Rank #1: The future of philanthropy with Anand Giridharadas and Michael Tubbs

Anand Giridharadas is a writer and author of a new book, “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World.” In the book, Anand talks about some of the trappings of philanthropy, and how it might be a fig leaf that prevents us from solving deeper societal problems.
Michael Tubbs is the Mayor of Stockton, CA, and he shares what he learned leading the rollout of universal basic income for part of his community. To learn more about his story, check out our previous episode with Mayor Tubbs.
Aug 08 2019
28mins
Rank #2: Jessica Morse is a 5th gen Californian running for Congress in the Sierra foothills

Jessica is part of our inaugural class of Arena Fellows. She’s someone we truly believe in, and think she represents the next generation of leaders in our country.
Oct 16 2017
33mins
Similar Podcasts
Rank #3: From Obama '08 to Cambridge Analytica with Michael Simon

Michael Simon is a pioneer in the field of data and analytics and an Arena Co-Founder and Board Member.
He traces the origins of data and analytics in modern political campaigns to the present day controversy about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.
Michael ran Data and Analytics for the Obama 2008 campaign. He then founded HaystaqDNA, a leader in the field of political data and analytics. He’s now the founder and CEO of Elucd, where he works with police departments around the country to understand the relationship between the police and their constituents.
At the end of the pod, Michael bestows some expert advice on travel and points.
Michael ran Data and Analytics for the Obama 2008 campaign. He then founded HaystaqDNA, a leader in the field of political data and analytics. He’s now the founder and CEO of Elucd, where he works with police departments around the country to understand the relationship between the police and their constituents.
At the end of the pod, Michael bestows some expert advice on travel and points.
Mar 22 2018
50mins
Rank #4: Why isn’t the NY State Senate blue?

If you caught our last pod with Alessandra Biaggi, you’re already familiar with New York’s strange State Senate.
For seven years, a group of turncoat politicians have run as Democrats, been elected as Democrats, and immediately caucused with Republicans in the New York State Senate. They formed a conference, called the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) to vote as a bloc, ceding control of the chamber and preventing progressive policies from being sent to Governor Cuomo’s desk.
Everything from codifying Roe v. Wade at the state-level, to passing Universal Health Care, or the DREAM Act, and even to more local issues like Affordable Housing, Speed Cameras, and the funding of Public Schools, has been blocked as a result of the IDC.
Enter Zellnor Myrie. State Senator Jesse Hamilton, the incumbent in Zellnor Myrie’s district, is one of the IDC Members, and Zellnor has had enough. He thinks the time is now to knock him out.
With the typical machinery at-hand, politicians are turning on each other trying to either oust the incumbent, or keep him in power. Zellnor is finding himself right in the middle of it all, and he’s staying focused on the mission at hand and rolling with the punches.
On today’s pod with Nathan Rubin of Millennial Politics, we talk with Zellnor about his race for the State Senate against incumbent Jesse Hamilton and the IDC.
Jul 30 2018
28mins
Most Popular Podcasts
Rank #5: Meg Ansara on firefighting, political campaigns, and leadership

Most recently, she served as Hillary Clinton’s Battleground States Director.
Meg talks about how serving as a forest firefighter taught her lessons about teamwork, how Paul Wellstone deepened her commitment to grassroots organizing, and what we should take away from 2016 as we look ahead to the midterms. She also shares her helpful perspective on management and leadership.
Aug 08 2018
37mins
Rank #6: Reflecting on a year of resistance with Kate Catherall and Nathaniel Pearlman

You’ll hear from The Great Battlefield host Nathaniel Pearlman and The Arena Co-Founder Kate Catherall.
Nathaniel founded Resistance Dashboard after the 2016 Presidential election. Nathaniel has a long history of connecting progressive politics and technology. In 1997, he founded NGP Software (now known as NGP VAN), a leading technology provider to the Democratic Party. He served as CTO of the Hillary 2008 Presidential campaign. He also founded Graphicacy, a firm that helps organizations tell complex stories in visual form.
Kate is a Co-Founder and Partner at The Arena. She founded Chorus Agency in the wake of the 2016 election, which later merged with The Arena. Kate talks about her work supporting new civic leaders and candidates.
Jul 25 2018
48mins
Rank #7: How to run (successfully) with substance with Lauren Underwood

In an upset victory, Lauren beat six other candidates - all men - with 57% of the vote.
We met Lauren at the first Arena Summit in December 2016. She walked through the doors and said she was thinking about running for office. And that’s where she met her eventual campaign manager.
Lauren later declared a run for Congress and joined our inaugural class of Fellows.
We’ve been privileged and honored to support Lauren during each step in her journey and can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in the years ahead.
Lauren is a first-time candidate, former Senior Advisor in President Obama’s Health & Human Services Department, and Registered Nurse.
Apr 02 2018
34mins
Rank #8: Anthony Vitarelli helps make sense of the latest Mueller indictments

We recorded this episode on February 18th - two days after Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed conspiracy and fraud charges against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations.
We welcome back Anthony Vitarelli to help make sense of the charges. Anthony is a former Federal Prosecutor for the US Department of Justice and former Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of the Treasury. He began his legal career clerking for Supreme Court Justices David Souter and Stephen Breyer.
Anthony walks us through the charges and explains what they could mean for the future.
Feb 20 2018
32mins
Rank #9: Can an Army Ranger flip a Trump +28 district?

