Gloves Off

Two of the Democratic Party's rising stars just watched their campaigns collapse — and the same woman was behind both. 

In this episode of Gloves Off, Tara McGowan sits down with attorney, organizer and Reckoning Action founder Cheyenne Hunt to talk about the survivors who brought down Eric Swalwell and Graham Platner as well as what it takes to hold powerful men accountable in 2026.

Tara and Cheyenne go deep on the Graham Platner Maine Senate race, the sexual assault allegations that ended his campaign against Susan Collins and the role survivor Jenny Racicot played in coming forward. They break down how The Reckoning supports survivors of sexual assault and workplace abuse and why the "perfect victim" myth keeps women from being believed. Cheyenne also explains the manufactured, well-funded resurgence of misogyny playing out across social media — from tradwife content to the messaging aimed at young women to want less. The right has built a media pipeline the left still hasn't learned how to combat.

That’s what Cheyenne’s on a mission to change. And her next target is the Epstein class…

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Only one person — one private citizen — had the guts to take Todd Blanche to court over the Epstein files. And she’s winning. That's why Tara McGowan sat down with trial lawyer, former prosecutor and independent journalist Katie Phang, whose lawsuit against Todd Blanche is now the single biggest legal threat to the Epstein cover-up — and his Senate confirmation…
See, Trump ran on releasing the Epstein files. Then Pam Bondi spent her tenure fumbling trying to convince the nation he wasn’t implicated, so Trump installed his own personal defense lawyer to run the DOJ. Blanche immediately declared the case closed. Not for Katie, though…
When Katie started digging into what she believes is the real story of the Epstein operation — the modeling ring, the visas, the system that let powerful men traffic girls in plain sight — she hit wall after wall of illegal redactions. The law allows redactions for ONE reason: protecting victims. Co-conspirators aren't included. So Katie sued and a federal judge agreed: Blanche violated federal law and conceded it in court.
Tara and Katie get into all of it — what's really hiding under the redactions, why the DOJ thought no one would ever check their work, the Melania press conference nobody followed up on and why Katie says she never could have filed this lawsuit at MSNBC.
Subscribe to Katie Phang’s YouTube: @katiephangnews
Follow Tara McGowan on Instagram: @taramcgowanri
And #BlockBlanche

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If you've been wondering who's actually building the alternative to Trumpism — not just the opposition — this next guest is your answer. 

Maurice Mitchell is the national director of the Working Families Party, the insurgent political force behind Zohran Mamdani's historic New York City mayoral win and a wave of working-class candidates beating establishment Democrats in primaries from the South Bronx to Bakersfield.

Maurice does not believe backlash to Trump is not a strategy. So he’s coming to this conversation with a real diagnosis and solution to the DCCC’s problems. Mo’s breaking down how the Epstein files prove what working people always suspected about the billionaire class, why the Democratic establishment is actively sabotaging its own best candidates and how they’re handing 2028 to the Tucker Carlsons of the world if they succeed. 

This is a conversation about corruption, cost of living and what it actually looks like to build a political party that fights for everyone — not just the donor class. What Maurice calls "solidarity populism" isn't Pollyanna. It's a bet that working people across race, region and party have more in common with each other than any of them do with Jeff Bezos. And the Working Families Party is running that bet in races across the country right now.

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With ICE threatening to flood New York City with more federal agents than it's ever seen, this congressional candidate is already two arrests deep and just walked out of federal court not guilty…

That's why Tara McGowan sat down with Brad Lander, former NYC Comptroller, Democrat who helped Zohran Mamdani defeat Andrew Cuomo and now the leading challenger to incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman in New York's 10th Congressional District. Fresh off his acquittal for "blocking an elevator" at 26 Federal Plaza — where ICE has been running an illegal detention facility on the 10th floor — Brad joins Tara to talk about what's coming for New York City and why he isn't scared.

They get into Tom Homan's threat to deploy the largest ICE surge New York has ever seen in direct retaliation for Governor Hochul's new immigrant protection laws, what Minneapolis taught the country about showing up for your neighbors and why Brad believes the line in the Democratic Party right now isn't progressive versus moderate, it's fighters versus fakers. 

Here's what all they get into:

Inside Brad's ICE Arrest — 1:32

Will ICE Escalate In New York? — 7:29

Why Run For Congress? — 16:54

Who's Brad's Top Target? — 20:32

Where Brad Finds Courage — 22:49

Early voting is open now and the NY-10 primary is June 23rd.

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The Democratic Party has spent a decade trying to stop Donald Trump, so why does it still feel like nobody has a real, working plan?

That’s why Tara McGowan sat down with Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy and Democratic candidate for New York's 12th Congressional District. They had an honest conversation about the future of the Democratic Party, corruption in politics, billionaire influence, Israel and Palestine and why so many voters are losing faith in America's institutions.

Jack argues that Democrats have become too cautious, too comfortable with failure and too dependent on the same political playbook that helped create the crisis they're now trying to solve. He also calls out the flood of super PAC money pouring into one of the most closely watched congressional primaries in the country. 

