While Washington stalls, governors are governing.

How Democratic governors became the nation’s problem-solvers—and why this year’s races could redefine Democratic momentum heading into 2026.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) Democratic Governors and the 2021 Election

Democratic governors are stepping up to protect reproductive rights, accessible healthcare, and counteract Trump's policies in critical races.

(08:41) Democratic Governors

Democratic governors' impact on key issues, contrast with Republican counterparts, upcoming elections, and call to action for involvement with Democratic Governors Association.

#GovernorsRace #VirginiaElection #NewJerseyElection #AbortionAccess #EconomicJustice #LeadershipMatters #TheElectorette #ElectorettePodcast #WomenInPolitics #DemocraticGovernors #OfirahYheskel #DGA #JenTaylorSkinner

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The 2026 Test Run: Inside the state races that will signal where power—and reproductive rights—are headed next.

The next election cycle is not business as usual. With reproductive rights hanging in the balance and pro-choice women candidates facing historic headwinds, the stakes couldn’t be higher. In this episode, Jen Taylor-Skinner speaks with Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List, about the crucial upcoming contests—from deeply vulnerable states in the South to a pivotal race in New Jersey. Together, they explore how these elections shape the future of power, policy, and progress for women, families, and democracy itself.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) The Electorate

Virginia's upcoming elections hold critical stakes for reproductive rights, with a focus on the gubernatorial race and EMILY's List-endorsed candidates.

(09:18) Women Candidates Addressing Economic Hardship

Protecting rights in elections, women candidates' leadership, economic concerns for women voters, and Emily's List's support.

(19:34) Reproductive Rights and Virginia Elections

Reproductive rights, cost of living, and electing pro-choice women are crucial in upcoming elections for restoring power to the people.

(25:34) Virginia Campaigning and Election Strategies

Campaign contributions and voter participation are crucial in the Virginia state Senate race, supporting Lieutenant Governor Ghazala Hashmi.

#AbigailSpanberger

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Women have been shaping American politics since its beginning — organizing movements, expanding rights, and redefining leadership at every turn. But over the past decade, that long struggle has collided with a new wave of visibility and backlash.

⁠Emerge is now recruiting the class of 2026⁠

From the raw sexism of 2016, to the record-breaking “pink wave” of 2018, to the post-2024 debate over whether women are even electable, the story of women in politics reveals how deeply gender still defines power in America. In this episode, A’shanti Gholar, President and CEO of Emerge, traces that arc — and explains why women aren’t stepping back.

She calls it the Kamala Effect: the surge of women still running, organizing, and leading despite unprecedented hostility. We talk about what that resilience looks like — from local campaigns and judicial races to the national fight for representation — and what it means to “lock in” as we head into the next wave of elections.

Emerge came directly out of Kamala Harris' first run for office in the early 2000s. Watch ⁠here⁠.

If you’ve ever wondered whether women can still change the direction of American democracy, this episode is both a roadmap and a signal to lock in.

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What’s really keeping Americans from the ballot box? In this urgent conversation, Rebekah Caruthers, President and CEO of the Fair Elections Center, breaks down the invisible “friction” that pushes voters out of the process—confusing and state-by-state registration rules, ID and signature hurdles (especially for Gen Z without DMV records), voter roll purges, and a rising climate of fear fed by mis- and disinformation. We go inside states like Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Tennessee to see how policy choices—and lawsuits—shape who gets to participate. Caruthers reframes “voter apathy,” argues that democracy requires both contestation and participation, and offers clear, immediate steps: check your registration often, learn your state’s rules, and show up in every election—not just the big ones. If you’ve ever wondered whether we can still have free and fair elections, this episode is a master class in how to protect them.

Conversation takeaways

Chapters

(00:00) Barriers to Voting Registration and Turnout

Voter suppression, civic participation, and innovative approaches to voter registration discussed in relation to fair elections.

(11:37) Defending and Facilitating Voting Rights

Participating in every election strengthens democracy, but challenges like voter purges and misconceptions persist.

