Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez-Carbone examine Crowley’s extraordinary campaign comeback, his endorsement from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, the financial collapse of Sara Rodriguez’s campaign, millions in outside spending, and the absence of endorsements from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

But Democratic establishment involvement is only part of the explanation. Matt and Laura debate Hong’s campaign decisions, her past comments about Thanksgiving and policing, and whether progressive candidates sometimes weaken popular economic policies with language that alienates voters they need to win.

The discussion then turns to the larger challenge facing Democrats: how to fight for universal healthcare, working people, public education, and economic reform while building a broad coalition that is comfortable with patriotism and proud to carry the American flag.

The episode closes with a warning about political polling. Hong finished almost exactly where Marquette’s final poll placed her. The poll’s major failure was David Crowley, who rose from 7% to nearly 40% after several candidates withdrew and Democratic leaders consolidated behind him.

Read The Angry Democrats:

https://theangrydem.com

Read Ohio political coverage from The Angry Ohioans:

https://theangryohioans.com

Read Laura Rodriguez-Carbone at The Whisper Campaign:

https://whispercampaign.substack.com

Subscribe for political analysis willing to criticize everyone, including our own side.

#FrancescaHong #DemocraticParty #WisconsinPolitics

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez-Carbone examine El-Sayed’s narrow victory over Haley Stevens, the outside spending that flooded Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, Chuck Schumer’s declining influence, AIPAC’s role, and what the result says about the growing power of progressives and the Democratic Socialists of America.

They also discuss Donavan McKinney and William Lawrence winning Michigan congressional primaries, Cori Bush losing her comeback campaign against Wesley Bell, and Third Way’s planned $15 million effort to counter the DSA through 2028.

Then the conversation turns to Ohio, where Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton announced her support for Issue 3, the Republican-backed constitutional voter ID amendment. Ohio already requires photo identification to vote, raising questions about why Acton supports putting those requirements into the state Constitution and whether she is repeating Tim Ryan’s failed strategy of adopting Republican positions to attract voters who may never cross party lines.

Are Democratic voters moving left, rejecting incumbents, or simply demanding candidates who accomplish something? And how much money will Democratic organizations waste trying to control the answer?

Read The Angry Democrats:

https://theangrydem.com

Read Ohio political coverage from The Angry Ohioans:

https://theangryohioans.com

Read Laura Rodriguez-Carbone at The Whisper Campaign:

https://whispercampaign.substack.com

Subscribe for political analysis willing to criticize everyone, including our own side.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee has proposed placing South Carolina first in the 2028 Democratic primary calendar, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire. Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez-Carbone examine how that decision could influence which presidential candidates gain momentum and which campaigns struggle to survive.

Laura applies five political “filters” to the potential 2028 Democratic field, including access to South Carolina’s political network, ideological positioning, appeal in states Donald Trump won, the party’s apparent candidate preferences, and growing Democratic opposition to AIPAC.

The discussion covers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Andy Beshear, Jon Ossoff, Mark Kelly, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Wes Moore, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Ro Khanna, Jim Clyburn, the DSA, progressive Democrats, and the divide between Democratic voters and the party establishment.

Is South Carolina going first about representing the Democratic coalition, or is the party putting its thumb on the scale? And could AOC and the progressive movement disrupt the establishment’s strategy?

Read The Angry Democrats:

https://theangrydem.com

Read The Angry Ohioans:

https://theangryohioans.com

Subscribe for political analysis willing to criticize everyone, including our own side.

#DNC #DemocraticParty #Election2028

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez-Carbone examine the Democratic National Committee’s financial crisis, including its decision to use its Washington headquarters as collateral for a $15 million line of credit. As of June 30, the DNC reported approximately $18.5 million in debt and $16.3 million in cash, while the Republican National Committee reported approximately $128.5 million in cash and no debt.

But the problem is larger than one loan. Matt and Laura discuss wasteful campaign spending, the fallout from the 2024 presidential election, Democratic consultants, billionaire political spending, primary endorsements, superdelegates, donor distrust, and the party’s habit of putting its thumb on the scale.

If Democrats cannot persuade their own voters and donors to trust the party, how can they compete with Republicans and billionaires capable of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on elections?

Read The Angry Democrats:

https://theangrydem.com

Read Ohio political coverage from The Angry Ohioans:

https://theangryohioans.com

Subscribe for political analysis willing to criticize everyone, including our own side.

#DNC #DemocraticParty #CampaignFinance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 2 of The Angry Democrats Podcast, Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez Carbone examine two controversies exposing a larger accountability problem inside Ohio’s Democratic Party.

First, they discuss Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s statement opposing transgender participation in girls’ sports, the response from the newly formed Ohio Democratic Progressive Caucus, and the Ohio Democratic Party’s reaction to members publicly criticizing the nominee.

The conversation is not limited to one policy disagreement. It raises a broader question: Can Democrats claim to defend democracy while discouraging dissent, debate, and free political expression within their own party?

Matt and Laura also examine political power in Cuyahoga County, including concerns about County Executive Chris Ronayne financially supporting candidates for County Council, the body responsible for overseeing the executive branch. The spending may be legal and publicly disclosed, but transparency alone does not eliminate a potential conflict between executive power and legislative oversight.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Diemer and Laura Rodriguez Carbone discuss Ro Khanna's investment portfolio, campaign finance, Democratic Party accountability, political branding, consultant-driven campaigns, and why authenticity matters more than carefully crafted political personas.

In this episode:

• Ro Khanna's stock trading record

• The Trust in Congress Act

• Congressional stock trading reform

• Money in politics

• Citizens United

• Democratic Party leadership

• Political branding vs. authenticity

• The 2028 Democratic presidential race

Whether you agree or disagree with us, our goal is simple: hold everyone accountable, including Democrats.

If you're looking for honest conversations about Democratic politics, campaign finance, government accountability, elections, and reform, subscribe to The Angry Democrats Podcast.

🌐 https://theangrydem.com

🌐 https://theangryohioans.com

#RoKhanna #Congress #CongressionalStockTrading #TrustInCongressAct #Democrats

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.