Stay ConnectedDive into the world of advocacy with The Campaign Strategist. Each episode features in-depth conversations with activists and experts who break down their approaches to planning, executing, and winning campaigns. Learn about the strategies that have shaped policies, changed minds, and mobilized communities. Perfect for anyone looking to amplify their impact and drive meaningful change.
New episodes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month.
Copyright: © 2026 The Campaign Strategist
In this episode of The Campaign Strategist, Rich Schrader and Kate Sinding Daly take us inside the eight-year campaign that led New York to ban fracking—making it the first state with significant gas deposits to stop the practice. Rich is the Director of New York Government Affairs at NRDC. At the time, Kate was Senior Attorney and Deputy Director of NRDC’s New York Program. She is now Vice President of Law and Policy at the Conservation Law Foundation.
They share how their team, alongside grassroots allies, built public pressure, commissioned polling the state couldn’t ignore, and demanded scientific and moral accountability from their own movement.
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What happens when clean energy jobs face a political headwind—and how can business leaders fight back? In this episode of The Campaign Strategist, Bob Keefe of E2 joins Pete for a two-part conversation. First, they discuss how the Trump administration’s attacks on clean energy are stalling billions in investment and job creation. Then, they rewind to Bob’s original interview about the strategies E2 uses to mobilize unexpected messengers—businesspeople—for climate advocacy. If you want to understand how economic arguments win policy fights, this one’s for you.
Learn more about E2: https://e2.org/
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Political strategist and labor organizer Chuck Rocha, founder of Solidarity Strategies, joins Pete Altman on The Campaign Strategist to talk about why progressives are losing touch with working-class voters—and how to fix it. From his start as a teenage union steward in Texas to running Latino outreach for Bernie Sanders, Chuck shares hard-won lessons on strategy, cultural competency, and building lasting political power.
About Chuck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-rocha-476a6276
Solidarity Strategies: https://www.solidaritystrategies.com/
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On this week’s pod, I had the joy of talking with the wonderful Melissa Waage — a brilliant strategist, long-time environmental advocate, and now VP of Advocacy & Engagement at Sandy Hook Promise.
We dig into campaign strategy fundamentals, what it really takes to move decision-makers, why preparation and storytelling matter so much, and how to keep people engaged even through long, hard fights (looking at you, Inflation Reduction Act!). Plus, Melissa shares the best piece of advice she ever got and why self-care matters for campaigners.
Sandy Hook Promise: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/
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Environmentalist, strategist and leader Mark Magaña joins The Campaign Strategist to talk about the need for long-term vision and investments in growing progressive political power, how to think like a White House staffer when asking them for help, and his approach to building up the infrastructure of the movement. Mark is the Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos, a co-founder of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, and serves on the boards of the League of Conservation Voters, Green 2.0, and the Children’s Environmental Health Network.
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Friend and colleague George Rakis joins The Campaign Strategist today as we talk about his role leading the Climate Action Campaign from 2011 - 2018, which resulted in the first national carbon standards ever to be promulgated in the U.S. That's where I got to know George, from recommending him to run the campaign to my boss at NRDC to my role as senior advisor to the campaign. George came from a long electoral career which included running various Congressional and statewide campaigns, to senior roles in the Michigan Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee. George brought his electoral experience and his curiousity to one of the biggest challenges in politics: notching a win on climate policy.
Find George here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-rakis-vote/
About The Campaign Strategist:
The podcast is produced by host Pete Altman's Prismatic Strategies, a consulting firm providing clients a spectrum of strategic and innovative campaign solutions.
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The Campaign Strategist is produced by Prismatic Strategies, LLC (https://www.prismaticstrategiesllc.com/).
Hosted by Pete Altman. Music by Andrea Perry (https://andreaperry.tv/) and Pete Altman. Edited by Abby Altman.
Check out Pete's Medium blog (https://medium.com/@PeteAltman)
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In this episode of 'The Campaign Strategist,' host Pete Altman interviews Danielle Droitsch, an environmental advocate and executive coach. Danielle shares her journey into environmental advocacy, beginning with a college protest against Exxon. The conversation delves into campaign strategies, including power mapping and decision-maker analysis. Danielle emphasizes the importance of focused, strategic actions over broad mobilization efforts, using examples from her work on campaigns like the Keystone XL pipeline and various watershed and wilderness protection initiatives. She also discusses coalition management, the significance of engaging diverse groups, and the challenges of getting collective agreements on strategies. The episode concludes with Danielle reflecting on advice from mentors and the importance of maintaining relationships with decision makers.
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Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. joins us for a thought-provoking conversation about culture, advocacy and much more. President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus and host of The Coolest Show podcast, Yearwood's activism was spurred by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which highlighted the need to address climate issues in his community.
Our conversation delves into his philosophy that culture is central to effective activism, describing how actions rooted in cultural engagement can bridge divides and rally communities. Yearwood discusses the Hip Hop Caucus's methods, like incorporating comedy and music into their campaigns, and emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing resistance when forming strategies.
We get into how the white-dominance of the environmental movement dampens its reach and power, and Reverend Yearwood touches on his philanthropic work which aims to redirect resources to marginalized communities. The dialogue highlights the integral link between culture and systemic change and underscores the importance of genuine, diverse engagement in advocacy efforts.
Show Notes:
Follow Rev Yearwood on BlueSky at @revyearwood.bsky.social
Organizations & projects brought up in today’s episode:
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In this episode, Pete interviews Tom "Smitty" Smith, a seasoned advocate who shares insights and personal stories from decades of organizing, advocating, and lobbying. The discussion covers the essential elements of successful advocacy, including the importance of coalition-building, strategic adjustments, empowering community members, and the art of creating a 'hero's path' for opponents. Learn how to identify key issues, find effective solutions, and mobilize diverse groups to create impactful change.
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