Democracy Should Be Up To Voters (with Kate Barr and Tonya Martin) Artwork

The Suburban Women Problem

Rachel Vindman thought she’d be a card-carrying member of the GOP forever, until President Trump called her husband a traitor. Microbiologist Jasmine Clark never dreamed of running for office, but then 2016 happened -- now she’s the first Black woman ever elected to represent her suburban district. A US Air Force Veteran turned economist, Amanda Weinstein used to listen to Focus on the Family and lecture her peers about abortion until she couldn’t reconcile her faith with today’s GOP. In the most hotly contested districts in America, suburban women are breaking up with the Republican Party and remaking American politics -- transforming their own lives and getting political for the first time. Each week, Rachel, Jasmine, and Amanda find out why. Want to know what’s causing the GOP’s suburban women problem? Tune in for a political journey through the minds of suburban women, brought to you every Wednesday by Red Wine & Blue. Now in Season 2!

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The Suburban Women Problem

Democracy Should Be Up To Voters (with Kate Barr and Tonya Martin)

November 20, 2024 • Red Wine & Blue • Season 5 • Episode 37

It’s been two weeks since the election. Two… very long weeks. And if you’re anything like us, you’re still on an emotional rollercoaster, trying to make sense out of what happened.

Today on the podcast, our hosts talk about some of the post-election narratives they’ve seen. Did the Democrats go “too woke”? Do women not care about reproductive rights anymore? From where we’re sitting, the answers are “no” and “no.” (Or honestly, “no” and “hell no.”)

That’s not to say everything is fine. We’re still very worried and sad about the results. But it might be helpful to reframe the conversation around misinformation instead of values. If we can find a way to get our message through, next time things could be different.

And as disappointed as we were about the top of the ticket, there were still so many state and local wins. Today we talked to a couple of awesome women in North Carolina: Tonya Martin, Red Wine & Blue’s deputy director in the state, and Kate Barr, a candidate for NC state Senate who ran in a district so gerrymandered her campaign website was www.katebarrcantwin.com. Tonya and Kate helped us understand why they celebrated so many state-level wins despite NC voting for Trump, and why gerrymandering is so bad for democracy.

Between misinformation, gerrymandering, and outright cheating, the deck was stacked against Democrats. That doesn’t mean we give up - it means we fight harder, fairer, and more local.

If you're worried about spending Thanksgiving with your MAGA relatives, Red Wine & Blue is here to help. Join us on Thursday 11/21 for a virtual event that's all about how to handle those holiday conversations.

For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue.

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