We spoke with Jesse right after Conor Lamb’s stunning victory. Jesse’s race is even tougher than the Lamb race - at least on paper.
Jesse is a former US Army Intelligence Officer. He completed four combat deployments in Afghanistan, as well as a year in the South Korea DMZ.
He’s also a product of a bipartisan marriage. His wife is a former police officer and former aide to Congressional Republicans.
Jesse is running an incredible race in Maryland. He shares some of his experiences from the trail, and draws some conclusions from the Lamb race that can help us think through which races to bet on and prioritize in 2018.
Mar 25 2018
32mins
Rank #10: Music City Mayor to Governor? A conversation with Karl Dean

Karl is the former two-term Mayor of Nashville, serving during the great recession and historic 2010 flood. Before that, he was elected and served as the city’s public defender for nearly a decade.
We talk about how both crises shaped his pragmatic leadership and vision for Tennessee’s future. We also discuss running as a Democrat in a state where they haven’t performed well in a long time.
Apr 19 2018
23mins
Rank #11: Former Federal Prosecutor Anthony Vitarelli on Mueller’s first indictments

Oct 31 2017
50mins
Rank #12: The fight for Wisconsin is the fight for America

Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, is one of the leading progressive voices in the country today. Fresh off an historic electoral victory (historic for the obstacles candidates and voters faced), he joins us to talk about what Wisconsin's election can teach us about what’s to come in November.
Apr 16 2020
28mins
Rank #13: Stacey Abrams is running to be America's first black woman governor

We talk about a wide range of topics - including growing up in the South, getting involved in politics, and overcoming obstacles along the way.
Unfortunately, the audio in this episode isn’t great, but the content of our conversation is. We recommend you stick it out!
Nov 02 2017
34mins
Rank #14: Former Obama and Clinton Pollster John Anzalone on the AL Senate race and a life in politics

Oct 18 2017
29mins
Rank #15: Change is coming to Michigan with Rashida Tlaib and Ian Conyers

They are running for a seat that was previously held by John Conyers, who recently announced that he will step down.
We will first hear from Rashida. She was a two-term member of the Michigan House of Representatives. She’s a force of nature and well known community organizer.
Then we hear from Ian. He is one of the youngest ever elected members of the Michigan State Senate. He has been an energetic voice for change in Detroit.
Michigan’s 13th Congressional District includes Detroit and surrounding areas within Wayne County. We discuss some local issues, as well as why we need new representation in Washington.
Mar 12 2018
47mins
Rank #16: US Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii on running for office when you’re young and Medicaid for all

Sep 22 2017
23mins
Rank #17: Hope and justice with Amber Goodwin

We talk about the state of gun violence in America, how we can address the problem holistically, and the structural barriers our society faces as a result of deep-seated white supremacy and toxic masculinity.
We also talk about hope, and the inspiring work CJRC is doing to prevent gun violence and uplift criminal justice reform in communities of color.
Sep 12 2018
39mins
Rank #18: Let my people vote with Desmond Meade

Desmond Meade is the Founder and President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
More importantly, he is somebody who has been directly impacted by voting rights restrictions. He spent years addicted to drugs and served time in prison. As a result, he is one of the million plus US citizens living in Florida who has had their voting rights stripped away.
We talk with Desmond about why he turned his life around, why he decided to stay in Florida and fight for the rights of others, and some incredibly promising developments in his fight to restore voting rights.
Mar 15 2018
29mins
Rank #19: Jessica Ramos takes on Trump Democrats in New York

The answers to these questions lead back to a small group of Democrats in the New York State Senate that call themselves the Independent Democratic Caucus (I.D.C.). In exchange for perks like better office space and committee assignments, they empower the Republican majority leadership, ensuring that progressive legislation doesn’t get passed.
This is akin to Democrats getting elected Congress, then turning around and voting for Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House.
That’s what happens in New York.
But there’s a group of new leaders running to take back the State Senate. Jessica Ramos is one of them.
Jessica is running against Jose Peralta in the 13th District, who is a member of the I.D.C. Jessica tells her story and explains why the I.D.C. is a major threat to working families and vulnerable populations throughout New York.
Mar 02 2018
32mins
Rank #20: How to fight the Trump Tax Plan with Andrea Purse

In response to these trends, we’ve been in search of members of our community working to communicate with voters about what’s really in the bill. That led us to Andrea Purse, who is an advisor to the Not One Penny Campaign and former White House communications official. In this interview, Andrea discusses recent research on changing public perceptions on the bill and she gives some advice for campaigns, operatives, and funders opposed to the legislation.
Mar 06 2018
25mins