Major Update on Democrats in 2026 - Brian Tyler Cohen

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INTERVIEW - Brian interviews Amanda Litman about Democrats' bench in 2026 and beyond.

now we've got the co-founder and
president of Run For Something Amanda
Litman. Amanda thanks for joining me
again thanks Brian for having me so I'm
really excited to talk to you today
because a lot of the the um Prospect of
building up our bench is very much in
the Zeitgeist right now so first off I
know you have some good news about what
the future of Democratic or Progressive
politics is going to look like so I'm
going to give you the floor on that um
so I am so excited because just this
morning we had a really amazing
Milestone since the election more than
20,000 people mostly folks under 40 a
majority women have reached out to run
for something to say they want to run
for state or local office and 7,000 of
them just since inauguration and to put
that in context in all of 2017 the first
year run for something is around the you
know first year of go like resistance
15,000 people raised their hands we have
already exceeded that number just in a
little over three months so that's
interesting because I think the sense
that a lot of us are getting is that
there is a a general theme of exhaustion
and that people aren't as as bought in
aren't as committed to resisting the
Trump Administration as we saw the first
time around I mean we had seen you know
hundreds of thousands of people take to
the streets in the women's marches
across the country we haven't had that
same kind of popular Uprising but are
are you saying that that basically
behind the scenes that you're seeing
even more interest in pushing back by
virtue of running than even we saw
during the first Administration 100% I
think people are really looking for
something something specific tactical um
local to do you know we saw in the first
Trump Administration there are certainly
places and ways to use protest to move
the issue forward to drive the
conversation and I expect in the next
couple months we will see more protests
As Trump and Elan do more horrific
things but I am so inspired by the fact
that people are looking at what's going
on around us and saying you know what I
deserve to be in leadership I deserve to
have a seat at the table and if the
Democrats especially right now if the
Democrats in office aren't going to
fight for me I'm going to fight myself
and I think that to me is why we're
seeing so many people signing up to run
now you had mentioned that the majority
of these people are under 40 years old
is that correct that's right so that
obviously brings into Focus the the
gerent cracy problem that we have on the
left um how are you looking at for
example the the the Jerry Connelly AOC
intra party battle um where AOC arguably
whether whether you are progressive or
not it's it's hard to argue that that
there is no messenger who can who can um
grab grab attention in this attention
economy in a more effective way than she
can and yet we opted for somebody who
was 74 years old to retain you know the
the top spot on arguably the most
important committee the oversight
Committee in Congress and so what was
your reaction to to that move by the
Democrats H just like deep
disappointment you know I I interned for
Jerry connly when I was in college he
was my member of Congress I worked in
his Hill office he he's a lovely guy he
is not the leader we need in this moment
he is not capable of wielding attention
of having the stomach nor the skills to
actually fight and I think it is so
classically Democratic party and in
particular Democrats in Congress to you
know say the 74 yearold it's his turn
now right as if it's it's a question of
what we owe him as opposed to what he
owes the movement that he's supposed to
be working for more broadly and if and
if you can be more helpful to the
movement by making way for somebody who
is a more effective Communicator who can
more effectively Garner attention again
in an attention economy then that should
be more important than feeling like
we've owed like we owe somebody
something even if it's to the detriment
of the movement more broadly that he has
to get that because he put in his time
know I think it's not just Jerry
Connelly we see this over and over and
over again you know it has taken years
years to get some of these 70 and
8-year-olds to say it's to step aside we
saw this with Dian Einstein we saw this
with RBG we saw this with Joe Biden like
there is a point in which your value
above any other Democratic replacement
you know there's like that stat in
baseball your value above replacement
player your value above any other Val
like replacement Democrat from your
District or your state is just not high
enough to Warrant you holding on that
seat and in this moment in this
particular moment is so abundantly clear
that the generation of leaders both
democratic electeds and also candid
operatives who got us to this point they
can't get us to the next one they don't
have it in them and it's not their fault
it's nothing personal but it is such a
moment for the Next Generation to step
up and lead us forward but they can't do
that if the folks who hold those those
seats aren't going to step aside and by
the way if it's an ego question like
these people don't want to lose their
relevance they don't want to lose their
their money their power whatever it is
if it's an ego question look at look at
the ways in which Joe Biden's reputation
Ed as a result of this election look at
the ways in which rbg's reputation
suffered by virtue of I mean it was a
little bit of a different situation but
not stepping down before Trump took
office look at the way that Feinstein's
reputation suffered by virtue of staying
there some of these older members who've
made names for themselves by being
bullworks
against against o overreach by the right
or or champions for whatever causes they
were fighting for they actually do more
harm to themselves than good and they
and they chip away at their own
reputation because the last thing that
they're remembered for is the fact that
they wouldn't step
aside and we've just seen in the last
two weeks you know examples of the other
way to do it we saw Gary Peters the
senator from Michigan say you know what
it's time for me to retire we're gonna
I'm going to move on and make room for
the next generation of leaders in
Michigan and we've seen Tina Smith an
amazing aggressive Progressive fighter
out of Minnesota say you know what I'm
ready to spend time with my family both
of them are in their mid-60s relatively
like spring chickens for the United
States Senate and both of them are
opening the door to incredible new
leaders there's so many amazing uh
people in both States and countless
other places across the country who can
now run and can redefine what the
Democratic party means in those places
for everyone this is such an incredible
opportunity for for especially I think
leaders over the age of 70 to say let me
go out with dignity and Grace let me end
my term as a fighter who is not beholden
