The Midpod: The Midterms Podcast

Chris Pappas' family has 100 years of history in New Hampshire, and he's vying to become the state's first LGBT member of Congress. Lucas Meyer has been recruiting a new generation of candidates to run for office and inspire a new generation of voters.

Nicie moderates a conversation about the future of our democracy with Tom Steyer and 200 active citizens in Manchester, NH.

Environmental lawyer Mike Levin is running to replace retiring congressman Daryl Issa in this swing district that stretches along the coast north of San Diego and into southern Orange County. He shared his aspirations for making an impact in Congress on key issues facing the district, and reflected on the legacy of his immigrant grandparents.

Using data mining and modeling, Stinnett has discovered a millions of passionate environmentalists, who defy our stereotypes. Now he's working to get them to the polls.

Lauren Bear is a foreign policy and human rights expert running against incumbent Brian Mast. If elected, she would be Florida's first openly LGBTQ+ member of congress. She tells us about her family story in this district, and shares her insights into the causes and costs of our current political crisis.

Delivering healthcare in this vast, rural district has become almost impossible under a whittled away ACA, which the Republican incumbent voted to repeal. One doctor in the district says the 5th vital sign should be "suffering." Traditional work here - lobstering, forestry, and wild blueberries - is the stuff they make postcards of, but these industries are being forced to change. Some are changing in surprising ways.

This engineer and green energy entrepreneur is running in a toss-up seat near Chicago. The moms went into full geek mode with Casten on what Congress could and should be doing to help America and the world respond to climate change.

DeJear is bringing her family legacy of civic engagement to her pathbreaking bid for Secretary of State in Iowa. She's got ideas about how to inspire the next generation of active citizens.

This Navy veteran is running in a highly competitive open seat race south of Los Angeles. His passion is education.

Swers, a political scientist at Georgetown University, studies women in congress: the challenges they face in getting elected and the tensions they confront once in office. She's charted the careers of Republican women in congress especially closely, as the issue of reproductive rights has become a litmus test in electoral politics.