Listen Now

We spoke with Adriana Ruggiero, the California state director at America's Voice, who hosted an event in Los Angeles this week on the Latino vote in California in this year's midterm elections. We also play a segment from that event from pollster Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions (segment starts at 15:30).

On this episode of our podcast "A is for America", we spoke to Sylvia Manzano, a principal at Latino Decisions, about the new American vote from this year's midterm elections, how ballots are still being counted in some locations, and how the progressive movement can continue to build our power in 2019, 2020, and elections to come. (Interview begins 7:45.)

This week, of course, was the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats made huge gains in the House and at the local and state level. Our state directors at America's Voice — Viri Vidal in Nevada, Mario Carrillo in Texas, Adriana Ruggiero in California, and Zachary Mueller in Kansas — joined us on the podcast to talk about the many exciting developments in their respective states, from victories to turnout records to history being made, and more.

Today, we're publishing a very special election-eve episode of our podcast with Ed Espinoza, the Executive Director of Progress Texas, who spoke about new American voters in Texas, record early voting turnout, and the Senate campaign of Beto O'Rourke. (Interview begins at 4:45.)

On this week's episode of "A is for America", we spoke with America's Voice en Español journalists Maribel Hastings and David Torres, who have been traveling the country speaking to new American voters in battleground districts and states. On the last leg of their tour, they traveled to Texas, met up with our Texas state director Mario Carrillo, and wrote about "Betomania". Read their content here. (Interview begins at 9:00.)

On this week’s episode of our podcast “A is for America”, we spoke with our own Adriana Ruggiero, Viri Vidal, and Mario Carrillo — America’s Voice state directors for California, Nevada, and Texas, respectively — about what’s going on in this last stretch of the 2018 midterm elections. They talked about what’s going with voter turnout, the organizations mobilizing new American voters, and how local campaigns are looking in the final two weeks of this cycle.

On this week's episode of our podcast "A is for America", we spoke with Daniel Nichanian, who is a fellow at the The Justice Collaborative Engagement Project and a writer at The Appeal. He recently wrote a piece about local cooperation with ICE and all the places where ICE is on the ballot this year. (Interview begins at 13:30.)

On this week's episode of our podcast "A is for America", we spoke with Diana Colin, Civic Engagement Director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), who joined us to speak about CHIRLA's electoral efforts this fall. (Interview begins at 10:15.)

On this week's episode of our podcast, we spoke with UCLA professor and Latino Decisions principal Matt Barreto about this year's midterm elections, the importance of the Latino vote, current polls, campaign investment into new American communities, and more. (Interview begins at 9:15.)

Episode 30: Frank Sharry of America's Voice by America's Voice

Episode 29: Karina Martínez, Mi Familia Vota by America's Voice

On this week's episode of our podcast, we sat down with the America's Voice politics team — Mario Carrillo from Texas, Viridiana Vidal-Gonzzali from Nevada, and Adriana Ruggiero from California — to talk about the midterm elections this year and the respective organizing challenges they face in their states. Key districts across the country this year are going to be crucial, and it's important that the ongoing GOP effort to divide and distract Americans this fall not succeed.

On this week’s episode of “A is for America”, we spoke with Matt Hildreth, our Political Director here at America's Voice. Labor Day has come and gone, which means that this year's midterm elections are really ramping up in earnest now. Republicans across the country are running on Stephen Miller's explicitly anti-immigrant strategy, even though we've seen in election after election that it doesn't work. New American voters have been making headlines all year, yet NALEO reports that 60% of Latino voters have not been contacted about voting. (Interview begins at 12:00.)

Episode 26: Drew Galloway, MOVE Texas by America's Voice

On this week's episode of "A is for America", we spoke with Hassan Ahmad, Esq., a Virginia lawyer who sued the University of Michigan for the release of white supremacist John Tanton's papers. John Tanton is the founder of anti-immigrant hate groups like the Center for Immigration Studies and Federation for American Immigration Reform, which have influence in Donald Trump's White House and play a role in determining American immigration policy. That means Tanton's papers are important — but they are sealed until 2035, a fact which Hassan hopes to change. (Interview begins at 13:30.)

On this week's episode of our podcast "A is for America", we spoke with Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This week, Voces de la Frontera Action won a major victory with the election of Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee's new sheriff, who stood against the anti-immigrant enforcement practices of former sheriff David A. Clarke, Jr. and his heir apparent Richard Schmidt. Voces Action and other groups worked to elect Lucas and defeat Schmidt through tireless canvassing, phone banking, and mobilizing efforts. As a result of Tuesday's win, communities in Milwaukee will be safer as local police decrease cooperation with ICE in the separation of families. (Interview begins at 14:50.)

On this week's episode of our podcast "A is for America", we spoke with Zachary Mueller, our own resident Kris Kobach expert who joined us to talk about how Kansas' Secretary of State may have just won a gubernatorial primary. (Interview begins at 14:15.) Kris Kobach, Kansas' Secretary of State and a longtime national "leader" in all things anti-immigrant, is currently the winner of this week's gubernatorial primary by 91 votes. We talk to Zac about Kobach's ties to white nationalism, his recent court battles, his ambitions for becoming president, a possible recount, and more.

In this week's episode of our podcast "A is for America", we record from Netroots Nation 2018, the annual progressive conference that is being held in New Orleans, Louisiana this year. We spoke with a number of advocates and activists on the immigration issues that they're working on today and what catches their attention in the Trump era. (Interviews start at 13:15.)

In this week's episode of our podcast, "A is for America", we spoke with Susie Haslett, a policy associate at fwd.us, who is currently in Phoenix, Arizona working as part of a massive effort to help reunite families separated by the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance" policy. Susie, along with colleagues and partners including our own Juan Escalante, have been helping migrant families adjust to new lives, helping with social services, and coordinating flights for families to reunite with loved ones. Our interview with her begins at 13:00.

In the latest episode of our podcast, we spoke with Yaheiry Mora, Director of CASA in Action.  Last fall, Republicans tried to use Trumpist, anti-immigrant messaging in the campaign for Virginia governor — and it backfired horribly. That route has also failed to work in numerous races around the country this year. Yet Republicans have made it clear that this is the strategy they'll be pushing in the midterms this November. (Interview starts at 14:10.)