WEBVTT - Dr. Annie Andrews

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, everyone.

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<v Speaker 2>It's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Welcome back to

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<v Speaker 2>this week's Work in Progress. Friends, we have an ultimate

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<v Speaker 2>whipsmartie on the podcast today, a woman whose medical career,

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<v Speaker 2>whose advocacy work, and honestly, whose Instagram I am just

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest fan of. We are joined today by none

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<v Speaker 2>other than Dr. Annie Andrews. Annie is a pediatrician and

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<v Speaker 2>a mom of three and a long time South Carolina

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<v Speaker 2>doctor who spent nearly 20 years of her career caring

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<v Speaker 2>for kids. And then she saw unequivocally that some of

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<v Speaker 2>the biggest threats to her patients couldn't be treated in

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<v Speaker 2>a hospital or They had to be fixed on the

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<v Speaker 2>policy level, which meant she had to go fight for

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<v Speaker 2>them in Washington.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr.

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<v Speaker 2>Andrews ran for Congress in 2022. The campaign became so vicious.

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<v Speaker 2>She received threats. She was forced out of her hospital

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<v Speaker 2>for a time because of the attacks. And after all

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<v Speaker 2>of that, unfortunately, she lost. But even after experiencing how

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<v Speaker 2>ugly politics can get, She's back and resilient and defiant

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<v Speaker 2>because we all know nothing can stop a pissed off

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<v Speaker 2>mom who refuses to back down to bullies. So Annie

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<v Speaker 2>is back, this time running for U.S. Senate in her

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<v Speaker 2>home state of South Carolina. We all know the Carolinas

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<v Speaker 2>have traditionally been more Republican than anything. But in the

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<v Speaker 2>last couple of years, I think plenty of voters are

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<v Speaker 2>disillusioned with how those promises from the GOP were all

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<v Speaker 2>based on lies. And Annie knows she has the expertise

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<v Speaker 2>to help fixed some of them. Now, there was a

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<v Speaker 2>twist in the race. She expected to face off with

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<v Speaker 2>longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, but after his sudden death,

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<v Speaker 2>Graham's sister Darlene has been appointed to his seat. She

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<v Speaker 2>won the Republican nomination, and now she is Annie's opponent. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>while Darlene doesn't want to debate, Annie is ready to

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<v Speaker 2>chat with anyone and everyone about a future for South

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<v Speaker 2>Carolina and a better America as a whole. I cannot

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<v Speaker 2>wait to find out about what she learned from her

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<v Speaker 2>first race, how the second one is going, and how

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<v Speaker 2>all of us can band together and support her because Dr.

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<v Speaker 2>Annie Andrews deserves it. Let's dive in. Before we get

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<v Speaker 2>into the race and your career and how you decided to.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, really get into the fight, I actually want

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<v Speaker 2>to go back because people who know you know that

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<v Speaker 2>you are a medical professional and that you're, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>you're running a race in South Carolina, but I'm really

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<v Speaker 2>curious about Annie as a little kid. You know, I

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<v Speaker 2>know you grew up in Kentucky and I'm curious if

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<v Speaker 2>we got to run into, you know, your eight or

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<v Speaker 2>nine year old self. Like if you and I were

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<v Speaker 2>out for a coffee and we strolled onto the playground

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<v Speaker 2>and there were little girl versions of us, Do you

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<v Speaker 2>think that little girl would just be gobsmacked at what

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<v Speaker 2>your life is right now? Do you think you would

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<v Speaker 2>see yourself in her and vice versa?

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<v Speaker 3>I love that question. No one's ever asked me that before. Um, I, Yes,

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<v Speaker 3>my nine-year-old self would be gobsmacked. That's a great word

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<v Speaker 3>for it. So my nine-year-old self, I was a rule follower.

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<v Speaker 3>I am an introvert. I have social anxiety. And I

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<v Speaker 3>don't like to walk into rooms full of people I

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<v Speaker 3>don't know. And that was true my first day of,

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<v Speaker 3>I don't know if it was preschool or kindergarten. I

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<v Speaker 3>walked into the classroom and I lifted my dress over

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<v Speaker 3>my head because.

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<v Speaker 1>I was just so shy.

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<v Speaker 2>You wanted to hide.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>And I just... I found this new path and I

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<v Speaker 1>found this.

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<v Speaker 3>The power of my voice in a way I never

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<v Speaker 3>in a million years thought I would have like my,

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<v Speaker 3>even my college roommates are like, who are you?

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<v Speaker 1>How did this happen? How did you turn into this person?

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<v Speaker 1>I love that.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>It's also a question I really like to ask parents.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I think there's a different thing that happens as,

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<v Speaker 2>especially as women, you know, we grow up and we

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<v Speaker 2>learn and then we have to unlearn all this stuff

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<v Speaker 2>that we were never supposed to carry. And I, I think,

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<v Speaker 2>When we do that, we can see what younger versions

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<v Speaker 2>of ourselves went through, but it almost becomes doubly important

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<v Speaker 2>once you have kids and you realize you don't want

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<v Speaker 2>them to have to spend half their life unlearning a

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<v Speaker 2>bunch of BS. You want them just to have the

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<v Speaker 2>tools and feel so capable. And as a mom of three,

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<v Speaker 2>I guess I wonder if the world you want to

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<v Speaker 2>build for your children is also has been part of

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<v Speaker 2>what's inspired you to look back at the world you

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<v Speaker 2>grew up in and to want to change it all.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you know, I was really fortunate. I was the

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<v Speaker 1>middle child. I have two brothers.

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<v Speaker 3>I grew up in a family where when I said

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<v Speaker 3>when I was four years old legitimately that I wanted

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<v Speaker 3>to be a doctor, my parents didn't say, don't you

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<v Speaker 3>mean nurse? None of my teachers ever said that. Like

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<v Speaker 3>I had a very supportive environment. I was really fortunate

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<v Speaker 3>the way that I grew up. But still, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>growing up in the 80s and 90s is very different

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<v Speaker 3>than the world my children are experiencing now. in a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of really good ways and in a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>really bad ways. I never doubted that I could get

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<v Speaker 3>into medical school and be a doctor, but I also

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<v Speaker 3>would have never believed I could run for the US Senate.

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<v Speaker 3>I would never have believed that my voice mattered in

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<v Speaker 3>a way that it does right now. And I'm seeing

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<v Speaker 3>that reflected specifically in.

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<v Speaker 1>My two daughters.

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<v Speaker 3>My oldest daughter is a freshman in high school. She

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<v Speaker 3>just obviously started a new school just a.

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<v Speaker 1>Few weeks ago.

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<v Speaker 3>Within the first couple of weeks, she raised her hand

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<v Speaker 3>and decided to run for freshman class president, which she's

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<v Speaker 3>She's like a copy paste version version of me. She's

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<v Speaker 3>got way better than me. But like, she also is introverted.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's not something I ever would have done as

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<v Speaker 3>a 14 year old. And she just has the confidence

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<v Speaker 3>to do it.

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<v Speaker 1>She didn't win.

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<v Speaker 3>And we laughed about it the night before, because I'm like,

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<v Speaker 3>I ran and I lost to Nancy Mace.

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<v Speaker 1>Of all people in 2022. It's okay to run and lose.

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<v Speaker 1>All that matters is that you try.

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<v Speaker 3>And then my nine year old was on her student

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<v Speaker 3>council last year. So I just and my son is

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<v Speaker 3>like wildly sensitive in ways I don't think my brothers

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<v Speaker 3>were raised to be because that's just not what the

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<v Speaker 3>world was like back then.

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<v Speaker 2>Totally.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the things I feel so grateful for in

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<v Speaker 2>the midst of the dumpster fire that is the planet

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<v Speaker 2>right now is that I feel like so many more

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<v Speaker 2>women are having conversations about giving our sons permission to

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<v Speaker 2>have a full emotional spectrum, which is what they deserve

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<v Speaker 2>and frankly will also make our daughters safer in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>And I I feel like that is such a, it's

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like the lighthouse in the dark for me

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<v Speaker 2>right now is realizing that we can still do things

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<v Speaker 2>differently even when the system is complicated. You know, when

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<v Speaker 2>you talk about being a doctor, you spent nearly two

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<v Speaker 2>decades as a pediatrician. You know, you were supported in

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<v Speaker 2>your dream. And I'm kind of curious because I think

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<v Speaker 2>those of us who've been politically invested for such a

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<v Speaker 2>long time understand that you know, the miracle of medicine,

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<v Speaker 2>but also that healthcare is supposed to be a human right.

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<v Speaker 2>And for a long time, people didn't think that was political.

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<v Speaker 2>And now being a doctor, advocating for healthcare, working in

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<v Speaker 2>any of those spaces, we understand that it is a

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<v Speaker 2>political act to say, I'd much rather my tax dollars

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<v Speaker 2>be invested in my community hospital than in bombs, for example.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm really curious for you going into another election,

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<v Speaker 2>I obviously wish the last one had had a different

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<v Speaker 2>outcome for you and for the rest of us, but

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<v Speaker 2>here we are. How do you think about healthcare as political,

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<v Speaker 2>as defending other people's right to access it? Because I

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<v Speaker 2>know you talk about how your dad was a lifelong Republican.

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<v Speaker 2>I wouldn't imagine that he was anti-healthcare. He raised a

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<v Speaker 2>daughter who wanted to be a doctor. So how does

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<v Speaker 2>the kind of present time make you look at the

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<v Speaker 2>version of a Republican household you grew up in versus

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<v Speaker 2>the version we have now. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean, you know, when I was growing up in

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<v Speaker 3>this Republican household, like there was civility still existed and

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<v Speaker 3>nuance existed and you didn't define your relationships based on,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, what political party they were. You didn't lose

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<v Speaker 3>relationships because they're, they're a Democrat and you're a Republican.

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<v Speaker 3>Like it didn't used to be the defining aspect of

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<v Speaker 3>your personhood or your personality. But now that we've gotten

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<v Speaker 3>to a situation where, you know, one of our political

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<v Speaker 3>parties has really been taken over by this extreme, this

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<v Speaker 3>extreme agenda, you know, it, it does end up becoming

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<v Speaker 3>a defining thing about you. You know, if you're still

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<v Speaker 3>on board with where this party has gone, then, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>to me, that says a lot about, you know, sort

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<v Speaker 3>of the way you see the world and what you

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<v Speaker 3>prioritize in the world. Um, You know, I never thought

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<v Speaker 3>of health care when I decided to be a doctor.

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<v Speaker 3>I never thought of that as, you know, health care

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<v Speaker 3>as a political thing, but it was working in the

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<v Speaker 3>health care system alongside a parallel track of me being

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<v Speaker 3>a mother in America that really, you know, that really worked.

