When Liliana Bakhtiari ran for Atlanta City Council in 2017, she made national headlines as a queer Muslim millennial seeking leadership. She came up a few hundred votes short, but kept organizing, because her campaign was never really about what happened on Election Day -- it was about engaging her community. When every problem she ran to solve the first time just got worse, she knew she couldn't stay silent. She's running again, this time in an open race, and she's going to win. We talked about her experiences running, the good and the bad of being a trailblazer, and how she stays inspired, even when it's hard. Support her campaign at https://www.lilianaforatlanta.com/

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Justan Parker Fields had never really been involved in politics before -- it had run in his family, sure, but he'd never been too engaged. But when the police shot and killed Philando Castile back in 2016, he decided to try and organize a protest in his hometown of Allentown, PA. Not too many people showed up. A few years later, when George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis, Justan tried again -- and this time, hundreds came out to show their support for Black lives. From there, Justan became one of the founders of Black Lives Matter Lehigh Valley, and now he's fighting for a seat on the Allentown City Council, because as he says: while there's power in protest, there's also power in policy. If he wins, he'll be the first gay Black man on the city council. Learn more at his website: https://www.justan4allentown.com/

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Housing activist Katie Valenzuela ran against an incumbent member of the Sacramento City Council and won, in spite of being outspent 3 to 1. A few months later, she was joined on the council by organizer Mai Vang, the first Asian American woman to join the body. The two have built a beautiful friendship and in just a few months, revolutionized politics in Sacramento. Listen in as they explain how they won, the "Squad" they've cultivated, and the kind of progress they've made.

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IL State Sen. Robert Peters was born to a mom with addiction problems and was then adopted by a social worker and a civil rights lawyer, who raised him in the politically-active Hyde Park area in Chicago. He had a tough childhood -- he was born deaf, had a speech impediment, and tended to get into trouble as a kid. In spite of deaths in his family, unemployment, and a little bit of aimlessness, Robert's grit and commitment to his community brought him home. Now, he's the state senator representing the neighborhood he grew up in -- following in the literal footsteps of Barack Obama -- cosponsoring 13 different bills in his first year, and leading on making Illinois the first state to end cash bail. Listen to his story and learn more at https://senatorrobertpeters.com/

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Climate activist Chloe Maxmin first ran for Maine state house in 2018 and won, becoming the first Democrat to ever represent her very rural very old community. (She was only 26 years old!) Then in 2020, she ran for Maine state senate and beat out the top-ranking leader of the Republican party. Listen in to find out how she did it, why rural America is not a lost cause for Democrats, how to talk to people you fundamentally disagree with, and what Maine politics is really like. To get regular updates, you can follow Chloe on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChloeForSenate/

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Kendra Hicks is an activist, an organizer, a mom of a son on the autism spectrum, and a possibly history-making candidate for Boston City Council. She's a rising star and win or lose, you're going to see her on the national scale in a big way in the next few years. Listen now to see why we're obsessed - then head to her website to help her campaign: www.hicksfordistrictsix.com

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When his mom told him he was never going to be the next LeBron James, Ohio native Justin Bibb was crushed -- until a chance encounter with a presidential campaign in a hotel lobby redirected his passion to politics. Now he's running for mayor of Cleveland, because his city can't wait for someone else to bring about change. We talk about his path to the campaign, the moments that inspired him to run now, what's surprised him most as a first-time candidate, and how you can help him win. Learn more at www.bibbforcle.com

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First, Amanda talks through some new Run for Something research that shows local candidates really do have "reverse coattails." Then: A conversation with Tay Anderson, Denver School Board Director and the youngest elected official in Colorado, who ran and lost in 2017, but didn't let that stop him -- he ran again in 2019 and handily won, and has now been leading the work to make Denver schools safer, more equitable, and more welcoming. Listen in, then find him at @TayAndersonCo on any social media platform you like.

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We don't often hear from Democrats running in Alabama - let's fix that! Meet Marche' Johnson, a veteran and single mom running for Montgomery City Council, ran for the first time in 2019 and lost by just six votes. Then the incumbent who beat her died in office -- often the only way space is made for new leaders, unfortunately -- and now she's fighting again in a wide open race. This time, she's not going to lose. Learn more at marcheonthemove.com

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NY state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi talks about her path to elected office, what Democrats got done over the last few years, and why she's so (righteously and appropriately) furious with NY Governor Andrew Cuomo. Tune in for some outrage, and follow her on Twitter at @Biaggi4NY

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