playnext.fm

The Most Important Question

Best of: A Conversation With A Future President of the United States

·1 hr 22 min·5 clips
Amy Steele received mailers depicting her punching a white man, a racist trope used to undermine her campaign for state office.
The episode opens with host Quinn explaining the podcast's rebrand to The Most Important Question and introducing a rerun from October 2020. Guests are Amy Steele, a candidate for the North Carolina House, and Amanda Littman, executive director of Run for Something. Amy shares her background as a military child, teacher, principal, and mother of five, detailing how a state law on class sizes prompted her to run for office. She describes her district in Cabarrus County, which became competitive after redistricting. Amanda discusses Run for Something's growth, endorsing nearly 1,500 candidates since 2017, with over 500 on the ballot in fall 2020, focusing on women and people of color. Amy recounts the racist mailers against her campaign, including manipulated images portraying her as violent. The conversation shifts to COVID's impact, with Amy explaining how her campaign now prioritizes meeting constituents' basic needs like food and unemployment help over traditional campaigning. Amanda highlights Run for Something's role in flipping state legislatures and supporting candidates like Amy through long-term engagement. Amy discusses her legislative priorities: education funding, Medicaid expansion, broadband access, and reducing recidivism, inspired by witnessing a prison chain gang in college. The episode concludes with action steps: donating to Amy's campaign or Run for Something, volunteering for phone banks, and emphasizing the importance of state elections for issues like climate change and redistricting.

As heard by us

A 2020 campaign conversation that turns on unemployment, schooling, and internet access.

Quinn revisits a 2020 conversation with Amanda Littman, co-founder of Run for Something, and Amy Steele, a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

When campaign calls start turning into requests for diapers, unemployment help, and broadband.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from The Most Important Question