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<v Speaker 1>Woke me up to.

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<v Speaker 3>What I needed to do politically that, you know, that

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<v Speaker 3>the practice of pediatrics is very political. And what I

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<v Speaker 3>see at the bedside of sick and injured children is

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<v Speaker 3>a privilege. And it is then my duty to go

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<v Speaker 3>out and share that with the world so they can

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<v Speaker 3>understand the impact that of these harmful policies on our patients.

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<v Speaker 1>And their families. And I try to talk to future.

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<v Speaker 3>Pediatricians about this when I'm given the opportunity to speak to,

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<v Speaker 3>to speak to those folks that, you know, what we

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<v Speaker 3>see inside the four walls of a hospital, most people

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<v Speaker 3>out there, Candy, imagine what it's like, what children and

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<v Speaker 3>their families are struggling with, what it's like to be

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<v Speaker 3>at the bedside of a child who's been shot.

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<v Speaker 1>Or whatever it is.

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<v Speaker 3>And if we don't share what we see, then no

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<v Speaker 3>one's ever going to know the urgency with which we

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<v Speaker 3>need to act to fix these problems. Right.

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<v Speaker 2>Was there kind of a moment, was there like a

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<v Speaker 2>night In the hospital that just made you go, OK,

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<v Speaker 2>I've got to.

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<v Speaker 1>Change it all.

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<v Speaker 2>I've got to lay it on the line and I've

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<v Speaker 2>got to try to be in charge, not just of

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<v Speaker 2>medicine for these people, but of actually making the policy

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<v Speaker 2>decisions that control my hospital and others. Or was it

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like a layering of incidents and then one

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<v Speaker 2>just was the straw that broke the camel's back?

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<v Speaker 3>It was a layering of incidents. And I think most

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<v Speaker 3>pediatricians would describe the same sort of evolution where you

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<v Speaker 3>go in really starry-eyed and thinking about how excited you

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<v Speaker 3>are to finally be a doctor. And then you really

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<v Speaker 3>start to identify these patterns of, you know, okay, there's

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<v Speaker 3>a problem when my sick child's parents... can't afford to

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<v Speaker 3>get their car out of the parking garage because they're

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<v Speaker 3>struggling so much just to make ends meet. There's a

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<v Speaker 3>problem when the parents of my asthma patient say, well,

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<v Speaker 3>we're here today because the mold in our apartment is

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<v Speaker 3>so bad, but our landlord won't do anything about it

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<v Speaker 3>and we can't afford to move. Or the dramatic but

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<v Speaker 3>very true and not at all hyperbolic experience of taking

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<v Speaker 3>care of a child who's been shot. So as I

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<v Speaker 3>sort of slowly was waking up to the idea that

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<v Speaker 3>American policy as currently written does not prioritize what is

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<v Speaker 3>in the.

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<v Speaker 1>Best interest of America's children and their families.

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<v Speaker 3>It was those drastic experiences of caring for children who

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<v Speaker 3>have been shot alongside my joining and advocating within the

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<v Speaker 3>Moms Demand Action organization that helped me see, okay, like,

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<v Speaker 3>There's no time to calculate when it makes sense to

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<v Speaker 3>run for office. There's no time to just politely keep

0:11:55.270 --> 0:11:57.100
<v Speaker 3>my head down and do this work.

0:11:57.520 --> 0:11:59.439
<v Speaker 1>I've got to get off the sidelines now. And I

0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:01.460
<v Speaker 1>ended up doing it a really bold way.

0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:03.010
<v Speaker 3>You know, that's not the only way to do it,

0:12:03.020 --> 0:12:05.380
<v Speaker 3>but that's the way I chose to do it. And

0:12:05.420 --> 0:12:07.750
<v Speaker 3>I carry those patient stories with me. You know, I

0:12:07.830 --> 0:12:10.330
<v Speaker 3>share the story a lot of a toddler who found

0:12:10.390 --> 0:12:14.069
<v Speaker 3>an unsecured firearm that was loaded on his coffee table.

0:12:14.130 --> 0:12:16.380
<v Speaker 3>And as curious young children do, he picked it up.

0:12:17.050 --> 0:12:19.510
<v Speaker 3>And the way children handle guns, you know, they use

0:12:19.530 --> 0:12:21.340
<v Speaker 3>their thumbs to pull the trigger because it's the only

0:12:21.380 --> 0:12:23.100
<v Speaker 3>way they're strong enough to pull the trigger, which means

0:12:23.140 --> 0:12:24.720
<v Speaker 3>the barrel is pointed at their head.

0:12:25.120 --> 0:12:27.240
<v Speaker 1>And this young boy had shot himself in the head.

0:12:27.260 --> 0:12:29.100
<v Speaker 3>And by the time I met him, he'd had lots

0:12:29.140 --> 0:12:31.880
<v Speaker 3>and lots of surgical procedures, lots of brain surgery. Part

0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:33.540
<v Speaker 3>of his skull was removed. He was still in the

0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.460
<v Speaker 3>hospital under my care, learning how to eat.

0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:37.740
<v Speaker 1>And walk and talk again.

0:12:37.780 --> 0:12:40.020
<v Speaker 3>And it was so heartbreaking because that was a clear

0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:43.079
<v Speaker 3>example of a policy failure because we don't have a

0:12:43.100 --> 0:12:46.400
<v Speaker 3>secure storage law, a federal secure storage law in this country.

0:12:47.300 --> 0:12:48.900
<v Speaker 3>And like, I'm never going to forget that kid.

0:12:48.940 --> 0:12:49.480
<v Speaker 1>I'm never going to.

0:12:49.460 --> 0:12:51.750
<v Speaker 3>Forget trying to high five him to see if his,

0:12:51.760 --> 0:12:54.790
<v Speaker 3>you know, right arm strength was improving or watch him

0:12:54.890 --> 0:12:58.230
<v Speaker 3>as the, you know, the occupational therapist was feeding him

0:12:58.290 --> 0:13:01.250
<v Speaker 3>his macaroni and cheese, you know? And so that's, these are,

0:13:01.270 --> 0:13:04.730
<v Speaker 3>these are like bullet points to most politicians. These are,

0:13:04.750 --> 0:13:08.540
<v Speaker 3>you know, position papers or policy papers to most politicians.

0:13:08.559 --> 0:13:11.420
<v Speaker 3>But to me, they're, they're real kids in South Carolina.

0:13:12.140 --> 0:13:14.240
<v Speaker 2>We'll be back in just a minute, but here's a

0:13:14.260 --> 0:13:21.720
<v Speaker 2>word from our sponsors. I love that you bring up

0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:25.160
<v Speaker 2>a safe storage law because it's actually something I've been

0:13:25.179 --> 0:13:29.220
<v Speaker 2>lucky enough to work on with Moms Demand Action. One

0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:31.220
<v Speaker 2>of the sort of perks of my job is sometimes

0:13:31.260 --> 0:13:34.980
<v Speaker 2>I get asked to voice PSAs for organizations because they're

0:13:35.220 --> 0:13:38.060
<v Speaker 2>nonprofits and they don't have the money to hire paid actors.

0:13:38.100 --> 0:13:39.640
<v Speaker 2>And I'm like, hell yeah, I want to do that

0:13:39.700 --> 0:13:44.469
<v Speaker 2>for you. And I'll never forget when those campaigns first launched,

0:13:44.500 --> 0:13:46.570
<v Speaker 2>a lot of people were like, you shouldn't why do

0:13:46.590 --> 0:13:49.270
<v Speaker 2>we need a law and you shouldn't have to, you know,

0:13:49.309 --> 0:13:53.090
<v Speaker 2>the typical complaints. And it reminded me some of how

0:13:53.130 --> 0:13:55.110
<v Speaker 2>we talked to people about that was, you know, if

0:13:55.150 --> 0:13:57.490
<v Speaker 2>you look back at when we made seatbelt laws a

0:13:57.550 --> 0:14:00.210
<v Speaker 2>federal thing and people were like, you can't tell me

0:14:00.250 --> 0:14:01.960
<v Speaker 2>I have to wear a seatbelt and this, that, and

0:14:01.980 --> 0:14:03.640
<v Speaker 2>the other. And you watch this footage and you're like,

0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.840
<v Speaker 2>it's insane that we ever thought you shouldn't have to

0:14:06.920 --> 0:14:10.120
<v Speaker 2>require seatbelt wearing. And once we did it, we saved

0:14:10.620 --> 0:14:13.719
<v Speaker 2>so many lives. And to your point, Annie, if there

0:14:13.740 --> 0:14:16.990
<v Speaker 2>was just a federal safe storage law People might think

0:14:17.050 --> 0:14:20.050
<v Speaker 2>it's ridiculous, but if it's the law, you're more likely

0:14:20.090 --> 0:14:22.150
<v Speaker 2>to follow it. And then we're more likely to keep

0:14:22.230 --> 0:14:25.410
<v Speaker 2>kids out of harm's way. And it's the sort of

0:14:25.450 --> 0:14:28.370
<v Speaker 2>stuff like that where people say you shouldn't have to

0:14:28.430 --> 0:14:31.730
<v Speaker 2>legislate it. Well, we shouldn't have to legislate food safety

0:14:31.790 --> 0:14:34.810
<v Speaker 2>and inspection. But gee whiz, look what happened when we

0:14:34.850 --> 0:14:38.090
<v Speaker 2>took the inspection requirements away. Now everybody's being poisoned by

0:14:38.130 --> 0:14:42.190
<v Speaker 2>their blueberries and their lettuce. You know, you have to

0:14:42.250 --> 0:14:47.380
<v Speaker 2>make the rules so that there's actually... like a layer

0:14:47.420 --> 0:14:51.830
<v Speaker 2>of protection around us. And I'm hopeful that as terrible

0:14:51.870 --> 0:14:54.430
<v Speaker 2>as things have been, people will start to be able

0:14:54.470 --> 0:14:56.770
<v Speaker 2>to look at messages like yours and go, you know what?

0:14:57.470 --> 0:15:00.970
<v Speaker 2>Maybe having some sanity around the rules is a good idea.

0:15:00.990 --> 0:15:05.930
<v Speaker 2>And I illustrate that for our listeners because it's one

0:15:05.970 --> 0:15:08.540
<v Speaker 2>of the personal ways that I make sense of what

0:15:08.580 --> 0:15:10.820
<v Speaker 2>you're doing, you know, and so many other people whose

0:15:10.980 --> 0:15:14.780
<v Speaker 2>elections I'm watching closely, you know, what you're doing personally

0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:20.480
<v Speaker 2>and politically. And I ask because I would imagine for you,

0:15:20.900 --> 0:15:24.640
<v Speaker 2>the run now feels very different than the election that

0:15:24.700 --> 0:15:31.030
<v Speaker 2>you ran against Nancy Mason 2021. You know, what's actually

0:15:31.110 --> 0:15:35.230
<v Speaker 2>giving you hope now and what's making you feel motivated now,

0:15:35.850 --> 0:15:39.030
<v Speaker 2>even though you're running against an even worse problem?