(21:22) Importance of Voting in Local Elections

Understanding voter apathy, the power of local elections, and the urgency of political engagement in shaping democracy.

(27:45) Challenges in Voting Rights Legislation

Voting rights in the US, civic education, state laws, barriers for returning citizens, and the need for action.

(43:41) Importance of Physical Document Ownership

Having a physical copy of the Constitution allows for direct engagement with primary sources and avoids potential misinformation from digital versions.

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Sophia Lin Lakin on How the Supreme Court Could Dismantle the Law Protecting Voters

The U.S. Supreme Court is once again preparing to rule on a case that could further dismantle the Voting Rights Act — Callais v. Landry. At the center of this case is Section 2, one of the last remaining protections against racial discrimination in voting.

After Louisiana courts ruled that the state’s congressional map illegally diluted Black voting power, a new map was drawn to include a second majority-Black district. But now, a group of white voters — and the state of Louisiana itself — are asking the Court to go even further, claiming that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional.

If the Court agrees, it could strip away the very protections that ensure voters of color can participate equally in our democracy.

To unpack the case and its sweeping implications, Jen Taylor Skinner speaks with Sophia Lin Lakin, Director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, whose team represents Black voters in this landmark case. They discuss the history behind Section 2, the chilling parallels to Shelby County v. Holder, and what this moment could mean for the future of voting rights in America.

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Ballot measures have given voters the power to pass life-changing policies that lawmakers often won’t — from raising the minimum wage and expanding healthcare access, to protecting reproductive rights and curbing predatory payday lending. But now, the process itself is under threat.

In this episode, I speak with Kelly Hall, Executive Director of The Fairness Project, about a new report showing how conservative lawmakers are working to undermine direct democracy. With nearly 150 bills introduced across the country, these efforts would make it harder for citizens to place initiatives on the ballot and harder to pass them once they’re there. We discuss what’s at stake, how these attacks are spreading, and why defending ballot measures is essential to protecting the will of the people.

(00:01) Attacks on Direct Democracy

Conservative lawmakers are attacking the ballot measure process, threatening direct democracy and silencing voters.

(12:57) Undermining Direct Democracy

Supermajority requirements, single-subject rules, and bureaucratic hurdles hinder direct democracy and civic engagement.

(23:33) Arkansas Advocates Protecting Ballot Measures

Missouri's political maneuvers target direct democracy and reproductive rights, including attempts to restrict abortion and gender-affirming care.

(35:19) Protecting Direct Democracy

Florida's restrictive ballot measures face challenges, but litigation and public support continue to protect direct democracy.

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Historian and scholar, Dr. Keisha Blain joins The Electorette to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Without Fear: Black Women and the Making of Human Rights. This vital chronicle reframes the history of Black women’s activism—not only as a fight for civil rights in the U.S., but as a global human rights struggle that continues to shape our world today.

From Ida B. Wells’s anti-lynching crusade that called out America on the world stage, to Madam C.J. Walker’s international diplomacy, to Black women activists who linked civil rights to anti-apartheid and Palestinian liberation, Dr. Blain uncovers how Black women’s vision of justice has always been expansive, international, and transformative.

We also explore what their legacy teaches us about today’s political moment, and why documenting these stories is essential as forces attempt to erase them.

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In the past three months, more than 300,000 Black women have left the labor force. Economist and author Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman calls this the double tax—the compounded burden of being both a woman and a person of color in an economy designed to take more and give less.

From higher prices for haircare and beauty products, to childcare that consumes a larger share of income, to systemic barriers in jobs, salaries, housing, and wealth—these hidden costs fall on women of color across the board. But for Black women, they are especially stark, leaving them with fewer opportunities, lower pay, higher living costs, and far less generational wealth than their white counterparts.

Her groundbreaking book, The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid, shows how these inequities aren’t incidental—they’re structural. And unless they’re confronted, everyone pays the price.

