Caroiline Welles talks elections and their importance | Midday Break Room w/ Tiffany Bacon - 5.19.26

Caroline Welles (pronounced ‘Welz’) is the founder and Executive Director of The First Ask, an organization working to elect more women to State Legislatures. Since its 2023 founding, The First Ask has supported over 50 first-time female candidates, built a presence across nine states, and achieved a 100% general election win rate in 2025. Prior to founding The First Ask, Caroline served as Director of Surrogates at the DNC across four election cycles and as a Presidential Appointee at the U.S. Department of the Interior. She is the co-host of At the Kitchen Table, a podcast on politics and American family life, featuring guests including Soledad O'Brien and Amanda Litman. Her work has been covered by The AP, Washington Post, Newsweek, and the Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. She holds an MA Honours in Sociology from the University of Edinburgh and lives in Washington, DC with her husband and son.