You Should Run

For the first time, the You Should Run Podcast features a guest from Mississippi as newly elected State Representative Shanda Yates discusses her history making victory. In 2019, Shanda defeated a 30+ year incumbent, flipping a district from Republican to Democratic by focusing on issues like education and talking to as many voters as possible. What motivated Shanda to run when the odds of winning seemed high? How can we encourage more women to run for office? Are there reasons to be hopeful about Mississippi politics? Listen and share as Shanda Yates shares her story on the You Should Run Podcast. 

Alaska politics may seem far removed from the rest of the United States, but its politics are just as important. While Congress debates climate change, Alaska is dealing with the impacts of climate change right now. 

In this episode of the You Should Run Podcast, Alaska State Representative Andy Josephson talks about the unique state of politics in Alaska, how his state is being changed by climate change, why and how he decided to run for office, and why you should run, no matter where you live. 

Listen, share, and subscribe today and decide on how you will get involved in 2020. 

Maimona Afzal Berta is a teacher in San Jose, California. After seeing anti-Muslim bullying in her area following the 2016 election, she decided that she needed to step up and join the local school board to combat the hate and elevate the great diversity in her community. In addition to a lack of Muslims on the school board when such issues were becoming paramount, Maimona saw a lack of teachers and women represented in the school board. In this podcast, Maimona talks about leaping into politics, the need for more representation, how diversity makes San Jose strong and vibrant, and why YOU should run for office too.

 

Listen and share her story and learn about the Muslim Youth Leadership Program at: https://ca.cair.com/sfba/what-we-do/youth-empowerment/muslim-youth-leadership-program/ 

New Hampshire. It's the first in the nation for politics and the politics are often changing. Jennifer Bernet has been involved in New Hampshire politics for over a decade. If any one word defines that involvement, it is persistent. She won an election to the legislature, lost, and later won again. In this podcast, Jennifer talks about her very unique political story, the very local feel of New Hampshire politics, never giving up, and why YOU should run for office too. 

Ashley Vanorny was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When she saw the need to make a difference, she stepped up and ran for city council...and won. Ashley became the youngest woman ever elected to Cedar Rapids City Council.

In this podcast, Ashley talks about why we need to encourage more women to run for office and to support more female candidates. She talks about many of the environmental issues that she is championing in Cedar Rapids. She also discusses the influence she can have on the upcoming Presidential race by demonstrating how national and local politics can serve many of the same goals.

Listen, share, and subscribe to the You Should Run Podcast today! 

North Carolina continues to make big political moves, especially as the State Supreme Court overturned legislative and Congressional gerrymanders. That means that the state's politics are less predictable and more diverse than people may realize at first. 

Pierce Freelon is determined to take advantage of this moment in history for his city of Durham and for his state as he runs for State Senator. In this podcast, Pierce talks about his earliest experiences in politics as he helped his father volunteer for Harvey Gantt vs Jesse Helms and he talks about his father life and subsequent battle with ALS motivated him to run for office. Pierce has a very positive vision for the future and is also very aware of the political situation in North Carolina. Listen to him on the You Should Run Podcast and then learn more about him at https://www.freelonfordurham.com/ 

In 2018, Carrie Counton ran for state legislature in South Carolina against an incumbent who had been in office since 1996. While she didn't win, she gave him the biggest challenge of his career. In this podcast, Carrie talks about her experience and why progressive candidates should challenge everywhere, including in so-called "red states" like South Carolina. Carrie talks about why she felt the need to compete, why more women should get involved in politics, not writing off any state or area, and, of course, why YOU should run for office.

 

Listen, share, and subscribe today. 

In every election, Florida is a swing state. That means that every election matters. In 2020, Cindy Banyai is running for Congress in Florida in a very conservative district. In this podcast, she talks about her impressive background working for Senators Abraham and Moynihan, her work in Japan, and even her career in boxing. Cindy Banyai is ready for a fight and a challenge, no matter the odds. 

Listen to this episode of the You Should Run podcast to hear Cindy's motivations for running for office, her plans to win, and why YOU should run for office too. 

She knew that running for Congress in a very conservative district was an uphill battle, but Jill Schiller also knew that it was a battle worth fighting. In this episode of the You Should Run podcast, Jill Schiller talks about why she ran for Congress in Ohio even though it was a very difficult race for a Democrat to win. We discuss her experience working for the Obama Administration and how that contrasts with current politics, her motivations, and how running for office on values and issues helps to prepare voters for future progressive campaigns and candidates.

 

Progressives can't win if they don't take up the challenge and run. Listen, share, subscribe and consider running for office today. 

Deborah Kalina is a school board member, graduate of the Emerge PA campaign training, and an advocate for more people to get involved and run for office. In this episode of the You Should Run Podcast, Deborah talks about the motivations for running for school board in York, PA and how you can make a tremendous impact on your community as a school board member. She also talks about the many positives of running for office and why you should consider running too.

 

Listen, share, and subscribe today.