The 2025 elections delivered shockwaves across the country—and even sharper aftershocks across the West Coast.

In our first Pacific Time compilation episode, Greg brings back three trusted voices back to make sense of what just happened and what might be coming next:

• Ashley Brown, comparative elections expert
• Mark Fiore, Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist
• Sandeep Kaushik, West Coast political strategist

Answering separately we unpack:

• Zohran Mamdani defeating Andrew Cuomo in NYC and what (if anything) it means for us on the West Coast
• Possibly pragmatic socialist Katie Wilson toppling the incumbent in Seattle's race for mayor
• Centrist Democrats sweeping governor’s races in New Jersey & Virginia
• California’s Prop 50 landslide—an aggressive response to Texas’s partisan redistricting

Each guest answers the same big questions: What surprised them? What signals matter for 2026? What are their dream and nightmare scenarios?

It’s a lively, alarming, and unexpectedly hopeful episode about a country on the brink—and why the West Coast may once again lead the way.

Highlights

• Why Prop 50 passed by a wide margin—and why it was an “up-down vote on Trump’s rule.”
• Ranked choice voting lessons from New York’s mayoral upset
• The widening divide within the Democratic Party—and why it may intensify, not resolve
• What Seattle’s knife-edge mayoral race says about America’s political stalemate
• The 2026 headlines our guests can imagine now—from “Blue Wave Sweeps America” to warnings of an autocratic future

About Our Guests
All returning friends of the pod...

Ashley Brown — Comparative Elections Expert

A longtime student of electoral systems around the world, Ashley specializes in how voting structures influence democratic legitimacy, turnout, and trust. He brings deep, global perspective on gerrymandering, ranked choice voting, proportionality, and election design.

Mark Fiore — Pulitzer-Winning Political Cartoonist
One of the most influential and groundbreaking political cartoonists working today, Mark’s satirical animations and illustrations have shaped how millions make sense of American politics, extremism, and hypocrisy.

Sandeep Kaushik — Political Strategist & Commentator
A Seattle-based political consultant and co-host of Blue City Blues and Seattle Nice, Sandeep is one of the West Coast’s sharpest interpreters of local and national political dynamics.

Related Episodes

• 25 Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown
• 12 What If the Resistance Was Funny? With Mark Fiore
• 10 What if Blue Cities Got It Together? With Sandeep Kaushik
  
  

Resources

• Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way - The Atlantic
• Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson Says Seattle Nice is “Special” - Seattle Nice Podcast (Spotify)
• Mark Fiore’s Political Cartoons - Substack
• 5 California election takeaways after voters pass Proposition 50 - CalMatters

A Spicy Question For You

What are your dream and nightmare scenarios for where the country goes in 2026? (Provocative, far-out, thoughtful answers might just make it on the next episode)

Answer Here and Join the Conversation

YouTube; Substack; or Instagram. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. 

Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank You:

• Guests: Sandeep Kaushik, Mark Fiore, Ashley Brown
• Producer: Tim Wohlberg
• Musical Inspiration: Caamp, Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show (Can you tell I'm on a bluegrass kick?)
• Moral Support: My family who gathered from far & wide over Thanksgiving and pulled off a great feast