Building the Bench

Rep. Haley Stevens was chief of staff on Obama's Auto Rescue Task Force when Michigan was at the bottom of the Great Recession. She took calls from workers and small business owners who were scared they were going to lose everything. That experience shapes everything about how she approaches her work in Congress.

On this episode, the Michigan congresswoman talks about what tariffs are doing to small and midsize manufacturers that the national headlines aren't covering, why she thinks Democrats need to stop chasing viral moments and start getting specific about solutions, and why she's giving up her House seat to run for Senate against a candidate she says wants to rubber stamp Donald Trump.

Congresswoman Emily Randall won her first state Senate race by 102 votes. She knocked more doors than anyone else in the race and asked every voter (including the ones who told her they'd never vote for her) what they actually wanted.

That instinct runs through everything she does. On this episode, she talks about her sister's experience with Medicaid, why it motivated her to run, and what the Democratic Party should be building, not just restoring, when it gets power back.

Texas (and national) Republicans keep passing wildly harmful legislation legislation. Some of the lawmakers voting for it, Rep. Julie Johnson says, privately know it’s wrong.

So why does it keep happening?

Johnson, the first LGBTQ woman elected to Congress from the South, joins me to talk about cowardice in politics, the anger she feels watching rights get weaponized, and why she has zero patience for voters who opt out and then act shocked by the consequences.

She’s also blunt: ideological purity tests don’t win majorities, red-state voices are missing from national messaging, and if you want governing power, you have to protect swing seats like your life depends on it.

Millions of Epstein documents are now public. Millions more remain unreleased.

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, joins Building the Bench to explain how disclosure was forced, why resistance inside Congress lasted as long as it did, and what finally made delay unsustainable.

She also describes how the Democratic Women’s Caucus has pushed healthcare, caregiving, and women’s health higher on the party’s agenda by keeping those issues on the floor and out of committee limbo.

NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to last week’s release of Epstein documents.

The vanguard of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization shines a light on modern voter suppression and how democracy is quietly being reworked outside of public view.

Congresswoman Summer Lee returns for a Building the Bench bonus episode to unpack a turbulent week in Washington.

Lee discusses the ongoing Republican paralysis in the House, the approaching expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits, and why temporary health care extensions leave families one step from losing coverage. She also reflects on recent Democratic electoral momentum and why it will only last if Democrats earn trust with clear priorities and real proposals.

The episode also covers Lee’s new AI Civil Rights Act and the growing risk of algorithmic discrimination as artificial intelligence is used to make life-changing decisions without guardrails.

Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth joins Building the Bench to trace the path from her first experience testifying before lawmakers at nineteen to becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the Maryland Senate. She talks about learning politics from inside Congressional icon Steny Hoyer’s office as an intern, developing a reputation for preparation and follow-through, and how those habits shape her work now as a new member in Congress.

Rep. Summer Lee opens up about her upbringing in Western Pennsylvania, the pressures new members face inside Congress, and how big money shapes what gets attention in Washington. She reflects on changing representation in Congress and what it takes to stay rooted in the community that sent her there.

From space exploration to Congress, Whitesides shares how curiosity, empathy, and mission-driven leadership guide his work in Washington.

Ramirez joins me to discuss the ICE raids upending families and neighborhoods, the grassroots networks stepping up in their wake, and why the real test of democracy is how people respond when government fails to protect them.