0:15:40.530 --> 0:15:43.570
<v Speaker 3>You know what? So many things feel so hopeful about

0:15:43.590 --> 0:15:47.050
<v Speaker 3>what I'm doing. The world is difficult to process every

0:15:47.090 --> 0:15:49.570
<v Speaker 3>single day. There's so much bad news every day. It

0:15:49.610 --> 0:15:52.609
<v Speaker 3>feels overwhelming at times. But as a current candidate, I

0:15:52.630 --> 0:15:56.670
<v Speaker 3>have the privilege of spending my days most often in

0:15:56.710 --> 0:16:00.720
<v Speaker 3>South Carolina talking to rooms full of excited people, people

0:16:00.820 --> 0:16:03.860
<v Speaker 3>who are there because they're just been fans of mine

0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:05.920
<v Speaker 3>since I launched the campaign or people who are there

0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:08.380
<v Speaker 3>because their neighbor said, hey, I would like you to

0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:10.440
<v Speaker 3>come hear this woman out because I believe in her

0:16:10.460 --> 0:16:12.680
<v Speaker 3>and I want to see what you think. And so

0:16:12.700 --> 0:16:15.380
<v Speaker 3>I get to have these conversations in South Carolina with

0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.580
<v Speaker 3>people who just, who want to feel hopeful and optimistic

0:16:18.620 --> 0:16:21.860
<v Speaker 3>about the future. You know, yesterday I was in Beaufort County,

0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:25.260
<v Speaker 3>South Carolina, which is down the coast from Charleston. And

0:16:25.520 --> 0:16:27.780
<v Speaker 3>this was an event that this group of people in,

0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:31.160
<v Speaker 3>you know, sort of a semi-retirement home had built for us.

0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.020
<v Speaker 3>We did nothing to promote it. We were just, you know,

0:16:33.070 --> 0:16:35.750
<v Speaker 3>happy to stop by. They expected a hundred people. When

0:16:35.790 --> 0:16:36.890
<v Speaker 3>I got there, there were over 400 people there.

0:16:38.250 --> 0:16:39.590
<v Speaker 1>And yes, and.

0:16:39.530 --> 0:16:42.930
<v Speaker 3>Walking into an event like that with 400 people who

0:16:42.970 --> 0:16:45.710
<v Speaker 3>are so excited to see me, to hear my vision

0:16:45.750 --> 0:16:47.670
<v Speaker 3>for South Carolina, they're excited to be a part of

0:16:47.710 --> 0:16:50.150
<v Speaker 3>something that gives them a sense of hope. That makes

0:16:50.210 --> 0:16:53.270
<v Speaker 3>me feel amazing in spite of all of the bad

0:16:53.340 --> 0:16:56.600
<v Speaker 3>news we're inundated with. And the difference between now and

0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:59.760
<v Speaker 3>2022 is people are just really feeling the pain, you know,

0:16:59.780 --> 0:17:02.620
<v Speaker 3>that's gas prices. And it sounds like talking points now,

0:17:02.660 --> 0:17:04.520
<v Speaker 3>but diesel is over 625 in South Carolina.

0:17:04.540 --> 0:17:10.250
<v Speaker 1>Yeah. It's grocery prices. It's these impending Medicaid budget cuts.

0:17:10.570 --> 0:17:12.810
<v Speaker 3>And people are just like feeling the pain in their

0:17:12.930 --> 0:17:14.610
<v Speaker 3>personal family pocketbook.

0:17:15.150 --> 0:17:16.909
<v Speaker 1>And so they're looking for something different.

0:17:16.950 --> 0:17:19.560
<v Speaker 3>And that's why campaigns like mine and states like South

0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.940
<v Speaker 3>Carolina have polling that shows that we're neck and neck

0:17:23.020 --> 0:17:26.580
<v Speaker 3>because there's so much crossover happening between Because a lot

0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:29.180
<v Speaker 3>of Republican voters feel like they were sold a bunch

0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:31.790
<v Speaker 3>of lies because we have a president who ran on

0:17:31.850 --> 0:17:34.530
<v Speaker 3>lowering grocery prices and no new wars.

0:17:34.690 --> 0:17:36.030
<v Speaker 1>And look where we are today.

0:17:36.230 --> 0:17:38.790
<v Speaker 3>And so I'm offering them an option, an off ramp,

0:17:39.170 --> 0:17:41.470
<v Speaker 3>something different to try this election cycle.

0:17:42.330 --> 0:17:45.040
<v Speaker 2>I got to interview Timothy Snyder, who's, you know, the

0:17:45.100 --> 0:17:48.420
<v Speaker 2>great historian and author who talks about freedom and tyranny

0:17:48.460 --> 0:17:51.830
<v Speaker 2>and the Constitution and all the things. And I found

0:17:51.869 --> 0:17:54.770
<v Speaker 2>that we share a worldview, which just really tickled me,

0:17:55.130 --> 0:17:57.730
<v Speaker 2>that none of this, none of the world around us,

0:17:57.790 --> 0:18:01.530
<v Speaker 2>none of those buildings behind you, none of the reality

0:18:01.570 --> 0:18:03.710
<v Speaker 2>that in every single one of those windows, somewhere there's

0:18:03.770 --> 0:18:05.649
<v Speaker 2>a sink, that water comes out of the tap when

0:18:05.670 --> 0:18:08.650
<v Speaker 2>you turn on the faucet. That only happens because we've

0:18:08.790 --> 0:18:13.630
<v Speaker 2>generationally all contributed to the community project. And I think

0:18:13.710 --> 0:18:16.080
<v Speaker 2>people are finally waking up, as you said, to the

0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:20.359
<v Speaker 2>fact that the community is being fleeced, not supported. And

0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:23.820
<v Speaker 2>that so many people were lied to. You know, nobody

0:18:23.859 --> 0:18:25.699
<v Speaker 2>ever got a doge check and nobody's going to get

0:18:25.740 --> 0:18:28.410
<v Speaker 2>these $ 5, 000 checks Donald Trump's claiming he's going to give

0:18:29.130 --> 0:18:31.530
<v Speaker 2>if he wins, you know, because he spent all the

0:18:31.570 --> 0:18:33.929
<v Speaker 2>money on this war that nobody asked for that, by

0:18:33.950 --> 0:18:39.210
<v Speaker 2>the way, wasn't even congressionally approved. So I just feel

0:18:39.250 --> 0:18:43.610
<v Speaker 2>like hopefully it's the moment that makes people realize they

0:18:43.670 --> 0:18:46.379
<v Speaker 2>don't have to vote the way they always did. The

0:18:46.420 --> 0:18:49.100
<v Speaker 2>way their family may have identified, much like you talk

0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.810
<v Speaker 2>about your dad, like that reality doesn't exist anymore. And

0:18:52.850 --> 0:18:55.139
<v Speaker 2>we have to fight for a better world in the

0:18:55.180 --> 0:19:00.690
<v Speaker 2>reality we live in now. I'm curious about deciding to

0:19:00.730 --> 0:19:03.170
<v Speaker 2>get into the Senate race in South Carolina for you,

0:19:03.950 --> 0:19:08.030
<v Speaker 2>especially because you were generous enough to talk about how

0:19:08.070 --> 0:19:12.110
<v Speaker 2>when you ran against Nancy Mace, the attacks and the threats,

0:19:13.290 --> 0:19:17.520
<v Speaker 2>that it was all really... Pretty horrific. It even forced

0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:20.940
<v Speaker 2>you to take unpaid leave from your job as a

0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:24.640
<v Speaker 2>pediatrician because your hospital was being harassed. It's a lot

0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:29.740
<v Speaker 2>to put yourself in that figurative line of fire, especially

0:19:29.780 --> 0:19:31.720
<v Speaker 2>when people talk about how they might make it literal.

0:19:33.859 --> 0:19:40.020
<v Speaker 2>Is it, however, because you are a medical professional and

0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:43.820
<v Speaker 2>you did know what was coming based on RFK also

0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:46.910
<v Speaker 2>being a person who you know, sells lies for a living? Like,

0:19:47.609 --> 0:19:50.520
<v Speaker 2>is it the public health aspect that really made you

0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:53.220
<v Speaker 2>want to double down? Or were you just like, it

0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:54.920
<v Speaker 2>doesn't matter that I lost once, I'm going to jump

0:19:54.960 --> 0:19:55.700
<v Speaker 2>right back into it?

0:19:56.980 --> 0:19:59.540
<v Speaker 3>You know, it takes me back to election night in 2022.

0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:03.300
<v Speaker 3>I was so green that campaign, that election cycle. I

0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:05.510
<v Speaker 3>think everyone on my team knew that there was no

0:20:05.550 --> 0:20:06.770
<v Speaker 3>way I was going to win that night.

0:20:06.810 --> 0:20:07.590
<v Speaker 1>Really?

0:20:07.970 --> 0:20:09.590
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, and I still had all this hope. I mean,

0:20:09.630 --> 0:20:11.730
<v Speaker 3>the polling showed there was not really a path to victory.

0:20:11.750 --> 0:20:13.909
<v Speaker 3>It just was not in the cards, that cycle in

0:20:13.930 --> 0:20:17.409
<v Speaker 3>that district. But I had like a big sort of

0:20:17.470 --> 0:20:19.350
<v Speaker 3>emotional crash when it became official.

0:20:19.369 --> 0:20:20.449
<v Speaker 1>I had to go give a little speech.

0:20:20.510 --> 0:20:22.410
<v Speaker 3>And then I went back to the hotel room where

0:20:22.730 --> 0:20:24.570
<v Speaker 3>we had been hanging out that evening. And my daughter,

0:20:24.609 --> 0:20:27.060
<v Speaker 3>who's 14 now, so she was like 10 or 9

0:20:27.060 --> 0:20:29.450
<v Speaker 3>or something at the time, she looked and I was

0:20:29.520 --> 0:20:31.620
<v Speaker 3>like sort of crying on my mom's shoulder. And then

0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:33.560
<v Speaker 3>my daughter looked at me. She goes, well, we're not

0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:36.900
<v Speaker 3>doing that again. I was like, no, we're not.

0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:38.659
<v Speaker 1>Going to do this again, Gracie. Don't worry about it.

