Charting the Way Forward

AOC on integrity and ambition, Trump on his total disregard for Americans' financial situations and his unbelievable swimming pool guy, and a big shift from Rep Hakeem Jeffries in response to Republican gutting of the civil rights agenda. Way to Win President Tory Gavito, Chief Strategy Office Jenifer Ancona and host Kerry Eleveld break down the week.

In this week's consideration of various aspects of The Juice, Way to Win President Tory Gavito, DJ/Consultant of Destiny Dan Ancona and Superhost Kerry Eleveld discuss the gutting of the VRA, Platner's shocking flanking of the Dem establishment in Maine, and a fun approach from another upstart candidate running for the seat previously held by Nancy Pelosi.

This week’s show is a swan dive into tough terrain for Dems with fresh, innovative battleground polling. Way to Win worked with Impact Research and Lake Research to zero in on messages that move gettable voters in conservative South and Southwest battleground states and districts. Trump’s catastrophic failure on the economy has unlocked the door for Dems; with focus and effort, they may be able to open it. Rising star pollster Luke Martin and Consultant of Destiny™️ Dan Ancona dig in with host Kerry Eleveld.

Democratic rising star Rep. Yassamin Ansari joins host Kerry Eleveld to discuss the Las Vegas launch of the Affordability Listening Tour, sponsored by the Way to Win and members of Congressional Progressive Caucus. Next up: Houston and Phoenix!

Todd Zimmer of Down Home North Carolina joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona for an update from the front lines of one of the spiciest battleground states this cycle.

Way to Win President Tory Gavito and Political Director Joe Hamill join host Kerry Eleveld to cover this week's wild swings in American democracy, including a LOT of electoral good news.

Strategist, superstar organizer and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito to continue a guaranteed-inspirational discussion that Tory and LaTosha started at the Edmund Pettus Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee in early March of this year.

Way to Win star consultant Dan Ancona hosts a conversation with NIH neuroscientist and superactivist Mark Histed (speaking in his personal capacity, not as a representative of the agency) about the attacks on science under this administration, the changes and degradation in media that got him involved and got all of us to this point, and what may possibly be our nerdiest three media things ever.

Host Kerry Eleveld, Way to Win Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, and Star Consultant Dan Ancona get together to talk who was cooking this week (James Talarico, Jon Ossoff, Kat Abughazaleh and whichever ad firm that made Cornyn's most recent ad) and who was cooked (Ken Paxton, Trump, and everyone else dragging us into this idiotic, racist war).

Terrance Woodbury from HIT Strategies presents Black Opps, their deep research project on understanding why Black voters have been super motivated but less willing to publicly protest the Trump administration. He joins host Kerry Eleveld, President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategist Jenifer Fernandez Ancona to unpack and discuss what they found. Please read more and follow Terrance's work here:https://hitstrat.com/blackopps/

G. Elliott Morris has been putting up banger after banger of polls, studies and analyses at Strength in Numbers. Host Kerry Eleveld and Strategist Dan Ancona invited him to come by the show and discuss a couple recent standouts: how Democrats biggest problem is being seen as too weak, not too liberal, philosophies of writing good survey questions, and a little on Texas.

Host Kerry Eleveld has on Way to Win Texas experts President Tory Gavito and  Political Director Joe Hamill for a short discussion of the seismic shifts happening in Texas, as viewed through the lens of yesterday's high energy and very high vibe primary election.

A little tweak to our format this week: Host Kerry Eleveld is joined by President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona to go over some clips of the public figures who did great and... less great this week. They dig into some of the best bits of Spanberger's out-of-nowhere surprise fantastic State of the Union Response, some of the strong stuff Jon Ossoff has been slinging down in Georgia, and Gavin Newsom stepping into a bucket of right wing hogwash.

"There is no one in charge anymore. That is both incredibly scary and part of why the last year has felt so discombobulating for so many people, but it is also so freeing. We have this incredible opportunity to reshape where we want the party to go, to reimagine the future." - Run for Something's Amanda Litman, who joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito for this absolute must-listen episode about the potential of this moment.

In our long odyssey encouraging Democrats to update their thinking, we have been lucky to find allies doing fantastic and deep work in specific issue areas. Insha Rahman, the Vera Institute's VP of Advocacy and Partnerships, is one such wonderful expert. She joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Ancona for a critical conversation about how Dems can sharpen their argument on public safety, win back the public's trust, and go on offense on it to win elections.

The results of last Saturday's special election in Texas Senate District SD-09 are still sending shockwaves out through the state and nationally. Host Kerry Eleveld and two of the biggest Texas experts we know, Way to Win President Tory Gavito and Political Director Joe Hamill, break down the huge swings away from right wing MAGA extremism.

Indivisible head Leah Greenberg joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito for an urgent conversation on moving Democrats to maximal opposition, our current best chance at stopping ICE.

