hands. 269 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 2: Get this since nineteen sixty six LBJ. 270 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 3: Was in the White House. I mean, it's just like 271 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 3: a different era entirely. And in the past election cycles, 272 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:32,240 Speaker 3: Democrats have come within three thousand votes of flipping that chamber. 273 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: Why do you think that is a yeah in Arizona, 274 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: and in particular, why do you think that is Is 275 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 1: it immigrate like Republicans say, Oh, it's immigration in the 276 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: blabblah blah bah blah, But what is it? Is it 277 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: the demographic shift. 278 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 2: There's so much dynamism in Arizona. 279 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 3: It has one of the fastest growing populations in terms 280 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 3: of in migration, in terms of job growth, despite the 281 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 3: one hundred and fifteen degree days they seem to have 282 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,360 Speaker 3: every day of the summer. So there's a lot of 283 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 3: just dynamism change. And by our expectation, it is of 284 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,959 Speaker 3: the fifty states in the nation, the one that is 285 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,879 Speaker 3: moving fastest to becoming a more blue state, closely followed 286 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 3: by Texas. And so to your question on southern states, 287 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 3: I think the rust belt, right the Midwest, the heartland 288 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 3: has been kind of a core piece of the blue 289 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 3: wall for a long time, and I think it has been, 290 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 3: you know, part of our success as we think about 291 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 3: the election of President Biden, as we think about winds 292 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty two. 293 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 2: But the future is in the sun Belt. It is 294 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 2: where the population has growing. 295 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 3: Fastest, is where electoral power will continue to migrate. Congressional 296 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 3: seats and electoral college votes are distributed based on population. 297 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:50,800 Speaker 3: That is why Texas looms so large. It has forty 298 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 3: congressional seats forty electoral college votes. So flipping Texas making 299 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 3: Texas competitive. It's not going to be blue anytime soon, 300 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 3: but purple would be a thunderclap for the entire nation. 301 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 3: And that power building, durable power begins in the state house, 302 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,120 Speaker 3: begins where the rules of the game are set. In 303 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 3: every decade, we see that the Texas State House becomes competitive. 304 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,919 Speaker 3: On the back end of the decade, the gerrymander simply 305 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,360 Speaker 3: cannot hold. There's too much population growth and change, particularly 306 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,680 Speaker 3: in the suburbs where we need to win. That gerrymander decays, 307 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,880 Speaker 3: and Democrats have not been prepared to capture that opportunity. 308 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:32,360 Speaker 3: So we want to change that. 309 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,040 Speaker 1: You know, it's I like the visual of gerrymandering decaying. 310 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,359 Speaker 1: It can't disintegrate fast enough. But I also think about 311 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: the fact that while jerrymandering is the Republican's political tool, 312 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 1: like it is what they use in order to suppress 313 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,240 Speaker 1: the vote. And so when we think about the state legislature, 314 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: you're also thinking about the candidates, right, because you have 315 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: to think about the people that are going to provide 316 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:06,560 Speaker 1: a sense of hopefulness, a sense of passion, a sense 317 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: of intrigue to want to get people to jump all 318 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: of the hurdles that they have to jump. And so 319 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: in thinking about what in your as you're creating these 320 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: models for victory, what is the secret sauce? What a 321 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 1: what a what are we? What are we going after 322 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: to try and then make the blueprints and make the 323 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 1: status quo for gaining political power. 324 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, So the hard truth that I would share with 325 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:42,680 Speaker 3: you is I think that the candidates, the inspirational leaders, 326 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 3: are a huge, huge component of success. But given jerrymannerd 327 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,399 Speaker 3: maps and or just the way in which Democrats have 328 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 3: geographically sorted themselves in states, it's often not enough to 329 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 3: have a great set of candidates to get to a majority. 330 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 3: So one thing that we've identified is a huge voter 331 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:07,160 Speaker 3: registration gap in the heart of the state legislative battleground. 332 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 3: It's really interesting because you know, voter registration has been 333 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 3: is one of the most important tools in a democracy, right, 334 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:19,439 Speaker 3: expanding the electorate and ensuring folks can have access to 335 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,679 Speaker 3: the franchise. But it also has been an incredibly important 336 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 3: tool to help Democrats win. Just as you said in Georgia, 337 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 3: what we've seen and you know, if you'd asked me 338 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 3: two years ago, if you take a state like Arizona again, 339 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 3: you know, are Democrats doing everything they can to register 340 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 3: voters in Arizona? I would have said absolutely, I bet 341 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:46,400 Speaker 3: they are. You know why why wouldn't they be? And 342 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 3: the reality is Democrats are doing everything they can to 343 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 3: register voters in big cities and on college campuses where 344 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 3: the work is efficient. This is incredibly important work. It's 345 00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 3: incredibly important to winning any election we want to in 346 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 3: a state like Arizona. But it doesn't touch the suburbs. 