0:20:38.820 --> 0:20:40.260
<v Speaker 1>And here we are. Yeah.

0:20:41.320 --> 0:20:43.820
<v Speaker 3>So I needed a little break. It's kind of like childbirth.

0:20:43.859 --> 0:20:45.200
<v Speaker 3>You know, you do it once and you're thinking, I'm

0:20:45.260 --> 0:20:46.830
<v Speaker 3>never going to do this again. And then there you

0:20:46.869 --> 0:20:47.590
<v Speaker 3>are doing it again.

0:20:47.869 --> 0:20:48.090
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:20:48.130 --> 0:20:50.890
<v Speaker 2>Time gives you a little bit of helpful amnesia, doesn't it? Amnesia.

0:20:50.910 --> 0:20:52.410
<v Speaker 1>That's right. Exactly right.

0:20:52.609 --> 0:20:55.939
<v Speaker 3>But it really was the day RFK Jr. was nominated

0:20:56.000 --> 0:21:00.080
<v Speaker 3>to lead HHS that I reevaluated what I was thinking

0:21:00.140 --> 0:21:03.180
<v Speaker 3>about doing. I I had a few people who were like, Amy,

0:21:03.380 --> 0:21:05.750
<v Speaker 3>you could run in the Senate race. It's going to

0:21:05.770 --> 0:21:08.890
<v Speaker 3>be a Trump midterm. We need a strong Democrat.

0:21:08.930 --> 0:21:11.070
<v Speaker 1>But I was like, no, no, no, no. And then

0:21:11.150 --> 0:21:12.409
<v Speaker 1>RFK Jr. was nominated.

0:21:12.430 --> 0:21:14.890
<v Speaker 3>And I was like, OK, this moment is so urgent.

0:21:14.970 --> 0:21:17.700
<v Speaker 3>This is worst case scenario for public health in America.

0:21:18.340 --> 0:21:21.580
<v Speaker 3>nightmare for pediatricians in America. It doesn't make a lot

0:21:21.619 --> 0:21:23.540
<v Speaker 3>of sense for me to go make a pro-con list

0:21:23.580 --> 0:21:25.300
<v Speaker 3>about how old my kids are and how hard this

0:21:25.340 --> 0:21:27.740
<v Speaker 3>will be. I just need to do it now or

0:21:27.820 --> 0:21:31.380
<v Speaker 3>there may never be an opportunity to fight back against this.

0:21:31.480 --> 0:21:35.320
<v Speaker 3>So I'm not really a pro-con list person. I'm driven

0:21:35.380 --> 0:21:37.379
<v Speaker 3>by passion. And that's why a lot of the decisions

0:21:37.420 --> 0:21:40.070
<v Speaker 3>I've made in life seem passion driven and maybe not

0:21:40.109 --> 0:21:43.530
<v Speaker 3>objectively the smart thing to do. But that's how I

0:21:43.590 --> 0:21:46.470
<v Speaker 3>ended up in this position where I might become South

0:21:46.510 --> 0:21:51.510
<v Speaker 3>Carolina's first elected female senator, our nation's first pediatrician senator,

0:21:51.550 --> 0:21:52.790
<v Speaker 3>because I took a chance.

0:21:52.550 --> 0:21:54.820
<v Speaker 1>And let my passion drive me to do this.

0:21:55.440 --> 0:21:57.800
<v Speaker 2>I love that so much. And now a word from

0:21:57.840 --> 0:22:11.170
<v Speaker 2>our sponsors who make this show possible. What did your

0:22:11.210 --> 0:22:13.149
<v Speaker 2>family say when you told them you were going to

0:22:13.170 --> 0:22:13.650
<v Speaker 2>run for Senate?

0:22:13.670 --> 0:22:13.770
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:22:15.460 --> 0:22:18.479
<v Speaker 3>So I told my daughters separate from my son, just

0:22:18.500 --> 0:22:20.080
<v Speaker 3>because I was with them. I'm a dance mom. I

0:22:20.119 --> 0:22:21.959
<v Speaker 3>was with their both hip hop dancers. I was with

0:22:21.980 --> 0:22:24.879
<v Speaker 3>them at a dance competition. We were having breakfast and

0:22:24.900 --> 0:22:28.240
<v Speaker 3>I said, guys, I'm really thinking about running for office again.

0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:30.379
<v Speaker 3>And this time I'd be running for the Senate. And

0:22:30.500 --> 0:22:33.160
<v Speaker 3>my older daughter, you know, she said something very encouraging. Mom,

0:22:33.180 --> 0:22:34.800
<v Speaker 3>that's really great. I think that's really great.

0:22:34.900 --> 0:22:35.420
<v Speaker 1>Good for you.

0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:39.760
<v Speaker 3>And then Evelyn, who's hilarious and about to be 10,

0:22:39.760 --> 0:22:42.060
<v Speaker 3>she didn't really say anything. And I was like, Evelyn,

0:22:42.080 --> 0:22:42.640
<v Speaker 3>what do you think?

0:22:42.700 --> 0:22:45.000
<v Speaker 1>And she shrugged her shoulders. She said, good luck.

0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:48.660
<v Speaker 2>Oh, my God. It's like you live with a little

0:22:48.680 --> 0:22:49.320
<v Speaker 2>Larry David.

0:22:49.340 --> 0:22:51.379
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean, literally, literally.

0:22:51.400 --> 0:22:54.070
<v Speaker 3>And then, you know, I had a really frank conversations

0:22:54.090 --> 0:22:56.889
<v Speaker 3>with my parents, because I think they were concerned about me,

0:22:56.930 --> 0:22:59.770
<v Speaker 3>they see the volatility in politics right now, they see

0:22:59.790 --> 0:23:03.390
<v Speaker 3>the political violence and You know, my parents are aging.

0:23:03.490 --> 0:23:06.530
<v Speaker 3>My mom has Parkinson's and they live.

0:23:06.369 --> 0:23:07.330
<v Speaker 1>Not far from me.

0:23:07.450 --> 0:23:09.670
<v Speaker 3>And my dad came over and he actually did have

0:23:09.710 --> 0:23:11.570
<v Speaker 3>like a pro con list. He had a legal pad,

0:23:12.010 --> 0:23:14.810
<v Speaker 3>all of his concerns about me doing this.

0:23:14.869 --> 0:23:17.410
<v Speaker 1>And I remember him telling me, I know, I know.

0:23:17.470 --> 0:23:19.350
<v Speaker 3>And I remember him telling me, I'm worried this is

0:23:19.369 --> 0:23:22.740
<v Speaker 3>going to be really hard on your mom. And I said,

0:23:22.760 --> 0:23:24.800
<v Speaker 3>you know, that like really broke my heart because I

0:23:24.820 --> 0:23:26.840
<v Speaker 3>didn't want to do this and make my mom's life

0:23:26.920 --> 0:23:31.000
<v Speaker 3>harder or more stressful. But honestly, watching my mom watch

0:23:31.040 --> 0:23:33.160
<v Speaker 3>me do this, I know my mom is just like

0:23:33.330 --> 0:23:36.030
<v Speaker 3>bursting with pride that I am her daughter. She wears

0:23:36.130 --> 0:23:38.470
<v Speaker 3>an Annie Andrews button when she goes to the grocery store.

0:23:38.490 --> 0:23:38.550
<v Speaker 2>So.

0:23:40.200 --> 0:23:41.879
<v Speaker 1>So that when people say, oh, we love her, she

0:23:41.900 --> 0:23:44.260
<v Speaker 1>can say, oh, I do too. She's my daughter. I mean,

0:23:44.300 --> 0:23:46.560
<v Speaker 1>it's just so it's been a really like.

0:23:46.480 --> 0:23:48.919
<v Speaker 3>My family is so much closer because we're sort of

0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:52.219
<v Speaker 3>all in this together. And it's been really wonderful to

0:23:52.280 --> 0:23:54.460
<v Speaker 3>see them be able to support me in this thing

0:23:54.500 --> 0:23:56.500
<v Speaker 3>that like none of us ever expected I would be doing.

0:23:56.940 --> 0:24:01.600
<v Speaker 2>Wow, that's really, really cool. It's also I would imagine

0:24:01.640 --> 0:24:05.980
<v Speaker 2>because your mom has a diagnosis like that, wanting to

0:24:06.040 --> 0:24:09.860
<v Speaker 2>stand up for quality health care for Americans is doubly

0:24:09.920 --> 0:24:13.230
<v Speaker 2>matters to you, you know, because yes, it's personal. You're

0:24:13.250 --> 0:24:16.929
<v Speaker 2>a doctor, but also it's personal because you're a family

0:24:16.990 --> 0:24:21.389
<v Speaker 2>member who needs to make sure you have evidence-based care

0:24:21.490 --> 0:24:22.010
<v Speaker 2>for your family.

0:24:22.880 --> 0:24:23.140
<v Speaker 1>Right.

0:24:23.180 --> 0:24:27.209
<v Speaker 3>And I think about, you know, the really irresponsible defunding

0:24:27.290 --> 0:24:29.770
<v Speaker 3>of NIH research studies at the early.

0:24:29.590 --> 0:24:32.530
<v Speaker 1>End of this administration. And, you know, they've still, you know,

0:24:33.150 --> 0:24:34.430
<v Speaker 1>defunded a lot of science.

0:24:34.930 --> 0:24:37.750
<v Speaker 3>And what that we'll never know how long, how many

0:24:37.790 --> 0:24:40.310
<v Speaker 3>years that will have delayed the finding of a cure

0:24:40.330 --> 0:24:43.190
<v Speaker 3>for a disease like Parkinson's or the cure for a

0:24:43.230 --> 0:24:46.020
<v Speaker 3>disease like Alzheimer's with both of both of my grandparents, you.

0:24:45.970 --> 0:24:47.600
<v Speaker 1>Know, had from that.

0:24:47.980 --> 0:24:51.520
<v Speaker 3>And, you know, it's the lack of, you know, ability

0:24:51.540 --> 0:24:54.260
<v Speaker 3>to look forward and think about the long-term consequences of

0:24:54.280 --> 0:24:58.139
<v Speaker 3>these really irresponsible decisions that are being made by this administration. And,

0:24:58.160 --> 0:25:00.070
<v Speaker 3>you know, there's going to be, you know, maybe it'll be,

0:25:00.510 --> 0:25:02.590
<v Speaker 3>you know, my daughter and me getting a diagnosis. And

0:25:02.609 --> 0:25:05.350
<v Speaker 3>there's not a cure because it's still five years away because,

0:25:05.390 --> 0:25:08.550
<v Speaker 3>you know, we had RFK Jr. leading HHS and they

0:25:08.570 --> 0:25:10.910
<v Speaker 3>didn't know what they were doing because they're deeply unserious

0:25:11.010 --> 0:25:14.540
<v Speaker 3>grifters running our, you know, our department of HHS.

