He’s Not Wrong

He’s Not Wrong

By Chad DuBoisSociety & Culture
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He’s Not Wrong episodes

  • Senator Jared Sluss: Don't Count Alabama Out

    Democrat Jared Sluss just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 Alabama election, flipping Alabama Senate District 7 from red to blue. He beat two-term Republican state senator Sam Givhan by 577 votes while being outspent roughly $978,000 to $45,000.

    Jared talks about how his grassroots campaign won in Huntsville and Madison County, what voters told him at the door, and whether Trump, the national political environment, or the fight over the Meta data center did more to drive the result. We also get into what’s realistic for a Democrat in Alabama’s Republican supermajority: Medicaid expansion, eliminating the state grocery tax, public education funding, and data center accountability.

    At 29, Jared Sluss will be the youngest member of the Alabama Senate. 

    Be a part of change at www.BamaForward.org

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    33 min
  • Louise Jones: A New Vision for Alabama’s First Lady

    Alabama hasn't had a First Lady in nearly a decade. If former U.S. Senator Doug Jones wins the 2026 Alabama governor's race, his wife, Louise Jones, would step into a role that has sat largely vacant since 2017, giving her a rare blank canvas to define it with her own voice and leadership.

    In this episode, I sit down with Louise Jones to talk about her vision for the role of Alabama's First Lady, what she's hearing from voters on the campaign trail, and what Alabamians could expect from a Jones administration in Montgomery.

    This episode of He's Not Wrong is sponsored by Basic, right here in Birmingham, Alabama. Most of us have no idea where our clothes come from, who made them, or what those folks got paid. Basic does. Since 2016, this shop in downtown Birmingham has focused on slow fashion and ethically made goods. Every piece on their racks was made in fair conditions by people earning a living wage. You'll find clothing, accessories, home goods, and gifts from brands like the jean jones collection, niki chasin, KAAREM, melee Bianco, kowtow, and a whole lot more. On top of that, a portion of every sale goes to organizations fighting for human rights. So if you're shopping for yourself or grabbing a gift, do it somewhere that actually stands for something. Head to www.abasicshop.com or stop by the shop at 2214 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.

    For more info go to: https://www.dougjones.com/

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    39 min
  • Tabitha Isner: Inside the Fight Over the Alabama Democratic Party

    Alabama Democratic Party Vice Chair Tabitha Isner joins the show to discuss the state of the party ahead of its August 8 reorganization meeting, where a new chair will be elected. Isner explains why she ended her 2026 State Senate campaign after the Eleventh Circuit reinstated Alabama's 2021 district map, then walks through the party's recent history: the 2018 and 2019 leadership dispute that led the DNC to withhold funds and order new leadership elections, the 2022 election of Randy Kelley as chair, the subsequent removal of the party's youth, LGBTQ, Hispanic, Native American, and disability caucuses, and her own account of four years as vice chair under Randy Kelley. The episode also examines a 2018 check Isner wrote to a PAC following an endorsement from the Alabama Democratic Conference, which she says was never reported, and an April 2026 letter from ADC Chairman Joe Reed asking an endorsed candidate to contribute $20,000 toward get-out-the-vote costs, along with previously unreleased audio. We discuss how these practices intersect with and violate the Alabama's Fair Campaign Practices Act, including the PAC-to-PAC transfer ban upheld by the Eleventh Circuit in 2016, what new party leadership could mean for Alabama Democrats, and what listeners can do before August 8.

    The raw unedited audio from the 2018 between myself, Mallory Hagan, and Randy Kelley can be found on www.hesnotwrongpodcast.com

    For more information go to: https://www.tabithaisner.com/

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    1 hr 16 min
  • Dr. Sacoby Wilson: The Hidden Cost of Data Centers
    If you've ever wondered why some neighborhoods flood every time it rains, or why some blocks feel ten degrees hotter than others just a few miles away, today's guest has spent his career answering exactly that question, and doing something about it.
     
    My guest is Dr. Sacoby Wilson, a Professor in the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, at the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health. He also directs the Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice Lab, known as the T.H.E. E.J. Lab, where he and his team dig into the intersection of public health, frontline communities, city planning, and extreme weather.
     
    Dr. Sacoby has spent years showing how the map of environmental risk in this country lines up, again and again, with the map of race and income. Communities of color are more likely to live in neighborhoods with less tree cover and more pavement, creating urban heat islands where surface temperatures can far exceed the air temperature just a few blocks away. Those same communities are more likely to flood, thanks to a lack of green space to absorb water. And they're already paying a higher share of their income on energy bills, leaving little room to absorb what's coming next.
     
    And what's coming next is a big part of why I wanted to talk to him. Data centers are rapidly expanding across the country, and Dr. Sacoby has been outspoken about the risk they pose to the very communities already carrying the heaviest environmental burden. He recently wrote an op-ed for the Baltimore Sun making the case that protecting Maryland's most vulnerable residents isn't just about equity, it's about making the whole state more resilient.
     
    I want to make sure you know about a conference that Dr. Wilson is a part of hosting, the EJ 2076: Make America JUST Again, a 50-year plan to advance democracy, environmental justice, and health equity. It's happening September 14th through 16th virtually, and September 17th through 19th in person.
     
    This is the annual EJ Symposium hosted by CEEJH, one of the largest environmental justice conferences in the country. It's been running since 2012, and it's where impacted residents, community leaders, researchers, and policymakers come together for keynotes, solidarity tours, cultural night, and more. A lot of the coalitions and legislative wins you hear about in this space trace back to conversations that started at this event.
     
