The Great Battlefield

Raghu Devaguptapu, a Democratic media consultant and managing partner at TKO Political with decades of campaign experience. He talks about how ADHD and upbringing shaped his persuasion skills. He recounts shifts from committee work to founding a media firm, modernizing content and in-house buying, and tactical debates over media, messaging, and party infrastructure.

Matthew D. Taylor, a scholar of Christian nationalism and evangelical movements at Georgetown, discusses independent charismatic Christianity and its rapid, media-savvy growth. He maps how charismatic spiritual warfare, worship brands, and prophetic networks intersect with political mobilization. The conversation covers connections to Trump-aligned movements, threats to democratic norms, and strategies for theological resistance.

Josef Lentsch, Austrian political entrepreneur and founder/CEO of the Political Tech Summit, co-founder of NEOS. He recounts starting a new party in Austria and applying startup methods to politics. He explains building a European marketplace connecting tech, parties, and campaign pros. He warns tech can both defend and threaten democracy and outlines plans to scale summits, awards, and a transnational careers hub.

Michelle Roos, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Network and former EPA official who organizes former staff to defend science-based protection. She discusses the dismantling of the EPA under Trump, aggressive ideological purges and mass firings, and how EPN preserves data, advises policy, and prepares to rebuild scientific capacity and public-health protections.

Alan Jenkins, law professor and long‑time civil rights and human rights advocate, former Ford Foundation human rights director and co-author of the One Six graphic novel. He discusses combining litigation, narrative, and communications to fight authoritarian threats. He explains creating One Six, distributing action guides to schools and officials, and practical ways communities can defend democracy.

Matt Grossman, political scientist and Michigan State professor who directs IPPSR and hosts the Science of Politics podcast. He discusses blending academic research with practical politics. Conversations cover redistricting and federalism, threats to democratic norms, how public opinion shifts shape policy, and translating political science for practitioners.

Danielle Butterfield, Executive Director at Priorities USA and veteran digital ad strategist, discusses reshaping how super PACs operate. She talks about shifting from big ad buys to training, building tools like Ad Hoc and Warbler, and the value of upper-funnel branding. Short takes cover balancing R&D with immediate needs and blending data with human judgment.

Ben Resnick, Chief Strategy Officer at Social Currant and political tech veteran, shares his journey at the intersection of politics and technology. He discusses creator-driven organizing, practical AI uses for campaigns, building long-term partnerships between creators and progressive groups, and why patient, strategic investments matter for democratic organizing.

Murshed Zaheed, founder and CEO of Pacifica Strategies and former digital communications lead for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, shares his path to launching a consultancy. He discusses practical startup steps, crafting narratives and messaging, organizing for better advocacy, building coalitions beyond DC, and preparing for political fights ahead.

Aaron Parnas, a lawyer-turned independent journalist known for short-form political news and Substack analysis. He discusses pivoting from law to social reporting, covering the Russia–Ukraine war, building trust with a growing audience, and balancing original reporting with platform strategies. He also talks about press relationships, creator business choices, and staying present amid fast news cycles.