Hello and welcome to the Current Affairs podcast. I'm your host, Pete Davis. I am here with

Amusements and Managing Editor Lida Gold. Hello, Lida.

Hi.

Listeners, you are very lucky to be listening right now because something big is happening across

American politics. And that big thing is the theme of this week's episode.

A new generation rises and they are not rising quietly, towing the party line, hiding their

true self and slowly moving up the ranks. Rather, they are primarying party leaders, taking on local machines,

saying what they believe, sharing who they authentically are, and doing it all without fear.

You've heard about them, AOC, Rashida Talib, Ayanna Presley, and just this past week, we celebrate Queen's DA elect Tiffany Caban.

Woo!

Want to know, listeners, who is next?

Then keep listening, because we have who is next right here on the show.

Welcome, Michaela Wilkes.

Hi. Thank you for having me.

So glad to have you on. Michaela, you are 28 years old, a daughter of Maryland, and now a candidate

for Congress facing off in the primary next year against the second most powerful figure in the House of Representatives,

House Majority Leader, and 38-year incumbent Steny Hamilton Hoyer. Yes, I looked up his middle

name. So, Michaela, let's get started. Tell us your story. Where do you come from? What inspired you to decide as a 28-year-old to run for Congress?

Yeah, so I grew up in Maryland all of my life. I've lived in District 5, pretty much all of my life since I was about 9 or 10 years old. My mom raised me. My aunt's helped

to raise me. You know, it really took a village to raise my brother and my sister and myself.

But I'm running because there are so many people in my community and our communities who are

left out of the conversations happening in Congress. I feel like we're not being

...