0:25:15.160 --> 0:25:17.140
<v Speaker 2>I know it just kills me and it breaks my heart.

0:25:17.200 --> 0:25:20.600
<v Speaker 2>You know, you see how we were on the precipice

0:25:20.640 --> 0:25:23.720
<v Speaker 2>of vaccines for cancer and how we know how to

0:25:23.800 --> 0:25:28.030
<v Speaker 2>treat people for things that now we're just pretending we don't.

0:25:28.090 --> 0:25:31.909
<v Speaker 2>You see kids dying of measles unnecessarily. You see the

0:25:31.970 --> 0:25:36.490
<v Speaker 2>numbers on ectopic pregnancy deaths doubling since the overturning of Roe.

0:25:36.530 --> 0:25:39.330
<v Speaker 2>And they swore up and down that abortion bans weren't

0:25:39.350 --> 0:25:41.609
<v Speaker 2>going to kill women. And twice as many women have

0:25:41.650 --> 0:25:46.170
<v Speaker 2>died of one one pregnancy complication that requires an abortion

0:25:46.390 --> 0:25:49.469
<v Speaker 2>to save a woman's life. And it just makes me

0:25:49.650 --> 0:25:53.389
<v Speaker 2>feel like we live in the upside down. And I think,

0:25:54.350 --> 0:25:58.060
<v Speaker 2>I would bet, it also probably makes people struggling to

0:25:58.080 --> 0:26:00.780
<v Speaker 2>figure out what their political identity is in South Carolina

0:26:00.859 --> 0:26:03.800
<v Speaker 2>feel really confident in you because they know they can

0:26:03.880 --> 0:26:06.800
<v Speaker 2>trust you. You're a mom, you're a doctor, you're a daughter,

0:26:06.820 --> 0:26:12.590
<v Speaker 2>you're an advocate. What is it like for you I

0:26:12.650 --> 0:26:15.230
<v Speaker 2>imagine it's such a surreal thing to go through. You know,

0:26:15.300 --> 0:26:18.900
<v Speaker 2>you have you've been running against Lindsey Graham and then

0:26:18.940 --> 0:26:23.960
<v Speaker 2>he just died. And, you know, his sister was sort

0:26:23.980 --> 0:26:28.090
<v Speaker 2>of installed and then the Republican Party committed to her.

0:26:28.170 --> 0:26:31.189
<v Speaker 2>You know, Darlene Graham is now your opponent. Suddenly she

0:26:31.230 --> 0:26:34.129
<v Speaker 2>doesn't want to debate you. I mean, that's a crazy

0:26:34.190 --> 0:26:38.330
<v Speaker 2>thing politically. But but personally, how have you handled that?

0:26:38.430 --> 0:26:40.409
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's got to just be so shocking. And

0:26:40.450 --> 0:26:43.980
<v Speaker 2>then also, make you feel a little nuts that your

0:26:44.020 --> 0:26:47.430
<v Speaker 2>opponent doesn't want to have policy debates with you? Like,

0:26:47.490 --> 0:26:49.810
<v Speaker 2>isn't that what running for office is supposed to be?

0:26:49.830 --> 0:26:53.359
<v Speaker 1>Right, right. Yeah, I don't think I've fully processed that.

0:26:53.660 --> 0:26:56.600
<v Speaker 3>The events of the past several months, just because I've

0:26:56.619 --> 0:26:57.940
<v Speaker 3>been on this campaign.

0:26:57.600 --> 0:26:58.560
<v Speaker 1>Trail for 16 months.

0:26:58.940 --> 0:27:01.619
<v Speaker 3>It was such a shocking thing to happen in a

0:27:01.660 --> 0:27:03.899
<v Speaker 3>way that was just, it was shocking for the average

0:27:03.940 --> 0:27:07.400
<v Speaker 3>South Carolinian. It was doubly shocking for me who'd spent

0:27:07.420 --> 0:27:11.439
<v Speaker 3>the past year talking every day about Lindsey Graham. I'm

0:27:11.480 --> 0:27:14.090
<v Speaker 3>really proud of the way our team was able to

0:27:14.170 --> 0:27:17.250
<v Speaker 3>sort of weather that and pivot and stay focused on

0:27:17.270 --> 0:27:21.409
<v Speaker 3>the mission because, you know, to be, to be very real,

0:27:21.490 --> 0:27:24.389
<v Speaker 3>like the problem South Carolinians were facing didn't change when

0:27:24.430 --> 0:27:25.570
<v Speaker 3>Lindsey Graham passed away.

0:27:25.590 --> 0:27:28.090
<v Speaker 1>The reason I was running didn't change.

0:27:28.390 --> 0:27:30.590
<v Speaker 3>And so I really tried to not get caught up

0:27:30.670 --> 0:27:33.260
<v Speaker 3>in that and just to focus on the mission at

0:27:33.300 --> 0:27:37.020
<v Speaker 3>hand because the mission hadn't changed. And, you know, a series,

0:27:37.040 --> 0:27:40.280
<v Speaker 3>the series of events that have happened since he passed away,

0:27:40.300 --> 0:27:44.740
<v Speaker 3>you know, have created this This opening where there maybe

0:27:44.780 --> 0:27:48.980
<v Speaker 3>was a much smaller opening before because South Carolinians recognize

0:27:49.460 --> 0:27:52.609
<v Speaker 3>what happened with the appointment and now anointment of Darlene

0:27:52.640 --> 0:27:56.130
<v Speaker 3>Graham as the Republican nominee and her, you know, her

0:27:56.190 --> 0:28:03.609
<v Speaker 3>historically weak candidacy and. her, you know, shocking level of unpreparedness. And,

0:28:03.850 --> 0:28:05.800
<v Speaker 3>you know, I'm not even going to say she's unqualified.

0:28:05.840 --> 0:28:08.680
<v Speaker 3>We don't even know because she hasn't put any policy

0:28:08.720 --> 0:28:09.800
<v Speaker 3>positions on her website.

0:28:09.820 --> 0:28:12.619
<v Speaker 1>She doesn't talk to reporters. We don't really know if

0:28:12.920 --> 0:28:13.699
<v Speaker 1>she's a fighter.

0:28:13.760 --> 0:28:15.780
<v Speaker 3>What we know of her is that she was deeply

0:28:15.840 --> 0:28:19.110
<v Speaker 3>unprepared for that debate and it showed. And she was

0:28:19.170 --> 0:28:22.590
<v Speaker 3>willing to, you know, start a Just throwing just name

0:28:22.630 --> 0:28:25.810
<v Speaker 3>calling at me from the very first moment she was

0:28:25.890 --> 0:28:27.890
<v Speaker 3>in this race saying the horrible, you know.

0:28:27.970 --> 0:28:31.389
<v Speaker 1>Like typical National Republican Republican talking points.

0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:34.240
<v Speaker 3>I don't think anything that she said since she became

0:28:34.280 --> 0:28:37.080
<v Speaker 3>a candidate for the US Senate is actually coming from her.

0:28:37.100 --> 0:28:39.460
<v Speaker 1>I don't know who's writing her scripts or her lines

0:28:39.520 --> 0:28:41.880
<v Speaker 1>for her, but she's being used as a puppet.

0:28:42.700 --> 0:28:47.080
<v Speaker 3>And as a result, South Carolina voters, particularly moderate Republicans

0:28:47.140 --> 0:28:49.420
<v Speaker 3>and independents, see in me that I'm a fighter, that

0:28:49.440 --> 0:28:51.330
<v Speaker 3>I'll be a voice for South Carolina. I'm not going

0:28:51.350 --> 0:28:53.710
<v Speaker 3>to be beholden to any political party or any president.

0:28:54.070 --> 0:28:55.890
<v Speaker 3>I'm beholden to the people of South Carolina, which is

0:28:55.910 --> 0:28:56.970
<v Speaker 3>what the Senate is meant to be.

0:28:56.990 --> 0:29:00.650
<v Speaker 2>I feel such a kinship, you know, to you because

0:29:00.670 --> 0:29:02.270
<v Speaker 2>of what you stand for, but also the fact that

0:29:02.290 --> 0:29:05.450
<v Speaker 2>you're running in South Carolina, because when the 10 years

0:29:05.490 --> 0:29:07.900
<v Speaker 2>I spent living in North Carolina, I was, you know,

0:29:08.330 --> 0:29:10.950
<v Speaker 2>three hours from the border. And I always felt like

0:29:10.990 --> 0:29:14.120
<v Speaker 2>I had a cousin next door kind of energy there. And,

0:29:14.900 --> 0:29:17.380
<v Speaker 2>you know, even though I'm not a resident of either

0:29:17.440 --> 0:29:19.660
<v Speaker 2>state anymore, it's a region in the country I really

0:29:19.700 --> 0:29:22.440
<v Speaker 2>care about. And I want people to have the support

0:29:22.460 --> 0:29:25.530
<v Speaker 2>that they need. And I have seen how the kinds

0:29:25.590 --> 0:29:30.410
<v Speaker 2>of policies that you're running against, the GOP policies have

0:29:30.530 --> 0:29:33.650
<v Speaker 2>hurt North Carolina. They've hurt South Carolina. They've hurt the

0:29:33.670 --> 0:29:36.160
<v Speaker 2>people who live in those states. And whether or not

0:29:36.200 --> 0:29:38.810
<v Speaker 2>we have the exact same beliefs, I want everybody to

0:29:38.850 --> 0:29:41.520
<v Speaker 2>have the same level of care. And I think that's

0:29:41.580 --> 0:29:44.820
<v Speaker 2>something you speak to really well also. You know, as

0:29:44.860 --> 0:29:48.060
<v Speaker 2>a pediatrician, you treat every kid, no matter how their

0:29:48.100 --> 0:29:51.960
<v Speaker 2>parent votes, no matter how their parents behave. And we

0:29:52.050 --> 0:29:56.450
<v Speaker 2>need that kind of professional energy in the Senate. And

0:29:56.490 --> 0:29:59.820
<v Speaker 2>just personally, as a woman... you know, and as someone

0:29:59.860 --> 0:30:03.960
<v Speaker 2>who is blessedly responsible in a blended family for helping

0:30:03.980 --> 0:30:06.280
<v Speaker 2>to raise two little kids who I would like lay

0:30:06.320 --> 0:30:08.480
<v Speaker 2>my body on a train track for at any moment

0:30:08.560 --> 0:30:11.940
<v Speaker 2>if need be, it makes me feel nuts, you know,

0:30:12.320 --> 0:30:15.320
<v Speaker 2>for our friends, for women in our communities who are

0:30:15.360 --> 0:30:18.460
<v Speaker 2>being affected by the overturning of Dobbs and we see

0:30:18.480 --> 0:30:21.480
<v Speaker 2>how women's healthcare is falling apart. It also makes me

0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:23.840
<v Speaker 2>feel crazy that there are so many of us out

0:30:23.900 --> 0:30:27.459
<v Speaker 2>here who are trying to fight for laws, legislate, you know,

0:30:28.360 --> 0:30:32.160
<v Speaker 2>Even the risks of AI to kids. Like, I've been

0:30:32.200 --> 0:30:36.760
<v Speaker 2>campaigning on the Defiance Act since 2023. And it passed

0:30:36.820 --> 0:30:39.300
<v Speaker 2>its first round vote unanimously at the beginning of 2026.