    Registration is open now: https://ceejh.org/symposium/
     

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    59 min
  • Brian Derrick: A New Oath in Political Fundraising
    If you've ever donated to a political campaign, you know the feeling, you give because a race feels urgent, or because an ad broke through, or because a candidate went viral. But is that actually where your money does the most good? Today's guest built a company betting the answer is often no.
     
    My guest is Brian Derrick, a political strategist, tech entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Oath, a political fundraising platform that has helped direct nearly 100 million dollars to high-impact races up and down the ballot. Before starting Oath, Brian spent years as a political consultant working on campaigns at every level, from city council all the way up to the presidency, including work for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Governor Mikie Sherrill.
     
    Through Oath, Brian is trying to change the way political giving works, using data to guide donors toward the races and causes where their dollars actually move the needle, all while protecting their data along the way. And he's got a real thesis behind it: that the current system of political fundraising rewards attention and outrage over strategy, and that some of the most consequential races in the country, the ones that could decide control of Congress, get the least attention and the least funding.
     
    With Oath now past that $100 million  mark, Brian has a front-row seat to how donor behavior is shifting heading into 2026, from reactive, emotional giving toward something more strategic. And he's going to walk us through what that data is actually telling us about enthusiasm on the ground right now.
     

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    40 min
  • Andrea Flores: The Next Phase of Mass Deportations
    Immigration policy has moved fast this year, so fast that it can be hard to tell which headline actually matters, and which is noise. Today's guest is someone whose job, for years, was to know the difference.
     
    My guest is Andrea Flores, an attorney and immigration policy expert who previously served at the Department of Homeland Security and in the White House. She's spent her career inside the making of immigration policy, which means she understands how the decisions actually get made, and where they're headed next.
     
    And there is a lot to get into. Just recently, a new DOJ decision made clear that DACA recipients are not protected from deportation. The Supreme Court agreed to take up the question of whether the administration properly revoked Temporary Protected Status for Syrians and Haitians. There are signs the administration may be shifting its approach, moving away from high-profile raids toward a quieter, broader pressure campaign to drive people out. And even among conservatives, there's growing tension over whether enforcement is going far enough.
    Andrea's read on all of this is that these aren't isolated stories. Taken together, they represent the next phase of mass deportation, one that pairs expanded enforcement with a steady, systematic dismantling of the legal pathways that let people stay in this country.
     
    She writes about all of this in her Substack, Securing America's Promise, and today, she's going to help us make sense of where things stand, and where they're going.
     

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    57 min
  • Peppermint: Visibility Isn't Enough When Action is Required

    She made history as the first out transgender woman on RuPaul's Drag Race and the first to originate a principal role on Broadway and she's never let success quiet her voice. This week, 2026 NYC Pride Grand Marshal Peppermint joins us for a candid conversation about what visibility really costs, why queer people must reclaim their own histories before they're erased, and why she believes joy itself can be an act of resistance. As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation surges across the country, Peppermint makes the case that being seen is only the beginning, now is the moment for action.

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

     

     

    1 hr 5 min
  • Senator Doug Jones: I Prefer My Men From Alabama

    Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones joins us for a second time, but this time fresh off his decisive Democratic primary win to talk about where Alabama goes from here. We dig into the turnout surge that doubled Democratic votes, how he plans to unify the party and win statewide, and the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act in the wake of Callais and what a governor can actually do about it. We also get into the healthcare crisis, the fight over unregulated data center growth, and his strategy for reaching young voters. Plus audience-submitted questions and one final question: what is Doug Jones not wrong about?

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

    58 min
  • Marti Cummings: Gay Republicans Need to Learn Their History

    Happy Pride Month. We’re kicking off June with someone who has built a career that refuses to separate the stage from the fight. Drag artist, comedian, producer, Guinness World Record holder, two-time GLAAD nominee, Out 100 honoree, GLAM Entertainer of the Year, four-time City & State Pride Power 100 recipient, and 2025 NYC Pride Grand Marshal Marti Gould Cummings joins us to talk about the city that made them, the history our community can’t afford to forget, and the local and national work they’re doing to ensure queer people have the space to be heard and represented.

    We get into all of it. We go deep on LGBTQ history, from Stonewall to the fragility of the rights we have today. We make the case directly to gay conservatives who believe the government isn’t coming for them. And we talk about the importance of local power. Marti founded the Hell's Kitchen Democrats, serves on the New York State Democratic Committee, has spoken at the United Nations, and explains what it’s actually like to fight for your community from the inside out.

    This one is for anyone who still thinks their rights are guaranteed.

    Got a hot take? Think you’re not wrong about something? I want to hear it. Call me and leave a voicemail at (205)538-3202 and follow along on Instagram @HesNotWrongPodcast, and let’s keep the conversation going.

    Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and join me every Sunday morning - grab your coffee, and let’s talk.

    Follow on YouTube, Instagram, & TikTok: @HesNotWrongPodcast

    Subscribe on Subtack: https://substack.com/@hesnotwrong
    www.HesNotWrongPodcast.Com

     

     

    1 hr

About He’s Not Wrong

From the publisher's feed

Hosted by Chad DuBois, He’s Not Wrong is about power, accountability, and the systems shaping everyday life. Each week we break down what happened, who made it happen, and what it means…