We met with Ron Elving, Senior Politics Editor and Correspondent for the Washington Desk at NPR News, on November 11, 2022 to reflect upon the 2022 midterm elections and the state of our democracy. Some of our conversation reflected the specifics of this last week with midterm results still trickling in, but most of what we discussed turned to broader questions of our times: the resilience of democracy, free speech, civic engagement, polling, Russian intervention, disinformation in general, politics discourse, ranked-choice voting, Trump's influence, and the engagement of rising generations of Americans in the political process overall. America faces many challenges. To help us make sense of them, Ron Elving lent us his measured and sober perspectives. He also graced us with his optimistic disposition, and the sense that clearly understanding our challenges enables us to grow stronger.