(00:01) The Double Tax on Black Women

Black women's "double tax" in labor force discussed with author Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, emphasizing solutions and self-advocacy.

(07:06) Cost of Hair Emotional and Financial

Perceived progress in racial equality, false sense of progress, hair burdens for Black women, generational trauma and societal expectations.

(13:58) Navigating Beauty Standards as Black Women

Growing up in predominantly Black and white educational environments, facing anti-Blackness and challenges in PWIs, finding representation and redefining beauty standards.

(22:01) The Double Tax on Beauty Standards

Representation and accessibility in the beauty industry for Black and Asian American women, highlighting the "double tax" and need for inclusive representation.

(34:03) The Double Tax in the Workplace

Legislation is needed to combat hair discrimination in the workplace, along with addressing white beauty standards and the "double tax" faced by Black professionals.

(41:41) Power Dynamics and Motherhood Impact

Proximity to power is unequal among races and genders, with white men dominating top professions and Black women facing the most barriers.

(47:11) The Burden of Motherhood

Motherhood's financial burden, childcare costs, Black women as breadwinners, and the impact of technology on education and employment.

(01:01:19) The Cost of Womanhood

Empowering women at all stages, advocating for oneself, and the cost of womanhood are discussed in a heartfelt chapter.

#DoubleTax

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In a time when U.S. politics feels gridlocked and bleak, ballot initiatives are offering a surprising source of hope. In some of the reddest states—places that handed Trump overwhelming victories—voters are quietly embracing progressive policies like paid sick leave, higher minimum wages, and Medicaid expansion.

In this episode, Jen Taylor-Skinner speaks with Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, about why ballot measures succeed where candidates fail. Together, they explore how citizen-led initiatives cut through partisan noise, mobilize communities, and create lasting change—even in places dominated by gerrymandering and voter suppression.

From Nebraska to Missouri, Chris explains how grassroots coalitions and early funding strategies build momentum and protect hard-won victories. The conversation also looks ahead to upcoming ballot fights over reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, and voting access—and why this tool may be one of the most powerful defenses against authoritarianism at home and abroad.

If you’ve ever wondered how ordinary citizens can reclaim democracy, this episode will inspire you with real stories of progress where you might least expect it.

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Decades of failed immigration reform and political half-measures have left millions of immigrants in the U.S. without a path to legal status. Instead, families are being torn apart by harsh deportation policies, asylum seekers are forced into the shadows, and U.S. citizen children live in daily fear of losing their parents.

In this episode, I speak with Jessica Orozco Guttlein, Senior Vice President for Policy and Communications at the Hispanic Federation, about how we got here—and what it will take to repair the damage. We examine the legacy of the 1986 immigration reform, the repeated failure to pass the DREAM Act, and how policies like the Laken Riley Act deepen racial profiling and destabilize communities.

Jessica also sheds light on the resilience of mixed-status families, the role of industries that quietly depend on immigrant labor, and why restoring due process must be central to any meaningful reform. Together, we consider how piecemeal solutions—like securing citizenship pathways for Dreamers—can begin to rebuild trust, reunite families, and prevent history from repeating itself.

(00:00) Broken Immigration System and Political Stalemate

Inadequate immigration policies and deportation destabilize families and communities, highlighting the need for comprehensive reform and recognition of immigrant contributions.

(13:29) Challenges in US Asylum Policy

The U.S. asylum system faces challenges due to policy changes, lack of resources, and removal of protections for immigrants.

(24:31) Impact of Immigration Policies on Communities

Immigrants in the US face fear and uncertainty due to increased enforcement policies, affecting sectors like hospitality and healthcare.

(32:01) Restoring Due Process in Immigration

The Laken Riley Act grants local police immigration authority, impacting mixed-status families and emphasizing the need for legislative action and due process restoration.

(36:08) Immigration Backlog and Justice System

The recent tax and spending bill highlights concerns about immigration enforcement priorities and the need for fair reforms.

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