Arena Talks

Jesse Colvin is running for Congress in Maryland’s 1st District.

We spoke with Jesse right after Conor Lamb’s stunning victory. Jesse’s race is even tougher than the Lamb race - at least on paper.

Jesse is a former US Army Intelligence Officer. He completed four combat deployments in Afghanistan, as well as a year in the South Korea DMZ.

He’s also a product of a bipartisan marriage. His wife is a former police officer and former aide to Congressional Republicans.

Jesse is running an incredible race in Maryland. He shares some of his experiences from the trail, and draws some conclusions from the Lamb race that can help us think through which races to bet on and prioritize in 2018.

Michael Simon is a pioneer in the field of data and analytics and Arena Co-Founder and Board Member.

Michael Simon is a pioneer in the field of data and analytics and an Arena Co-Founder and Board Member.

He traces the origins of data and analytics in modern political campaigns to the present day controversy about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.

Michael ran Data and Analytics for the Obama 2008 campaign. He then founded HaystaqDNA, a leader in the field of political data and analytics. He’s now the founder and CEO of Elucd, where he works with police departments around the country to understand the relationship between the police and their constituents.

At the end of the pod, Michael bestows some expert advice on travel and points.

Michael ran Data and Analytics for the Obama 2008 campaign. He then founded HaystaqDNA, a leader in the field of political data and analytics. He’s now the founder and CEO of Elucd, where he works with police departments around the country to understand the relationship between the police and their constituents.

At the end of the pod, Michael bestows some expert advice on travel and points.

This is one of our favorite episodes.

Desmond Meade is the Founder and President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

More importantly, he is somebody who has been directly impacted by voting rights restrictions. He spent years addicted to drugs and served time in prison. As a result, he is one of the million plus US citizens living in Florida who has had their voting rights stripped away.

We talk with Desmond about why he turned his life around, why he decided to stay in Florida and fight for the rights of others, and some incredibly promising developments in his fight to restore voting rights.

Rashida Tlaib and Ian Conyers are both running for Congress in a special election for Michigan’s 13th District. Both are active members of The Arena community — having served as hosts for our Detroit Summit last June.

They are running for a seat that was previously held by John Conyers, who recently announced that he will step down.

We will first hear from Rashida. She was a two-term member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She’s a force of nature and well known community organizer.

Then we hear from Ian. He is one of the youngest ever elected members of the Michigan State Senate. He has been an energetic voice for change in Detroit.

Michigan’s 13th Congressional District includes Detroit and surrounding areas within Wayne County. We discuss some local issues, as well as why we need new representation in Washington.

A few weeks ago, Dan Pfeiffer implored listeners of Pod Save America to do more to counter GOP messaging on the Trump tax bill. That call came as the New York Times and others reported on increased popularity for the legislation amidst a massive Koch-funded effort.

In response to these trends, we’ve been in search of members of our community working to communicate with voters about what’s really in the bill. That led us to Andrea Purse, who is an advisor to the Not One Penny Campaign and former White House communications official. In this interview, Andrea discusses recent research on changing public perceptions on the bill and she gives some advice for campaigns, operatives, and funders opposed to the legislation.

Why are Republicans in charge of the State Senate in New York — one of the bluest states in the country? Why are New York’s voting law so antiquated? Why is progressive legislation often dead on arrival in Albany?

The answers to these questions lead back to a small group of Democrats in the New York State Senate that call themselves the Independent Democratic Caucus (I.D.C.). In exchange for perks like better office space and committee assignments, they empower the Republican majority leadership, ensuring that progressive legislation doesn’t get passed.

This is akin to Democrats getting elected Congress, then turning around and voting for Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House.

That’s what happens in New York.

But there’s a group of new leaders running to take back the State Senate. Jessica Ramos is one of them.

Jessica is running against Jose Peralta in the 13th District, who is a member of the I.D.C. Jessica tells her story and explains why the I.D.C. is a major threat to working families and vulnerable populations throughout New York.

Welcome to another special edition of The Arena Talks.

We recorded this episode on February 18th - two days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed conspiracy and fraud charges against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations.

We welcome back Anthony Vitarelli to help make sense of the charges. Anthony is a former Federal Prosecutor for the US Department of Justice and former Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of the Treasury. He began his legal career clerking for Supreme Court Justices David Souter and Stephen Breyer.

Anthony walks us through the charges and explains what they could mean for the future.

Celinda Lake is one of the leading pollsters and political researchers in the country.

Over the last few months, we worked with Celinda and her team at Lake Research Partners to study civic and political engagement among millennials in the post 2016 climate.

The research validated a few things we expected - but it also revealed a few surprises.

In this episode, we talk about: (1:00) How and why Graig first decided to run for office; (3:30) A day in the life of a state legislator; (6:20) Why power matters; (7:10) The harm caused by gerrymandering in North Carolina; (9:30) Key elections in North Carolina in 2018; (11:30) The “surgical precision" of gerrymandering in North Carolina; (13:25) North Carolina’s “Third Koch Brother”; (14:50) The different components of the right wing machine at the state level; (17:30) Republican attempts to strip the Democratic Governor, Attorney General, and Supreme Court of power; (20:30) The stakes of the 2018 elections in North Carolina; (21:30) Democrats need to run on the norms and integrity of elections themselves; (25:00) What you can do to help.

Gina is a first generation American and the daughter of a single mom. She served as an Air Force Officer in Iraq, and went on to work in national security in many levels of the government during the Obama administration and the transition to the Trump administration.

Gina talks about serving in the military, why she’s running, and some of the challenges she has faced so far in her campaign.