Explore every episode of the podcast The Campaign Strategist
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defying Fascism and Building Narrative Power with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:48:40 | |
In this episode, Pete talks with Dr. Jiggy Geronimo, a neuroscientist-turned-strategist and founder of JG Insights, about building powerful progressive narratives. Jiggy shares why poll-tested messaging often fails—and how an “emotions first, content first” strategy can drive real resistance and mobilization. From confronting fascism to channeling public anger into action, this conversation is a guide to narrative power in dangerous times. "Narrative is about the words, but it's also about the visuals," says Jiggy. "It's also about the stories. It's also about the feelings. And we don't...on the left, take that holistic approach to narrative." Subscribe to Jiggy's newsletter here. Find and subscribe: | |||
| How Progressives Win in the Modern Media Age: Jenifer Ancona of Way to Win | 28 Oct 2025 | 00:52:07 | |
In this episode of The Campaign Strategist, Pete talks with Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Co-Founder and Chief Strategist at Way to Win, and co-host of Charting the Way Forward, about how progressives can thrive in a radically transformed media environment. Jenifer shares how she went from journalist to movement strategist — and how that journey shaped her understanding of what it takes to compete in an attention economy dominated by emotion, culture, and decentralized media. She explains why campaigns must merge organizing and media instead of treating them as separate worlds, and how creators, storytelling, and cultural authenticity can move people in ways policy briefs never will. If you care about how progressives can break through the noise — and build real narrative power — don’t miss this one. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Messaging Without Emotion or Risk = Political Failure — Saeed Mousavi | 27 May 2025 | 00:49:12 | |
Pollster and strategist Saeed Mousavi joins The Campaign Strategist to explain why Democrats are losing emotional traction—and what it takes to reconnect. From risk-averse messaging to outdated research models, Saeed makes the case for a new, emotionally resonant strategy built for today’s media landscape. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Why Restoring the Old Order Won’t Save Us | Michael Podhorzer Explains | 13 May 2025 | 00:40:57 | |
Michael Podhorzer joins host Pete Altman to talk about what really happened in the 2024 election—and why the fight ahead isn’t about restoring the old order, but building a new one. From the failures of civil institutions to the importance of unions and organizing, this is a powerful conversation for anyone trying to navigate the Trump Era with clarity and strategy. Find and subscribe: | |||
| How Activists Stopped Fracking in NY—And What We Can Learn From It | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:44:09 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Art of Organizing Clean Businesses with Bob Keefe | 15 Apr 2025 | 00:41:17 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Why Democrats Are Losing the Working Class | Chuck Rocha Explains | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:36:48 | |
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 Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Art of Prep and Story with Melissa Waage | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:33:38 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Leadership and long-term thinking with Mark Magaña | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:37:35 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Power of Questions with George Rakis | 18 Feb 2025 | 00:35:43 | |
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 and subscribe: | |||
| The Art of Focus with Danielle Droitsch | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:36:29 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Power of Culture with Reverend Lennox Yearwood | 21 Jan 2025 | 00:38:15 | |
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: Find and subscribe: | |||
| Shilpi Chhotray on Media, Power, and Climate Justice | 14 Oct 2025 | 00:38:57 | |
In this episode, Pete Altman talks with media strategist and Counter Stream Media founder Shilpi Chhotray, who makes a powerful case for rethinking how we build power for climate justice. Shilpi shares why she’s stepped back from the mainstream climate movement—and why philanthropy’s failure to fund narrative work and frontline leadership is holding the movement back. From global organizing to launching a frontline-led media outlet, she outlines how narrative strategy, not just comms, can shift hearts, policy, and power. “We’re not winning the narrative war,” she warns, “because we’re not investing where it counts.” Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Art of Organizing with Tom "Smitty" Smith | 07 Jan 2025 | 00:35:20 | |
