I don't like Trump. I don't trust Trump. But the people who do do so because they feel like he's saying what he thinks. And you know what? They don't have to agree with it to know that they can believe him. Now, can they? Separate conversation. And for you and me, that might be like insane. But that is how they feel. And that sense that I can trust him, that he's one of us. Like, that's so powerful. And it supersedes any kind of intellectual argument, which is really hard for Democrats who pride ourselves in being like thoughtful, smart, engaging, like policy focused. That's great. That's not how people vote.

Hello, and welcome to the Politics Girl podcast.

I'm your host Lee McGowan.

Let's get into it.

Our country is a mess.

It's failing in exactly the ways those of us who have been paying attention for years warned everyone it would if we re-elected Donald Trump.

Every day feels like a fresh new low. And now with this gerrymandering war and the overt racism on top of the class war, it's becoming harder and harder to get your head around.

Which is why every month or so I try to highlight individuals or groups who are still working for a better future. Not just those dealing with the day-to-day crises,

but those who are doing the work to imagine in America where our democracy works, and the people

get to choose representatives who truly represent them, a world where we replace the compromised

government we have now with a better

one. Because as impossible as that might feel, we can't just give up. We must keep working towards

that goal. With that in mind, I have invited Amanda Littman on the show today. Amanda is the founder and

president of Run for Something, an organization dedicated to recruiting and

supporting progressive young candidates. Run for something is clear that they want a party that reflects

the changing face of our electorate, not just candidates who can raise a lot of money, have connections,

or will follow the party line. Launched in January 2017, with the goal of building sustainable democratic power in all 50 states,

Run for Something is dedicated to lowering the barriers candidates have to cross in order to be viable,

to help them with behind-the-scenes support do not only get on the ballot, but to win.

And they have been winning.

Over the last decade, Run for Something has built

a candidate pipeline of more than a quarter of a million young people. They have helped elect

...