to electoral problems and to be seen as
a generational torch Bearer to really
you know I think it's a it's a good deed
in many ways to empower the next
generation of leaders but they got to
step aside to do it and I think one of
our tasks as folks on the outside is to
not be afraid to call them out when
they're holding on for too long it's not
leadership it's obstructionism and and
what do you say to the electorate more
broadly who for example seees somebody
like like Bernie Sanders and says well
well look you know Bernie is one of the
most effective Messengers have in the
Democratic party it would it would be a
shame to lose somebody like that who's
built up so much Goodwill um and and
built up his brand to the point where
where you know somebody like that being
in the Senate is beneficial and so how
do you how do you kind of reconcile it
where it's not necessarily across the
board because there are some folks who
are kind of at their Prime even at their
old age you know even Bernie he's in his
mid 80s he just ran for a six-year term
you don't think there's anyone else in
Vermont Vermont who could represent the
people of Vermont just as well and that
he couldn't be just as powerful as a
messenger on the outside as an elder
Statesman for the movement that he leads
maybe without being beholden to having
to be in DC all the time to do votes and
you know participate in the back and
forth of the Senate I refuse to believe
that he's the only capable fighter from
the state of Vermont that could hold
that office I feel the same way about
Elizabeth Warren whom I love and is
incredible there are amazing leaders in
Massachusetts who could also run win and
hold that seat and do just as much good
and I'm not saying put these folks out
to pasture you know I'm saying that
there is rules for them outside the
United States Senate everyone and I I
get called an agist on the internet a
lot I hear that fine everyone is
entitled to age with dignity and Grace
no one is entitled to age with as one of
the most powerful people in the United
States which is what if you are a member
of Congress you are you have a
responsibility to more than just your
ego you have a responsibility to the
American people and to the community you
represent and that means sometimes
stepping aside Amanda how do you think
about this in terms of Democrats having
lost young men for example I mean for
the first time since I've been involved
in politics we've seen the youngest
generation 18 to 29 year olds we've lost
young men I believe it was 56 to 42 in
the last election cycle and and do you
think that the fact that we do have
folks who are the youngest people in
this country right now who are not
resonating with the party whose
leadership is largely sepen Arians and
octogenarians I think it's a huge part
of it I also think about where the media
places I mean you know this you've
talked so much and had so many like
really interesting conversations about
the media ecosystem that Democrats are
working in yeah we have a ton of elected
leaders who could not show up in those
places even if they wanted to because
they couldn't have a real conversation
they couldn't be a genuine authentic
person because they didn't grow up on
the Internet they don't know a public
Persona that is not totally talking
points and robot it is really hard to do
if you're not fluent in it and I think
one of the reasons that rum for
something candidates have been so
effective at building up online
followings you know you see New York
City council member CH OA you see Texas
representative James Tarico State Rep on
a eskamani Megan hunt out in Nebraska so
many others who have really you know
engaged folks where they are it's
because they understand how this stuff
works and they're normal people who
happen to be doing a really
extraordinary thing of serving their
communities but first and foremost
they're normal people so when I think
about how we're going to win back some
of gen Z you know part of it is showing
that government can deliver for them
especially in the local level things
like housing uh Transportation Child
Care student loans and and education and
the like but it's also giving them
candidates that they can like and get to
know in the places where they're
consuming information and that I think
is the whole point of what REM for
something does in our work to reach
young voters so for folks who watching
right now how can how can we best help
run for something in your efforts moving
forward because this this largely does
compose I mean the the the right has
been really effective at building up
their bench and getting these people
into office you are largely the the the
tool that we have the vehicle to get
these these young Progressive um uh
electeds into the into the system that
then serve as as folks who are going to
be on our bench to to get into Congress
get into the Senate can you talk a
little bit about some of the success
you've had with your alumni and then
also how we can help yeah Jasmine
Crockett State Rep representative from
Texas started as a state representative
came through the runfor something
pipeline suap suas subam who's currently
a member of Congress from Virginia came
through our pipeline yadir carve who
served in the last Congress was amazing
um Sarah McBride from Delaware came
through the runfor something pipeline um
it has been so cool to see these leaders
like Step Up run and lead and become
National figures um Emily Randall out of
Washington one of my favorites came
through the runfor something pipeline
when she fought and won one of the most
expensive State Senate races in the
state of Washington that was extremely
close I think within a couple hundred
votes when she was able to win it back
in 2018 all that's to say that we have
now elected nearly 1,500 Millennials in
genz in nearly every state we're just
missing Idaho which means they are run
for something Alum everywhere who are
ready to move up and fill these higher
offices and they've got experience and
skills so if you a viewer wants to run
for state or local office in 2025 or
2026 um run for something would love to
help you you can go to run for what.net
you can enter your address you can look
up what offices are available to you um
this year or next if we've got that data
yet and we'll help you figure everything
out from how to get on the ballot all
the way through to election day if you
don't want to run just yet but you want
to help us every dollar goes along way
runfor something.net donate is where you
can go $5 $500 I don't know5 million
dollar and we'll take whatever you can
give Amanda thanks so much for the work
that you're doing um again as as I
mentioned before it's especially
important in in in kind of a political
environment where it is so hard to have
some type of bench because people do
stay so long so having having you do the
work that you do and getting these
people into the pipeline getting them
acclimated to to politics I think is
especially important right now um and I
appreciate you taking the time today
thanks for getting the word out Brian