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. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Welcome to The Campaign Strategist | 26 Dec 2024 | 00:01:25 | |
| The Democratic Party Isn’t Coming to Save Us: Tara Buss on Competitive Authoritarianism and the Path Forward | 16 Sep 2025 | 00:39:13 | |
Tara Buss, Senior Director of Research at the Research Collaborative, joins The Campaign Strategist to unpack what she calls "competitive authoritarianism" in the U.S.—a state that mimics democracy while systematically undermining it. She and Pete explore why mass non-compliance is critical, how narrative strategy can shape resistance, and why polling shouldn’t lead progressive strategy. “The rules of the game have changed,” she warns. “We can’t wait until 2026—we have to act now.” This is a compelling, clear-eyed look at the fight to preserve democracy. Find and subscribe: | |||
| A Progressive Art of War with Eric Hensal | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:40:52 | |
What can Sun Tzu teach us about winning political power in 2025? In this new episode of The Campaign Strategist, I talk with Eric Hensal—veteran progressive strategist, author of A Progressive Art of War and host of the podcast Progressive Conjecture—about applying timeless military strategy to modern political challenges. We explore:
Eric’s approach is provocative, practical, and rooted in decades of experience across labor, government, and political campaigns. #PoliticalStrategy #CampaignStrategy #Advocacy #ProgressivePolitics #NarrativeStrategy #MovementBuilding #TheCampaignStrategist Find and subscribe: | |||
| Say It Like You Mean It: Narrative Strategy with Anat Shenker-Osorio | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:46:43 | |
Messaging maven and strategist Anat Shenker-Osorio joins Pete to unpack the mechanics of narrative, the seductive power of repetition, and why too much progressive messaging sounds like it came from a law school textbook. From “Florida fascism facilities” to “start how you want to finish,” Anat brings clarity and conviction to the question of how we talk about political danger—and what we should say instead. This is a sharp, funny, and necessary conversation about how to build power through language. Follow Anat's Substack Words to Win by and check out her firm's work: ASO Communications. Find and subscribe: | |||
| How the People of NC Stopped Mark Robinson | Durrell Johnson on The Campaign Strategist | 22 Jul 2025 | 00:42:45 | |
Durrell Johnson helped lead the campaign to stop Mark Robinson’s run for governor in North Carolina—and in doing so, created a roadmap for defeating far-right extremism. In this episode, he explains how local groups built trust, centered impacted communities, and reached even conservative voters who felt the danger. “This wasn’t just about what Robinson said—it was about what would happen if he held power.” A must-listen for campaigners and communicators heading into 2026. Find and subscribe: | |||
| The Art of Understanding and Connecting with Voters with Liz Kazal | 08 Jul 2025 | 00:35:46 | |
Liz Kazal of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy joins The Campaign Strategist to talk about why Republican members of Congress are starting to feel real political risk over their support for Trump’s tax and budget bill—and how her team is keeping the pressure on. From Medicaid cuts to economic messaging, Liz shares how organizers can turn pain into power—and why being “relentless” is the only path forward in today’s political climate. Find and subscribe: | |||
| Nick Ahamed on How Progressives Can Win the Internet | 24 Jun 2025 | 00:39:52 | |
Nick Ahamed, Deputy Executive Director of Priorities USA, joins Pete to break down the changing media landscape and what progressives must do to keep up. From the emotional resonance of abortion ads to why YouTube is essential for reaching young and diverse voters, Nick shares sharp insights on message testing, digital strategy, and long-term infrastructure. “You can’t talk to gamers and beauty YouTubers the same way—our messaging has to match the niche.” Find and subscribe: | |||
| Indivisible's Dani Negrete on the Urgency of Building Power Before It’s Too Late | 10 Jun 2025 | 00:46:45 | |
In this episode of The Campaign Strategist, Pete talks with Dani Negrete, National Political Director at Indivisible. Dani shares why “we don’t have four years to fix things,” drawing on lessons from recent campaigns and historical trends in authoritarian movements. They discuss how grassroots movements can sustain resistance, why cultural organizing is essential, and how to build power at the local level. A must-listen for anyone interested in advocacy, movement-building, and progressive political strategy. Find all episodes at substack.tcspod.com or https://www.youtube.com/@TheCampaignStrategist Find and subscribe: | |||