347 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 2: It doesn't touch the suburbs because. 348 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 3: They're fifty percent Republican. They're less dense, they're harder to navigate. 349 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 3: The work doesn't translate. You might actually register Republicans and 350 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 3: you know, boost their advantage. But the challenge is, if 351 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 3: you want to flip the Arizona House, if you want 352 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 3: to undo what has been their advantage in the state 353 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 3: legislature since nineteen sixty six, we need to be registering 354 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 3: voters in these suburban districts. There's no two ways about it. 355 00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 3: So what we did last year was we identified one 356 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 3: point five million unregistered Democrats and the most important districts 357 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 3: and brought that. 358 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:45,560 Speaker 1: Is so many, that is so many people, It's so many. 359 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 3: And we designed a program that uses data analytics to 360 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 3: actually go to specific doors, go to specific strip malls, 361 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 3: coffee shops and register Democrats without registering Republicans. And with 362 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 3: this we are able to help raise the floor on 363 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 3: democratic performance. We're able to help these great candidates who 364 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 3: are inspirational leaders and should have the gabbles, should have 365 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 3: governing power, We're able to help them perform in these 366 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 3: races that are tough but winnable. So that's a big 367 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 3: piece of you know, one of the programs that we've 368 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 3: designed and are rolling out now and see as a 369 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 3: potential path to helping to build and hold on to 370 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 3: these legislatures now through twenty thirty. 371 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 2: But it's also democratic votes to vote for Joe Biden, 372 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 2: who vote for. 373 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:38,360 Speaker 3: US Senate candidates, congressional candidates. So there's a layer cake 374 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:39,240 Speaker 3: of value here. 375 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I think that that's extraordinary. I mean, that 376 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: is a tool and just the fact that my god, 377 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,679 Speaker 1: one point five million people not registered to vote that 378 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: are unregistered democrats. I mean we're talking, you know, to 379 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: your point earlier about elections that were decided in the 380 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: hundreds in some places, in the one hundreds of votes, right, 381 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: and to think that they are just people that have 382 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:08,439 Speaker 1: still not been included, are or welcomed, right pulled into 383 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: the electoral processes crazy. My last question for you, Vicky 384 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,680 Speaker 1: is that you know, the WOKF audience is an activated, 385 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: passionate audience who is always looking for ways to get involved, 386 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,880 Speaker 1: to get involved in their state, to be able to contribute. 387 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:33,120 Speaker 1: And so please tell us how folks can connect, get involved, 388 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,399 Speaker 1: volunteer and get to work. 389 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. 390 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 3: Absolutely, well, we would love your listeners to get involved. 391 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,240 Speaker 3: I think one of the reasons that state legislators have 392 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 3: become these incubators of autocracy is because they fly in darkness. 393 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:51,439 Speaker 3: It's a huge amount of power and nobody pays attention. 394 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 3: No one knows who their state legislator is, so literally 395 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,240 Speaker 3: where you live, starting to pay attention, starting to actually 396 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:01,919 Speaker 3: reach out and be in touch with who represents you 397 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 3: and your legislature and understand the issues at stake is 398 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 3: like a core piece of the fabric of our democracy 399 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 3: and how this works in terms of our work. So 400 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 3: you know, one of the biggest things you can do 401 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 3: right now is help support the voter registration effort we're 402 00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 3: building on our website, Forward majority dot org. We would 403 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:24,760 Speaker 3: welcome any contributions that folks want to make for folks 404 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 3: who want to knockdoors, write postcards. 405 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 2: We work with some great partners. 406 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 3: Sister District is one of them who organizes volunteers to 407 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:37,640 Speaker 3: go to competitive districts and help candidates knockdors and as 408 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,280 Speaker 3: we get deeper into the cycle, that type of activism 409 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:42,920 Speaker 3: and activity is essential. 410 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:43,879 Speaker 2: Again. 411 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 3: While state legislatures are like higher on the radar these days, 412 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 3: unfortunately post the fall of Row, I do think that 413 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 3: in a presidential election, these candidates will need all the 414 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 3: help they can get. 415 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,000 Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate you so much for making the time 416 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: to join wilk F. I appreciate the work that Forward 417 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,640 Speaker 1: Majority is doing in any way that we can continue 418 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: to be of service on wokay if we will be. 419 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Danielle. 420 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,719 Speaker 1: That is it for me today, dear friends on wokay. 421 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: As always, power to the people and to all the people. Power, 422 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: get woke and stay woke as fuck.