In the past few weeks, abolishing ICE has become an unambiguous and urgent moral imperative. Democrats aren't used to winning arguments like this but stopping the ongoing harassment and terror of our own communities by agents of the government we pay for has become such an urgent priority that for many voters, the legitimacy of our political system is at stake. Join host Kerry Eleveld, Way to Win President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and consultant Dan Ancona for this open-ended strategy roundtable focused on how we bridge the divide between large numbers of legitimately angry and scared voters and an establishment that still doesn't seem to understand what's happening.

Happy 2026 everyone! We're back with an episode on Way to Win's conventional wisdom shattering research summary that went out last December. By focusing on the time honored tradition of talking to voters we came to some conclusions that are very different from the story the DC establishment has about what happened in 2024 and where voters are at as we head into this midterm year. Host Kerry Eleveld discusses the report with lead author Dan Ancona.

Secretaries of State are on the front lines of protecting our democracy, and next year their jobs are going to be particularly difficult and crucial. This interview with Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar will give you a sense of the honesty and integrity he approaches his job with, joining host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito in a discussion that will leave you appreciating how strong the electoral system in this country really is.

IT’S OUR 50TH EPISODE! And who better to celebrate it with than OG Friend of the Pod Terrance Woodbury of HIT Strategies. Join us for a look back at where we started the year, how Democrats are positioned as we approach 2026, and the transformative opportunity staring us in the face. Let's put a bow on it!

In this episode of Charting the Way Forward, guest host Maddie Medved sits down with political content creator Sylvia Salazar, founder of the bilingual platform Tono Latino. They unpack how she cuts through the noise to reach Latino audiences, blends persuasion with virality, and lives her motto that “action is the antidote to news anxiety” - all while navigating the emotional toll and real-world risks creators face online. Sylvia breaks down what Latino audiences need and what politicians keep getting wrong about the creator space. It’s a sharp, honest look at how creators are navigating high stakes while still mobilizing their communities.

Continuing our series on understanding the November 2025 elections and how things became a tiny bit less doomy,  host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Ancona are joined by Melody Oliphant of the GA Youth Justice Coalition, who breaks down and goes deep into the epic and surprising Georgia results. Stay tuned to the end for a solid hate listen podcast recommendation!

Host Kerry Eleveld brings together the in-house team for insights into last week's history-upending election results, with Way to Win President Tory Gavito, Political Director Joe Hamill and media and research consultant Dan Ancona.

More focus group sound this week, this time from Democratic defector voters in Nevada, and two fantastic guests: Diana Valles, President of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Way to Win Director of State Partnerships Kendra Alvarez. Diana and Kendra join host Kerry Eleveld to explore how the right wing social experiment is hurting people and how we can work together to fix it.

New focus group sound this week! We talked to Democratic defectors in AZ and NV, and had Casey Clowes from Progress AZ on to help host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito sort through it all. Trust us: you are going to want to hear these clips, and you can find Casey on all socials at caseyclowesaz.

Earlier this week the NYT Editorial Board sort-of-maybe attacked us with a very strange editorial claiming that because moderates have won in a few races, moderation is the true and only path to Democratic electoral salvation. Host Kerry Eleveld has on President Tory Gavito, CSO Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and Dan Ancona to dismantle their argument and talk about other campaign work in process.

It's another Charting the Way Forward Democratic Party Home Makeover Edition! Host Kerry Eleveld and Chief Strategy Office Jenifer Fernandez Ancona talk to Rep. Simon about how why a massive California Prop 50 victory matters, her work in Congress, and what the vision what a new revived Democratic Party needs to be.

Host Kerry Eleveld, Way to Win President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona get to know Esosa Osa, a powerhouse activist and head of Onyx Impact, and discuss work in the AI and misinformation space.

Way to Win and the ad testing platform Swayable held a strategy convening, Persuasion 2025, on Tuesday September 30th, at the Wharf Dockmaster in DC. Join Way to Win President Tory Gavito, Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and media strategist Dan Ancona for a discussion of some of the many wild moments and key takeaways from the day.

Satirist, creator of the Star Spangled Banter tour, and all around amazingly funny person Heather Gardner joins Maddie Medved for a discussion about living the creator life and the work in this moment.

Simon Rosenberg is both a consummate DC insider and has been doing fantastic work organizing a community of engaged and superinformed pro-democracy activists at Hopium Chronicles. He joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win Chief Strategy Officer Jenifer Fernandez Ancona on the show as American democracy enters a period of maximal danger, with Trump lashing out and throwing tantrums as his failures pile up.

Veteran political reporter Ron Brownstein joins host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito for a big picture discussion of this moment, including thoughts on the approach the Democratic leadership is taking to respond to MAGA authoritarianism.

If you think "the groups" are why Democrats are losing, you need to hear this one. Two top organizers -- Dreama Caldwell from NC and Britney Whaley from GA -- join host Kerry Eleveld and Way to Win President Tory Gavito for reporting from the trenches of the fight to keep American democracy from sliding into darkness.