0:30:39.300 --> 0:30:42.460
<v Speaker 2>And we haven't heard anything about it. Because all of

0:30:42.530 --> 0:30:46.270
<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump's friends make money on the AI technology that

0:30:46.330 --> 0:30:47.590
<v Speaker 2>abuses women and children.

0:30:48.290 --> 0:30:48.670
<v Speaker 1>And so.

0:30:49.450 --> 0:30:51.670
<v Speaker 2>if they're not going to do anything about it, I'm like, well,

0:30:51.790 --> 0:30:54.670
<v Speaker 2>the midterms can't come fast enough because I want that

0:30:54.830 --> 0:30:57.430
<v Speaker 2>law to proceed through the rest of its votes. I

0:30:57.510 --> 0:31:00.890
<v Speaker 2>want it to be illegal to use that technology to

0:31:00.950 --> 0:31:04.600
<v Speaker 2>harm women and children who are 98% of the victims.

0:31:04.700 --> 0:31:07.920
<v Speaker 2>I want it to be something that we change. And

0:31:07.960 --> 0:31:10.740
<v Speaker 2>then I want AI to go cure cancer. Like that's

0:31:10.760 --> 0:31:12.440
<v Speaker 2>what we should be doing. And right now it feels

0:31:12.460 --> 0:31:16.260
<v Speaker 2>like we're doing everything upside down. And so I don't know, man,

0:31:16.360 --> 0:31:19.390
<v Speaker 2>it's like, Whether it's health care, whether it's your state,

0:31:19.450 --> 0:31:22.490
<v Speaker 2>whether it's a big federal policy, like I just want

0:31:23.190 --> 0:31:26.370
<v Speaker 2>someone with a brain and a heart like yours to

0:31:26.590 --> 0:31:28.710
<v Speaker 2>be one of the people we know we can trust,

0:31:28.910 --> 0:31:33.620
<v Speaker 2>you know, across the country. I can't wait for it.

0:31:33.670 --> 0:31:37.800
<v Speaker 2>And I am curious, you know, as you think about

0:31:37.820 --> 0:31:41.540
<v Speaker 2>there's obviously a lot wrong at the moment. But do

0:31:41.600 --> 0:31:44.140
<v Speaker 2>you do you think much like we hear from, you know,

0:31:44.180 --> 0:31:46.040
<v Speaker 2>people who run for president, they talk about their first

0:31:46.080 --> 0:31:49.430
<v Speaker 2>hundred days. Do you think about your first hundred days

0:31:49.590 --> 0:31:52.150
<v Speaker 2>as a senator? You know, do you have kind of

0:31:52.190 --> 0:31:56.790
<v Speaker 2>your big, audacious to do list and and plans for

0:31:56.830 --> 0:31:58.670
<v Speaker 2>what you want to do right away? Do you have

0:31:58.770 --> 0:32:01.710
<v Speaker 2>any idea what it'll feel like? I'm manifesting when I'm

0:32:01.930 --> 0:32:03.260
<v Speaker 2>not saying if when you win.

0:32:03.280 --> 0:32:03.360
<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

0:32:04.040 --> 0:32:05.820
<v Speaker 2>Like what do you do on day one?

0:32:07.120 --> 0:32:08.280
<v Speaker 1>Find my office. I'm just kidding.

0:32:09.470 --> 0:32:10.990
<v Speaker 3>I'm going to have to surround myself with a lot

0:32:11.050 --> 0:32:14.800
<v Speaker 3>of smart people who have spent time working in Washington

0:32:14.820 --> 0:32:18.560
<v Speaker 3>to help me navigate and help me use the most

0:32:18.600 --> 0:32:21.000
<v Speaker 3>of my time while I'm there on behalf of South Carolinians.

0:32:21.400 --> 0:32:23.960
<v Speaker 3>There's been so much destruction over the past couple of

0:32:24.020 --> 0:32:26.920
<v Speaker 3>years that there's so much... you know, damage control that

0:32:26.960 --> 0:32:29.460
<v Speaker 3>needs to be done. So my number one priority is

0:32:29.500 --> 0:32:32.340
<v Speaker 3>stopping the Medicaid budget cuts. And if I become a Senator,

0:32:32.400 --> 0:32:34.540
<v Speaker 3>when I become a Senator, we will have a majority

0:32:34.560 --> 0:32:36.640
<v Speaker 3>in the house and the Senate, and we will have

0:32:36.680 --> 0:32:40.590
<v Speaker 3>the political power to stop these disastrous Medicaid budget cuts.

0:32:40.990 --> 0:32:43.190
<v Speaker 3>And I will work morning, noon and night to get

0:32:43.230 --> 0:32:46.850
<v Speaker 3>that done because I, it will be, it will be awful, awful,

0:32:46.970 --> 0:32:49.070
<v Speaker 3>awful for so many people. People will die in South

0:32:49.090 --> 0:32:53.370
<v Speaker 3>Carolina as a So that is my number one priority.

0:32:53.390 --> 0:32:56.650
<v Speaker 3>I think that, you know, one of the not symbolic,

0:32:56.670 --> 0:32:59.090
<v Speaker 3>but one of the secondary effects of me winning this

0:32:59.170 --> 0:33:01.950
<v Speaker 3>race is I'll have this opportunity to win over all

0:33:01.990 --> 0:33:05.440
<v Speaker 3>these South Carolinians who ultimately didn't vote for me, but

0:33:05.840 --> 0:33:07.760
<v Speaker 3>they're getting something different in a senator. And what they're

0:33:07.780 --> 0:33:09.540
<v Speaker 3>going to get is someone, like you said, that they

0:33:09.560 --> 0:33:12.220
<v Speaker 3>can trust someone who they know where they stand, someone

0:33:12.240 --> 0:33:14.300
<v Speaker 3>who shows up in the community, because I've been to

0:33:14.340 --> 0:33:16.500
<v Speaker 3>so many rural communities in South Carolina over the past year.

0:33:16.520 --> 0:33:17.680
<v Speaker 1>And I say, when's the last time you saw one

0:33:17.700 --> 0:33:19.370
<v Speaker 1>of your senators? And they're like, are you kidding? Like,

0:33:19.450 --> 0:33:20.150
<v Speaker 1>they don't come here.

0:33:21.330 --> 0:33:22.630
<v Speaker 3>I'm like, I'm going to I'm going to take so

0:33:22.670 --> 0:33:25.690
<v Speaker 3>much pride in my ability to to wow South Carolinians

0:33:25.730 --> 0:33:29.010
<v Speaker 3>with my governing and, you know, my like my truthfulness,

0:33:29.090 --> 0:33:32.490
<v Speaker 3>my integrity, show them what real leadership looks like, because

0:33:32.510 --> 0:33:35.090
<v Speaker 3>we've been missing that for so long. And, you know,

0:33:35.110 --> 0:33:37.030
<v Speaker 3>just keep my head down and get the job done.

0:33:37.050 --> 0:33:38.790
<v Speaker 1>You know, when you're a doctor, you work really, really

0:33:38.830 --> 0:33:41.230
<v Speaker 1>hard every day. Your days are long.

0:33:41.370 --> 0:33:44.510
<v Speaker 3>It's stressful. These are hard problems to solve. You work

0:33:44.530 --> 0:33:45.950
<v Speaker 3>with whoever you need to work with.

0:33:45.870 --> 0:33:46.390
<v Speaker 1>To solve them.

0:33:46.750 --> 0:33:49.310
<v Speaker 3>And I'll take this job of being a senator, you know,

0:33:49.370 --> 0:33:52.020
<v Speaker 3>the same. And we see so, you know, the Senate,

0:33:52.660 --> 0:33:54.640
<v Speaker 3>they don't work very hard and they need to.

0:33:54.740 --> 0:33:57.020
<v Speaker 2>The amount of vacations. I know.

0:33:58.080 --> 0:33:58.340
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

0:33:58.420 --> 0:34:00.640
<v Speaker 2>That's why, that's why we clearly need a new leader.

0:34:00.680 --> 0:34:03.200
<v Speaker 2>I'm like, Mike Johnson, you can't, you can't keep taking

0:34:03.240 --> 0:34:06.870
<v Speaker 2>paid leave. And then saying all the women and families

0:34:06.930 --> 0:34:09.509
<v Speaker 2>in America can't have any, like you can't have it

0:34:09.550 --> 0:34:13.660
<v Speaker 2>both ways, bro. So the idea that, you know, sane

0:34:13.719 --> 0:34:17.160
<v Speaker 2>Democrats could come back into power against all this insanity

0:34:17.200 --> 0:34:19.780
<v Speaker 2>and the double standard feels really, really nice.

0:34:20.200 --> 0:34:21.140
<v Speaker 1>And I think it does.

0:34:21.200 --> 0:34:23.279
<v Speaker 3>And I think there's going to be an opportunity to

0:34:23.340 --> 0:34:26.020
<v Speaker 3>find some areas of agreement so that we can sort

0:34:26.040 --> 0:34:28.259
<v Speaker 3>of get back into the spirit of bipartisanship. Because I

0:34:28.280 --> 0:34:31.140
<v Speaker 3>got to tell you, if a Democrat wins the Senate

0:34:31.160 --> 0:34:33.180
<v Speaker 3>seat in South Carolina, there's going to be motivation on

0:34:33.200 --> 0:34:35.960
<v Speaker 3>the Republican side to reach across the aisle and to.

0:34:35.900 --> 0:34:37.259
<v Speaker 1>Start working with Democrats again.

