Capitol Courage

Today, on a special episode of Capitol Courage, join us as we discuss the results of the 2025 Virginia House and statewide primaries. From the role of corporate money in this primary season, water crises, some of the big wins of the night, and our hopes for the Democratic statewide ticket in the general election, let’s bring on the 2025 general election!

With another recent vacation from our end (join us for an extended Disney discussion), welcome back to Capitol Courage!!

There are fights across the country, with lots of heroes (think the people exercising their constitutional rights of free speech and petitioning the government) and cowards (spineless politicians who won’t meet the moment). And we’re so honored this week to welcome Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) to the pod this week to discuss his approach to public service and why he’s taking on Big Pharma to make medicine more affordable. Plus like our co-hosts, he’s a beagle owner and lover!

After taking a break for Ryan’s vacation (hear about it on this episode), we’re back! ICYMI, Republicans in the U.S. House recently passed a Big, Ugly Bill in the dead of night, hoping that you wouldn’t notice the dangerous provisions that would make life more expensive and overall worse for regular people. Profiles in courage that they are, we’re today diving into some of the key provisions of the bill, including how it would impact our home state of Virginia.

The good news is that this awful bill is not yet law, and there are weeks if not months for the public to speak out and fight this bill that would rip away health care from millions of Americans, make groceries even more expensive, and put our basic judicial checks and balances at risk.

Join us to learn more, and as always, share today’s episode with your friends and be sure to follow us on Twitter @CapitolCourage and Instagram and TikTok @CapitolCouragePod.

Welcome Fellow Courageous Virginians & Beyond!

Rhena has taken over the duties of writing up this blog post while Ryan is out of the country so GOOD LUCK TO US ALL. MUHAHAHA.

No but really, this week’s episode is so so special for us. We have our first guest! Delegate Karrie Delaney (VA-HD 09) brings a discussion on taking on one of the largest and most well-resourced lobbies - the pharmaceutical industry. We talk through her “why”, the direct impacts her legislation has on Virginians, & talk about why COURAGE is so crucial in politics.

Can you guess our Coward of the Week? Hint: No, we have not moved on from the John Reid of it all!

While we all cry in unison that Ryan is abroad (and may stay there forever IYKYK), drown your tears (of laughter) with me in this week’s episode!

Welcome listeners! Like Star Wars, we have a New Hope for Episode 4, and that’s an end to Peace in the Valley in the Virginia legislature. We welcome Progress in the Valley, Meaningful Change in the Valley, and sometimes even Chaos in the Valley.

This week’s episode brings a discussion on the history of the Virginia Way: a prioritization of compromise and civility over big, structural changes. Did you know Virginia was founded as a corporation? Today’s history lesson takes you into how Virginia has too often prioritized corporate profit over the needs of those doing the labor and work that drives our economy.

And can you guess our first repeat Coward of the Week?

From the Kentucky Derby, Donald Trump’s Emmy loss leading us down this weird timeline, why lawyers should be protected, and why it’s always good to remind voters where you stand, join us for a fun time!

If it’s Thursday, that means it’s time for another episode of Capitol Courage! Join us today for episode 3, where we break down our thoughts on the Democratic LG and AG primaries in Virginia, and why those races are so important this year. While the Governor understandably gets a lot of attention, these two offices will play a key role in advancing — or stopping — a bold agenda in 2026 to make life better for Virginians.

And of course, if we’re talking about the LG race in Virginia, we have to discuss the still-going controversy around Republican nominee John Reid, which might have a little something to do with our cowards of the week.

As always, share with your friends to subscribe, and follow us on Twitter @CapitolCourage and Instagram and TikTok @CapitolCouragePod. Our DMs are open with any ideas you might have for topics, heroes & cowards, or guests. And stay tuned in the coming weeks for special guests starting to join us.

For those of you that know us already, or listened last week, you know that we’re based in Virginia and that in our day jobs we do advocacy at the Virginia General Assembly. Well, we couldn’t wait any longer to dive into some of the biggest fights of the 2025 legislative session. Join us to hear about some of the courageous fights, whether they be on the affordability crisis facing the middle class, or the work to enshrine our freedoms in Virginia’s Constitution.

And of course, you know we had to touch on at least one courageous David and Goliath fight of some regular people in their community taking on a big corporation trying to buy its way through state government. Any guesses?

Plus you know each week we’ll dive into the latest greatest — and worst — heroes and cowards of this week in national and Virginia politics. Let’s get into it, this is Episode 2 of Capitol Courage!

While we’re still growing, please share the episode and tell your friends and coworkers to subscribe or follow us on social, where we’re on Twitter @CapitolCourage and Instagram and TikTok @CapitolCouragePod.

Welcome to Capitol Courage, where politics meets bold ideas and fearless conversations. We’re here to break down the biggest stories in Virginia and across the country with hot takes, real talk, and a little fun along the way. Whether it’s policy fights, political showdowns, or leaders making waves, we’re diving into the courage it takes to stand up, speak out, and shake things up.

Join us for episode 1, where we break down the news of the week, the leaders taking on courageous fights, and the cowards not meeting the moment.

Welcome to Capitol Courage, the podcast where we break down the biggest political stories—Virginia, national, and everything in between. 

We’re bringing hot takes, bold moves, and the stories of people shaking things up in politics.

And, of course, we’ll throw in a little fun, a little shade, and a lot of unfiltered commentary.

So if you’re tired of the same old political chatter and want something smart, sharp, and just a little rebellious, join us!