Newly dubbed Friend of the Pod -- the DC based feisty activist and State of the States host Joe Sudbay -- joins host Kerry Eleveld and the Way to Win brass (Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and Tory Gavito) for a conversation about how the DC bubble has gotten somehow even more insulated from actual reality, and the work we're doing to break through this and start to shift what needs shifting.

Maddie Medved hosts for a deep dive with Gen Z's Walter Cronkite (Rolling Stone's analogy, not ours, but it works): journalist, lawyer, master creator, writer of the #1 of news substack on earth, and genuinely nice and down to earth guy Aaron Parnas.

Rising star ace researcher Caitlin Jury from Equis joins host Kerry Eleveld, President Tory Gavito and head of political Joe Hamill from Way to Win to discuss a fresh hot new Equis poll. Lots of rich data in this episode, including what may be early signs of significant shifts in Latinx support for Trump and MAGA.

Data impresario Philip Bump joins host Kerry Eleveld, chief strategist Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and media strategist Dan Ancona for a discussion that starts with his latest piece, a strong and insightful read on how the dismal state of Democratic party favorability does not mean imminent electoral doom.

Texas Republicans are rigging the midterms to escape accountability for the wildly unpopular agenda that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are enacting. It’s decidedly ‘not cool,’ as 7th generation Texan and Way to Win President Tory Gavito and Latino expert Kristian Ramos tell host Kerry Eleveld. Join us for a fully fleshed out discussion of Texas politics as it relates to federal elections and Republicans' decades-long effort to rob voters of color of their electoral power.

NEW POLL: genius pollster Celinda Lake joins host Kerry Eleveld and the Way to Win brass, President Tory Gavito and Chief Strategist Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, to go through the findings from a comprehensively thorough study of the group of voters that showed up for Biden but sat out 2024.

Host Kerry Eleveld returns for a strategy discussion about the disastrous immigration secret police funding in the Big Ugly MAGA Bill, with Way to Win chief Tory Gavito and media consultant Dan Ancona, who goes Full Kornacki on some of Way's immigration data. If you're curious what Way to Win strategy zoom calls are like, this episode is a peek inside our process.

As of recording time on Wednesday July 2nd, the fate of the Big Ugly Ass Murder Budget Bill was hanging in the balance. Kristian Ramos and Jenifer Fernandez Ancona join pinch host Dan Ancona to discuss the meaning and ramifications of this comprehensively disastrous legislation.

Zohranmania! Join First Official Friend of the Pod Terrance Woodbury for a show we recorded the day of the NYC Mayoral Primary. Terrance is joined by the Way to Win brain trust of host Kerry Eleveld, Jenifer Fernandez Ancona and Tory Gavito, who dig into how Black voters are thinking about the primary and everything else. Particularly given the results, you will not want to miss this one!

Maddie Medved takes the reins while Kerry is out, for a discussion of all things internet with social media guru Glennis Meagher and Way to Win Chief Strategist Jenifer Fernandez Ancona.

MAJOR POLL DROP! We worked with Impact Research on a poll that should put a stake through the heart of the conventional wisdom that immigration is a "bad issue for Dems" that they need to avoid "raising the salience of." Impact President Molly Murphy joins host Kerry Eleveld and Tory Gavito, Joe Hamill, and Jenifer Fernandez Ancona from the Way to Win team to discuss the clear strategic imperative for Dems of all stripes to go on the attack.

Democratic überconsultant Chuck Rocha has won a ton of elections and he has ANSWERS. He joins the all-star roundtable of host Kerry Eleveld, strategist Kristian Ramos and Way to Win head Tory Gavito for a discussion of how Dems can reach not just Latinos, but voters of all stripes and beliefs.

Fresh off the release of the kaleidoscopic and deep Catalist voter-file based analysis of the 2024, Catalist chief Michael Frias joins host Kerry Eleveld and strategists Joe Hamill and Kristian Ramos for a discussion that goes far beyond just the contents of the report.

Think your $25 donation doesn’t move the needle? Think again. In this episode, host Kerry Eleveld and the big strategy panel of Tory Gavito, Jenifer Ancona and Maddie Medved sit down with Brian Derrick, founder of Oath, to unpack how small-dollar giving is quietly transforming political power when it’s done right, and what the potential is for the future.

Host Kerry Eleveld and media analyst and strategist Dan Ancona talk to Kyle "Chaotic Era" Tharp about the release of TV Congress 2024, Way to Win's interactive tracking database of political TV ads.

Veteran Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher joins us for a riveting discussion of how to reconstitute a winning Democratic coalition from the ground up, starting with men of color who voted for Biden in 2020 but then skipped 2024. It's a must listen, drawing from Belcher's deep expertise on how Democrats have won in the past and can do so again.