Ep. 33 (Video): Olivia Julianna on Faith, the Texas Primary, and the Key to Flipping Texas

Olivia Julianna, a Gen Z activist, strategist, and content creator based in Texas. Her work has reached millions online, and she's become one of the most recognizable young Democratic voices in the country.This week, Kate and Alex sit down with Olivia to talk about building a political movement in Texas, and why community is the foundation everything else gets built on.Olivia traces her origin story from a conservative Christian household in rural Fort Bend County to going viral during the 2020 election, taking on Matt Gaetz at 19, and raising $2.3 million for abortion funds in the aftermath of Dobbs. She shares what it was like to be thrust into a national spotlight before she'd even finished her freshman year of college, and why she didn't feel the weight of it until she was standing in the Oval Office with Joe Biden four years later.Plus: Olivia is moving to Austin, Alex is crashing a teenager's D&D birthday quest, and Kate is taking her four-year-old to ACL for the very first time.*Note: this was recorded before Trump's Texas Primary endorsement announcement. Why Olivia started making TikToks in 2020, and how she reached a million views before she could even vote Getting attacked by a sitting member of Congress at 19, and turning it into $2.3 million for fifty abortion funds Being pushed out of her ministry for abortion advocacy, and how James Talarico helped her find her way back to her faith The "villager" theory of organizing: show up for your community before you need something from it Why the Democratic big tent in Texas has to be bigger than most party insiders are comfortable with Olivia's prediction on the Cornyn-Paxton runoff and what it means for Talarico in November How Texas congressional seats could determine the House majority The 18-to-29 neighbor stat: down from 51% to 25% since 2012, and what Democrats need to do about itWhere to find Olivia:All platforms: @OliviaJuliannaSubstack: oliviajulianna.coSupport the show:Love what we're doing? Become a member at patreon.com/missiontexaspodcast — just a few dollars a month keeps independent Texas media alive. And if you can't spare the cash, a five-star review goes just as far. God bless Texas. 🤠