0:34:37.340 --> 0:34:39.500
<v Speaker 3>And then there's going to be opportunities because there's a

0:34:39.680 --> 0:34:41.239
<v Speaker 3>lot of things we agree on and it's, you know,

0:34:41.280 --> 0:34:45.029
<v Speaker 3>it's social media safety and our kids, it's AI regulation,

0:34:45.130 --> 0:34:47.590
<v Speaker 3>it's data centers. And we can, we can work on

0:34:47.610 --> 0:34:49.090
<v Speaker 3>those things that we sort of have a lot of

0:34:49.130 --> 0:34:51.669
<v Speaker 3>common ground on and then get the country moving back

0:34:51.710 --> 0:34:55.009
<v Speaker 3>in the direction of having healthy two party system where

0:34:55.030 --> 0:34:59.670
<v Speaker 3>bipartisanship is really like, you know, considered a positive attribute

0:34:59.710 --> 0:35:00.750
<v Speaker 3>in a member of Congress.

0:35:01.390 --> 0:35:04.009
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I mean, I think about how it used to be.

0:35:04.310 --> 0:35:07.899
<v Speaker 2>We had debates on fiscal policy, not on people's, rights

0:35:07.980 --> 0:35:08.700
<v Speaker 2>to exist.

0:35:08.920 --> 0:35:09.300
<v Speaker 1>Exactly.

0:35:10.040 --> 0:35:12.340
<v Speaker 2>And, you know, that was fringe. And now it's literally

0:35:12.360 --> 0:35:14.680
<v Speaker 2>in the halls of government. And it scares me. And

0:35:14.700 --> 0:35:17.930
<v Speaker 2>I would like us to get back to a place

0:35:17.950 --> 0:35:21.230
<v Speaker 2>where our country is expanding freedoms, not taking them away,

0:35:21.290 --> 0:35:23.730
<v Speaker 2>which began under our current president for the first time

0:35:23.790 --> 0:35:27.430
<v Speaker 2>in history. And it's unacceptable. And I do hope, to

0:35:27.469 --> 0:35:31.310
<v Speaker 2>your point, that the conversations that you've been able to

0:35:31.390 --> 0:35:34.070
<v Speaker 2>have and the conversations that other great candidates that I

0:35:34.090 --> 0:35:37.319
<v Speaker 2>know you work alongside are having will remind people that

0:35:37.360 --> 0:35:40.060
<v Speaker 2>we can do this together. I mean, I know we

0:35:40.080 --> 0:35:41.680
<v Speaker 2>talked about it at the top of the hour, but

0:35:41.820 --> 0:35:44.700
<v Speaker 2>even when I think about your dad, you know, your

0:35:44.739 --> 0:35:47.259
<v Speaker 2>dad was a Lindsey Graham voter. And now he's out

0:35:47.300 --> 0:35:51.080
<v Speaker 2>there believing that you are absolutely the best candidate and

0:35:51.120 --> 0:35:53.700
<v Speaker 2>your mom's wearing your button to the grocery store. And,

0:35:54.219 --> 0:35:58.680
<v Speaker 2>you know, I'm curious if you have any anecdotes, you know,

0:35:58.780 --> 0:36:01.580
<v Speaker 2>sweet moments with your parents, especially like when was the

0:36:01.620 --> 0:36:03.950
<v Speaker 2>first moment your dad went, Yeah, I'm going to vote

0:36:03.989 --> 0:36:05.750
<v Speaker 2>for you and not just because you're my kid, but

0:36:05.790 --> 0:36:07.730
<v Speaker 2>because I really like your policies.

0:36:07.750 --> 0:36:12.509
<v Speaker 3>Oh, that's a good question. You know, just like most families. So,

0:36:12.550 --> 0:36:15.529
<v Speaker 3>you know, 2016 was stressful. We knew we sort of

0:36:15.570 --> 0:36:18.090
<v Speaker 3>had a divided family. This includes my brothers and my

0:36:18.150 --> 0:36:21.530
<v Speaker 3>sisters in law. And there were heated conversations about politics

0:36:21.550 --> 0:36:23.610
<v Speaker 3>long before I ever even had an inkling that I

0:36:23.640 --> 0:36:26.500
<v Speaker 3>might run for office someday. And then, you know, just

0:36:26.580 --> 0:36:30.780
<v Speaker 3>watching these relationships and conversations evolve and it is included,

0:36:30.840 --> 0:36:34.580
<v Speaker 3>you know, it's, there's forgiveness involved, there's open-mindedness, there's a

0:36:34.640 --> 0:36:38.580
<v Speaker 3>willingness to admit when you got something wrong. Like very recently,

0:36:38.600 --> 0:36:41.100
<v Speaker 3>I think, you know, my dad said something to me,

0:36:41.260 --> 0:36:42.700
<v Speaker 3>I think he's going to be like, why did you

0:36:42.739 --> 0:36:44.500
<v Speaker 3>talk about me so much on this podcast, Danny?

0:36:44.540 --> 0:36:48.080
<v Speaker 1>But, um, he, um, yeah. Um, but he said something

0:36:48.100 --> 0:36:50.480
<v Speaker 1>to me, like, I owe you in a apology.

0:36:50.520 --> 0:36:53.549
<v Speaker 3>I owe you and your sisters-in-law an apology because you

0:36:53.570 --> 0:36:56.230
<v Speaker 3>all were really upset when Trump was elected. And I

0:36:56.270 --> 0:36:58.190
<v Speaker 3>told you, it's not going to be that bad. This

0:36:58.230 --> 0:37:00.570
<v Speaker 3>is how Republicans felt when Obama was elected.

0:37:00.590 --> 0:37:02.890
<v Speaker 1>And he said, I was wrong. I was wrong. You

0:37:02.910 --> 0:37:04.290
<v Speaker 1>guys were right. I was wrong.

0:37:04.370 --> 0:37:08.210
<v Speaker 3>And can you imagine if literally any member of the

0:37:08.310 --> 0:37:10.590
<v Speaker 3>US Senate would admit that they were wrong about something

0:37:10.630 --> 0:37:12.839
<v Speaker 3>or went on Fox News and said, we were wrong.

0:37:12.860 --> 0:37:16.140
<v Speaker 1>This guy's nuts. We need to do better. And we

0:37:16.160 --> 0:37:19.400
<v Speaker 1>just like that's there's Americans at the most part are

0:37:19.440 --> 0:37:19.859
<v Speaker 1>like that.

0:37:19.920 --> 0:37:22.200
<v Speaker 3>And we need to get back to, you know, displaying

0:37:22.239 --> 0:37:26.580
<v Speaker 3>that level of empathy, forgiveness, humility to admit when you

0:37:26.620 --> 0:37:29.920
<v Speaker 3>were wrong about something and understanding because we're not always

0:37:30.000 --> 0:37:33.080
<v Speaker 3>going to agree with everything everybody believes. We just need

0:37:33.100 --> 0:37:35.640
<v Speaker 3>to like find our common ground and work from there.

0:37:36.219 --> 0:37:37.410
<v Speaker 2>I really, really like that.

0:37:37.510 --> 0:37:38.320
<v Speaker 1>And I think you're right.

0:37:38.340 --> 0:37:45.339
<v Speaker 2>You I also think people need to know, you know,

0:37:46.040 --> 0:37:49.460
<v Speaker 2>those voters, they were lied to. And at the end

0:37:49.480 --> 0:37:51.760
<v Speaker 2>of the day, I'll never forget this. I was really

0:37:51.840 --> 0:37:56.089
<v Speaker 2>fortunate to do some campaigning around reproductive rights with our

0:37:56.170 --> 0:38:00.870
<v Speaker 2>former vice president, Kamala Harris. And she said something to

0:38:00.890 --> 0:38:03.969
<v Speaker 2>me when I was expressing frustration that so many people

0:38:04.010 --> 0:38:06.990
<v Speaker 2>had gone along with this. She said, hey, not everybody's

0:38:07.030 --> 0:38:09.360
<v Speaker 2>working with the same information that you are. And I

0:38:09.410 --> 0:38:14.510
<v Speaker 2>know that feels impossible. She said, but your algorithm... is 100%

0:38:14.510 --> 0:38:18.790
<v Speaker 2>different than some other people's algorithms. So you are frustrated

0:38:19.250 --> 0:38:23.130
<v Speaker 2>because you assume they chose harm given the same information

0:38:23.150 --> 0:38:25.210
<v Speaker 2>you have. But if you can imagine that they thought

0:38:25.250 --> 0:38:28.930
<v Speaker 2>they were choosing something better based on completely different information,

0:38:29.860 --> 0:38:34.320
<v Speaker 2>you might come back to those people sooner. And I thought,

0:38:34.420 --> 0:38:37.020
<v Speaker 2>especially for someone like her, that it was the most

0:38:37.200 --> 0:38:40.190
<v Speaker 2>generous advice possible to say like, don't turn your back

0:38:40.250 --> 0:38:42.629
<v Speaker 2>on your neighbor because you think they wanted to hurt

0:38:42.670 --> 0:38:45.870
<v Speaker 2>you or someone else. Like show up for those people

0:38:45.930 --> 0:38:49.040
<v Speaker 2>and make sure they have more information. And you're doing

0:38:49.100 --> 0:38:52.000
<v Speaker 2>that with this run. You are going to see voters

0:38:52.040 --> 0:38:55.719
<v Speaker 2>who don't normally get attention. You are having hard conversations

0:38:55.780 --> 0:38:57.940
<v Speaker 2>and realizing you have so much in common with people.

0:38:58.020 --> 0:39:01.590
<v Speaker 2>And I think, you know, sadly, I don't get to

0:39:01.630 --> 0:39:03.750
<v Speaker 2>vote in your state, but I think it's what makes

0:39:03.790 --> 0:39:06.370
<v Speaker 2>you such a tremendous candidate. It's why I look at

0:39:06.410 --> 0:39:09.279
<v Speaker 2>your race as something that gives me hope when the

0:39:09.340 --> 0:39:10.779
<v Speaker 2>news makes me want to rip all the hair out

0:39:10.980 --> 0:39:14.820
<v Speaker 2>of my head. So I'm curious how, I mean, obviously

0:39:14.860 --> 0:39:17.580
<v Speaker 2>for people in your state, but even for the rest

0:39:17.640 --> 0:39:21.649
<v Speaker 2>of us, you know, voters who want to inspire their

0:39:21.690 --> 0:39:25.710
<v Speaker 2>elected officials to fight for similar policy or who might

0:39:25.750 --> 0:39:27.489
<v Speaker 2>not live in your state, but who sure as hell

0:39:27.510 --> 0:39:29.930
<v Speaker 2>want to support your run, like where's the first place

0:39:30.140 --> 0:39:33.799
<v Speaker 2>people should go to learn about your platform to support

0:39:33.820 --> 0:39:36.920
<v Speaker 2>you what can we do whether we're your voters or not.

