We speak to Moataz Ghaddar and Hannah Johnson from Global Partners Governance about their research and the Winning with Women project which supports women candidates in Lebanon. The conversation explores how the project combines monitoring and capacity-building for women with deliberate engagement of male allies i.e. influential family, community and political figures who can help open doors, mobilise networks and challenge norms that keep politics male-dominated. The discussion highlighted why addressing power, gatekeeping and social norms is essential for creating more inclusive local governance, offering useful lessons for the TWP community.