Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips

Latest Episodes:

Beyond the Polls: The Voters Dems Are Missing Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Yasmin Radjy, executive director of Swing Left, joins us to discuss why Democratic campaigns need to build trust earlier, reach voters often overlooked, and invest in long-term organizing, not just focus on the next election.

She explains how voter files are leaving a quarter of the electorate behind and where grassroots efforts can make the biggest difference for the upcoming midterms as we head into Election Day, and beyond.

REFERENCES:

Yasmin Radjy - @yasminradjy

Swing Left - @swingleft

Swing Left Take Action

Beyond the Polls: What It Takes to Flip a House Seat Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Election Day is 40 days away.

Political Director of the California Donor Table Michael Gomez Daly discusses the upcoming midterms and the 862 votes that defied political consultants polling data and flipped a long-held Republican seat in California’s Central Valley during the 2018 election.

He shares what that race can teach us about organizing in 2026, the limits of voter-propensity models, and why local, relationship-based organizing still matters in an era of increasingly sophisticated campaign data.

REFERENCES:

California Donor Table

California Donor Table LinkedIn

Beyond the Polls: Reading the 2026 Electorate—with Tom Bonier Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

With the 2026 midterms less than eight weeks away, we sit down with veteran Democratic strategist and political data expert Tom Bonier to take a closer look at what the numbers are telling us about the electorate.

Tom is CEO of the TARA Group and a senior adviser and former CEO of TargetSmart, one of the country’s leading Democratic political data firms. He has also taught political science at Howard University.

Together, we dig into the battle for Congress, what Democrats’ performance among Black and Latino voters could mean in November, the changing electoral map, and why Bonier says we should take the polls with a grain of salt. Plus, Bonier shares what he’s watching most closely in the final stretch and where the data may be telling a different story from the conventional wisdom.

REFERENCES:

Tom Bonier - @tbonier

The Occupy Movement at 15 with Mila Atmos Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Mila Atmos, host and executive producer of the new podcast series Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising, joins us to discuss the lasting legacy of Occupy Wall Street and how many of the ideas once considered radical have moved into the political mainstream.
She points out the through-line from Occupy’s “99 percent” movement, which started 15 years ago in September 2011, to Bernie Sanders and today’s progressive resurgence, as well as the movement’s shortcomings around race and the racial wealth gap. Mila also reflects on what Occupy can teach today’s organizers—and the Democratic Party—as the struggle over the party’s future continues.

REFERENCE:

Mila Atmos - About

Future Hindsight - Podcast Site

Occupy! An Unfinished Uprising - Podcast Site

The Reckoning: Cheyenne Hunt on Holding Powerful Men Accountable Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Political creator, influencer, attorney, and Reckoning Action founder Cheyenne Hunt discusses her work supporting survivors and how she helps bring allegations of sexual misconduct and assault by powerful political figures into public view. She takes us behind the scenes of how she builds trust with survivors, connects them with major media outlets, and uses a savvy mix of advocacy, law, and digital strategy to hold powerful people accountable—even when they're fellow progressives or Democrats.

Cheyenne also shares the experiences that shaped her, her path from political creator, influencer, and congressional candidate to survivor advocate, and what her generation—Gen Z—is teaching the political world about power and accountability.

REFERENCES:

Cheyenne Hunt - IG: @Cheyenne.L.Hunt
Reckoning Action - reckoningaction.org
Reckoning Action - X: @ReckoningAction

A New Model for Black Politics with Jake Grumbach Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

After the Supreme Court's Callais decision further dismantled the Voting Rights Act, where does Black political power go from here? We talk with UC Berkeley political scientist Jake Grumbach about why the old model of Black politics is no longer enough—and what a new strategy for building lasting political power could look like.

REFERENCES:

Jake Grumbach - website // @JakeMGrumbach

The Voting Rights Act Is Dead. Here’s a New Model for Black Politics by Jake Grumbach, Perry Bacon, The New Republic

The Myth of Electability with Maya Rupert Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

Why do some politicians get to be "authentic," while others are told they're too polished, too outspoken, or simply not electable? Our latest guest Maya Rupert—author, political strategist, and one of the nation's leading voices on race and democracy (she’s also the former campaign manager for Julián Castro's 2020 presidential campaign, and for Maya Wiley's New York City mayoral campaign)—shares her views on the Democratic Party's approach to electability, media strategy, and what it will take to build a more inclusive and successful politics.

REFERENCES:

Maya Rupert - mayarupert.com

X: @mayarupert IG: @maya.rupert Bluesky: @mayarupert.bsky.social

The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic - Penguin Random House

America at 250: Imagining a New Democracy with LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matters Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

As the our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, LaTosha Brown, organizer and Black Voters Matter co-founder, joins us to reflect on the unfinished struggle for democracy in the wake of the Supreme Court's assault on the Voting Rights Act. She shares her thoughts on the enduring importance of the South, the lessons of Selma, and how people-powered organizing can meet this political moment with hope, courage, and vision.

LaTosha also argues that this moment requires us to think bigger than this year’s midterms, or even the next election. Building a multiracial democracy will require more than electing better leaders—it will require reimagining the architecture of American democracy itself, she says.

She reminds us that our responsibility is not merely to defend democracy as we inherited it, but to build the democracy that has never yet fully existed.

REFERENCES:

LaTosha Brown - @mslatoshabrown // latoshabrown.com

Black Voters Matter - @BlackVotersMtr // blackvotersmatterfund.org

LIVE! Ibram X. Kendi on Democracy and the Politics of Fear Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi joins Steve for a live conversation at the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in Seattle about the growing threat of authoritarianism in the United States and around the world.

Drawing from his new book, Chain of Ideas, Kendi explains how fear, division, and "Great Replacement" narratives are being used to undermine democracy and consolidate power. Together, he and Steve explore the connections between racism, political power, demographic change, and the fight for a multiracial democracy.

They discuss why expanding democracy—not retreating from it—is the path forward and what it will take to build the broad coalition needed to meet this moment.

REFERENCES:

Ibram X. Kendi - ibramxkendi.com // @ibramxk

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age - Penguin Random House

Part 3 - Draining the Money Management SWAMP Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

In conjunction with the release of Steve Phillip's new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America, Democracy in Color presents a three-part podcast series exploring one crucial question.

In the final installment of the Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else? series, Robert Raben, founder and president of Raben and executive director of the Diverse Asset Managers Initiative (DAMI), sheds light on one arena where power operates largely out of public view: asset management and investing.

He shares the historical context of inequality in the industry, impact of the racial reckoning following George Floyd’s murder, and the systemic biases and challenges faced by women and people of color in this field.

Robert also discusses the need for more aggressive, data-driven approaches to identifying discrimination, holding institutions accountable, and using existing state and local authority to create fairer outcomes.

REFERENCES:

Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America by Steve Phillips - available now!

Robert Raben - Website - @RobertRaben

Diverse Assets Managers Initiative

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