0:39:37.690 --> 0:39:40.370
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean, they can follow in your footsteps. They

0:39:40.410 --> 0:39:42.910
<v Speaker 3>can go to Dr. Annie Andrews.com. That's, you know, where

0:39:42.950 --> 0:39:45.130
<v Speaker 3>you can read so much about why I'm running and

0:39:45.170 --> 0:39:47.500
<v Speaker 3>what I'm running for and what my priorities are. You

0:39:48.000 --> 0:39:50.319
<v Speaker 3>can link to all my social media accounts there. I'm

0:39:50.360 --> 0:39:51.880
<v Speaker 3>very active on social media.

0:39:51.920 --> 0:39:54.100
<v Speaker 1>We have a lot of social media. Thank you. Thank you.

0:39:55.800 --> 0:39:58.350
<v Speaker 3>You know, Instagram is, you know, my bread and butter.

0:39:58.410 --> 0:40:01.770
<v Speaker 3>So follow me on Instagram at Annie Andrews MD. We

0:40:01.810 --> 0:40:04.890
<v Speaker 3>take donations from everyone everywhere in the country. Five dollars

0:40:05.010 --> 0:40:07.840
<v Speaker 3>from Wyoming is going to help us across the finish line.

0:40:08.200 --> 0:40:10.779
<v Speaker 3>We're really proud to not take corporate PAC money. But,

0:40:10.820 --> 0:40:13.340
<v Speaker 3>you know, once Republicans realize this race is really on

0:40:13.380 --> 0:40:15.060
<v Speaker 3>the line, the money is going to pour in and

0:40:15.080 --> 0:40:16.759
<v Speaker 3>the attack ads are going to come and it's going

0:40:16.780 --> 0:40:18.830
<v Speaker 3>to be difficult for me and my kids to. So

0:40:18.850 --> 0:40:20.610
<v Speaker 3>the least folks can do is, you know, rather than

0:40:20.650 --> 0:40:23.550
<v Speaker 3>buy that one coffee, send $ 5 my way. You can

0:40:23.590 --> 0:40:25.650
<v Speaker 3>sign up to phone bank and text bank from anywhere.

0:40:25.750 --> 0:40:29.569
<v Speaker 3>And we would love to have volunteers everywhere because there

0:40:29.590 --> 0:40:30.950
<v Speaker 3>are only 100 people in the U.S.

0:40:30.969 --> 0:40:31.310
<v Speaker 1>Senate.

0:40:31.390 --> 0:40:33.630
<v Speaker 3>The person who wins the Senate seat is going to

0:40:33.670 --> 0:40:36.930
<v Speaker 3>impact everyone across the country. It's a really important and

0:40:36.950 --> 0:40:39.549
<v Speaker 3>serious role, despite the way my opponent is treating it.

0:40:40.190 --> 0:40:41.950
<v Speaker 1>And, you know, we can do this. And it will

0:40:41.969 --> 0:40:44.290
<v Speaker 1>just honestly, like, it would send such a.

0:40:45.030 --> 0:40:47.569
<v Speaker 3>political statement across the country. If we pull this off

0:40:47.630 --> 0:40:50.670
<v Speaker 3>in South Carolina in a way that will reverberate through

0:40:50.690 --> 0:40:54.390
<v Speaker 3>the political ecosystem and reset, you know, the system so

0:40:54.489 --> 0:40:56.339
<v Speaker 3>that we can, again, get back to like remembering there's

0:40:56.360 --> 0:40:58.580
<v Speaker 3>more that unites us than divides us. We can stop

0:40:58.620 --> 0:41:00.940
<v Speaker 3>allowing people to profit off of our division, like you're

0:41:00.960 --> 0:41:04.140
<v Speaker 3>talking about with your social media algorithms. And it'll just be,

0:41:04.460 --> 0:41:06.640
<v Speaker 3>it would be an amazing moment for South Carolina, but

0:41:06.700 --> 0:41:09.000
<v Speaker 3>it'll be, I believe, one of those races that can

0:41:09.020 --> 0:41:11.640
<v Speaker 3>help reset the tone of political discourse in this country.

0:41:11.680 --> 0:41:13.299
<v Speaker 3>And so people wanna be a part of that. They

0:41:13.320 --> 0:41:15.089
<v Speaker 3>don't wanna just listen to this podcast. They wanna help

0:41:15.130 --> 0:41:17.390
<v Speaker 3>me get there so they can take some pride on

0:41:17.430 --> 0:41:19.270
<v Speaker 3>election night when they see me, when they know that

0:41:19.290 --> 0:41:20.730
<v Speaker 3>they were part of getting me to that point.

0:41:21.090 --> 0:41:23.430
<v Speaker 2>So obviously we're all gonna go and make sure we're

0:41:23.450 --> 0:41:26.250
<v Speaker 2>following you on all of the platforms. Like I said, friends,

0:41:26.330 --> 0:41:28.739
<v Speaker 2>I think something really important is if you see a

0:41:28.760 --> 0:41:33.739
<v Speaker 2>candidate who's not someone in your state supporting policies that

0:41:33.760 --> 0:41:36.980
<v Speaker 2>sound really smart. You have the right to say, hey,

0:41:37.040 --> 0:41:38.859
<v Speaker 2>I really like this. I really like what Dr. Annie

0:41:38.940 --> 0:41:41.180
<v Speaker 2>Andrews is saying she's going to do in South Carolina.

0:41:41.200 --> 0:41:43.410
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to call my senator. I'm going to call

0:41:43.489 --> 0:41:46.810
<v Speaker 2>my congressperson and ask them to fight for the same things.

0:41:47.370 --> 0:41:50.009
<v Speaker 2>This is how we coalition build. And when we take

0:41:50.050 --> 0:41:52.299
<v Speaker 2>back the Senate, it's how we're going to get things done.

0:41:53.000 --> 0:41:56.540
<v Speaker 2>You mentioned that there are opportunities if and when we

0:41:56.600 --> 0:41:58.860
<v Speaker 2>do that to stop some of these budget cuts. I

0:41:58.920 --> 0:42:01.560
<v Speaker 2>know the big beautiful bill, as they call it, which

0:42:01.600 --> 0:42:04.560
<v Speaker 2>is the most hideous piece of policy ever, is set

0:42:04.640 --> 0:42:10.759
<v Speaker 2>to cause even more funding cuts starting at the top

0:42:10.800 --> 0:42:15.069
<v Speaker 2>of 2027, which is so ugly. People don't even know

0:42:15.110 --> 0:42:17.390
<v Speaker 2>how bad it can get. It makes me feel really

0:42:17.469 --> 0:42:20.419
<v Speaker 2>hopeful to hear you talk about how If we do

0:42:20.520 --> 0:42:23.279
<v Speaker 2>reclaim political power, we can stop some of that. It

0:42:23.300 --> 0:42:25.840
<v Speaker 2>doesn't have to get as bad as the Republicans want

0:42:25.860 --> 0:42:29.689
<v Speaker 2>it to. And so I think that's exactly the kind

0:42:29.710 --> 0:42:32.469
<v Speaker 2>of information that empowers us to keep our foot on

0:42:32.489 --> 0:42:34.890
<v Speaker 2>the gas right now and make it through the midterms.

0:42:34.910 --> 0:42:37.810
<v Speaker 2>So friends, make sure you're signing up to support. Make

0:42:37.850 --> 0:42:41.630
<v Speaker 2>sure you join us for phone banking for Annie or

0:42:41.690 --> 0:42:44.390
<v Speaker 2>for your candidates. Make sure you're out door knocking. I

0:42:44.630 --> 0:42:47.770
<v Speaker 2>promise you this kind of volunteerism is what's going to

0:42:47.930 --> 0:42:50.759
<v Speaker 2>give you hope and be the antidote to the kind

0:42:50.800 --> 0:42:53.920
<v Speaker 2>of apathy that people in power right now are hoping

0:42:53.980 --> 0:42:57.270
<v Speaker 2>to create. Before I let you go and do the

0:42:57.310 --> 0:42:59.190
<v Speaker 2>rest of your work for the night, I have to

0:42:59.290 --> 0:43:03.930
<v Speaker 2>ask you my favorite question. And it can be personal, professional, political,

0:43:04.370 --> 0:43:07.089
<v Speaker 2>anything you like, but I'm just curious what feels like

0:43:07.230 --> 0:43:08.650
<v Speaker 2>your work in progress right now.

0:43:09.980 --> 0:43:13.910
<v Speaker 3>Oh, my 14-year-old daughter. We're at this like critical stage.

0:43:13.930 --> 0:43:15.729
<v Speaker 3>You know, she just started high school. We get along

0:43:15.770 --> 0:43:18.009
<v Speaker 3>really well. I know she thinks I'm cool still. And

0:43:18.050 --> 0:43:20.650
<v Speaker 3>I know that that's going to be like a fleeting moment.

0:43:21.469 --> 0:43:25.170
<v Speaker 3>But I'm just so proud of the woman she, I know,

0:43:25.250 --> 0:43:28.009
<v Speaker 3>is going to become. And, you know, I just, I

0:43:28.050 --> 0:43:30.489
<v Speaker 3>can't wait to see what her future holds. I'm just

0:43:30.530 --> 0:43:33.410
<v Speaker 3>so grateful for every day she continues to like me.

0:43:33.430 --> 0:43:35.560
<v Speaker 3>Because I know we're going to enter that period where

0:43:35.620 --> 0:43:37.700
<v Speaker 3>like naturally she wants to pull away a little bit.

0:43:37.739 --> 0:43:38.120
<v Speaker 1>And I'm just.

0:43:38.640 --> 0:43:40.660
<v Speaker 3>really proud of her and I'm proud of myself for

0:43:40.700 --> 0:43:41.299
<v Speaker 3>raising her.

0:43:41.200 --> 0:43:44.819
<v Speaker 2>Oh that's so special and yeah that's I mean that's

0:43:44.840 --> 0:43:46.799
<v Speaker 2>who we do it for right we're trying to build

0:43:46.840 --> 0:43:48.799
<v Speaker 2>a better future so our kids get to enjoy it

0:43:50.780 --> 0:43:53.009
<v Speaker 2>well thank you so much for coming on the podcast

0:43:53.070 --> 0:43:55.890
<v Speaker 2>I'm just so geeked to have had you here today

0:43:56.670 --> 0:43:59.710
<v Speaker 2>and you've got a whole coalition of people over here

0:43:59.790 --> 0:44:01.350
<v Speaker 2>who are going to be supporting you from near and

0:44:01.370 --> 0:44:01.609
<v Speaker 2>far

0:44:02.090 --> 0:44:03.830
<v Speaker 3>Thank you so much for having me and I look

0:44:03.850 --> 0:44:05.109
<v Speaker 3>forward to chatting next time