Here’s what all they get into: 

1:55 —  Why Jack Schlossberg Decided to Run

7:53 — Inside the Fight for the Democratic Party's Future

19:45 — How JFK’s Grandson Defines His Politics

25:49 — What Jack Schlossberg Would Fight For In Congress First

28:30 — The Americans Who Motivate Jack

With just a couple weeks left before voters head to the polls in Manhattan's closely watched NY-12 race, Tara and Jack get at a much bigger question — what kind of Democratic Party comes next?

Subscribe to Gloves Off for more questions and answers with the candidates, organizers and political figures shaping the future of American politics.

And check out the live debate COURIER News and Meidas Touch are hosting with all the NY-12 candidates on June 10. They'll go head-to-head on affordability, housing, immigration and more at a time when voters are demanding something different from their leaders.

Click the link below to register and watch the debate for free: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ny-12-primary-debate-tickets-1990117186076?aff

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What does it mean for democracy when some of the most powerful companies in the world are trying to shape who gets elected before voters cast their ballots?

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Donald Trump won Iowa by 13 points in 2024. Democrats haven't won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 2008. But with an open Senate seat, an open governor's race, and growing signs of political volatility, Iowa may once again be an important battleground state.

This week on Gloves Off, Tara McGowan sits down with both Democratic candidates running for Iowa's U.S. Senate seat: Zach Wahls and Josh Turek.

In back-to-back interviews, Tara asks the same questions about corruption, Democratic leadership, campaign finance reform, immigration, healthcare, the cost-of-living crisis, and what it will take to win back voters in a state that has shifted dramatically to the right.

Both candidates argue Democrats need to reconnect with working-class voters. Both call for major reforms to the political system. But they disagree on electability, Democratic Party leadership, and who is best positioned to take on Republicans in one of the country's most consequential Senate races.

If Democrats are going to win back states like Iowa—and potentially the Senate itself—what kind of candidate can actually get the job done?

Watch and decide for yourself.

#GlovesOff #Iowa #USSenate #Democrats #Politics #Election2026 #ZachWahls #JoshTurek #ProgressivePolitics #TaraMcGowan

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After Donald Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over John Cornyn, what was already a nasty GOP primary suddenly turned into an all out Republican civil war. And Democrats think the chaos could finally create a real opening in Texas for the first time in decades.

That’s why Tara McGowan sat down with Democratic strategist and Way to Win co-founder Tory Gavito for a deep dive on how Texas could decide the future of democracy. Here’s what they get into:

Inside the Paxton–Cornyn Republican civil war — :31

Why Texas matters nationally — 2:44

If economic populism can win in Texas — 17:02

If Texas voters can overcome suppression — 33:33

How Latino voters are reshaping Texas — 40:13

Where the Democratic coalition is headed — 46:41

What gives Tory Gavito courage right now — 52:43

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What happens when the Supreme Court starts laying the legal groundwork to roll back the Reconstruction Amendments themselves? And what does it mean for American democracy when Republican lawmakers openly talk about overturning the 14th Amendment while carving up Black voting power across the South?

That’s why Tara McGowan sat down with civil rights attorney and ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms for one of the most urgent conversations we’ve had on Gloves Off yet. Together, they break down the Supreme Court’s devastating Louisiana redistricting decision, the coordinated GOP effort to dismantle the Voting Rights Act and why Alanah says this moment was decades in the making. 

They unpack how this ruling immediately triggered new racial gerrymandering efforts in states like Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana, why John Roberts has spent his career trying to weaken voting rights protections and how Project 2025 fits into a broader movement to consolidate Republican power for a generation. They also dive deep into the history of Reconstruction, the 14th Amendment, white backlash politics and why the attacks on Black political representation are connected to attacks on reproductive rights, immigration rights and democracy itself. Questions and topics as follows: 

Timeline on the Louisiana vs. Callais case — 4:34

Who were the people behind the Callais case? — 12:27

Reaction to challenging Louisiana’s new congressional district map — 15:05

How were you, your colleagues and impacted communities preparing for the Supreme Court’s decision in Callais? — 17:06

What do we do now in response to the Louisiana vs. Callais decision? — 30:26

Do we need entirely new institutions to restore moral clarity in our government? — 36:47

PSA to white women — 48:19

Where does Alanah source her courage from? — 52:05

From the future of voting rights to Supreme Court reform, this conversation is a warning about where the country is headed — and what it will take to fight back.

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Are Democrats only winning because MAGA is fracturing more and more each day? Can they really rebuild trust with voters, define a coherent vision and answer to the growing anti-establishment anger inside their own coalition?

Tara McGowan sat down with David Pakman, host of the David Pakman Show, for a brutally honest conversation about the future of the Democratic Party, the rise of economic populism and the collapse of institutional trust. They unpack all the DNC backlash, the 2028 Democratic primary and why so many voters feel politically homeless right now.

They also debate whether Democrats are actually learning the right lessons from Trumpism, why outsider candidates are gaining steam and how social media platforms, YouTube politics and digital propaganda are reshaping American democracy in real time. 

From Hasan Piker and independent media to JD Vance, Josh Hawley and the future of the Republican Party, this conversation dives deep into the political realignment already underway ahead of 2028.

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