Anxious Democrats are hoping that their get-out-the-vote operation, which they often describe as much more sophisticated than Trump’s, will give them the edge. But how much better is that operation, really? Can it make that much of a difference? And what does it even mean to have a good ground game? To discuss all of this on See How They Run, we’re joined by Yasmin Radjy, executive director of the progressive campaigning organization Swing Left, and The Nation’s own Jeet Heer, who has been following every twist and turn of this election for us.

With states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan on a knife-edge this November, the Democrats need every vote they can get. So on today’s episode, we’re kicking the tires on the party’s relationship to rural voters. We have three guests who live and breathe rural America—and who are adamant that, far from being a lost cause for Democrats, many rural and working-class voters could be up for grabs if the party made a serious effort to win them over. 

Jane Kleeb is the chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and the author of Harvest the Vote: How Democrats Can Win Again in Rural America. Anthony Flaccavento is an organic farmer, co-chair of the Rural Urban Bridge initiative, and the co-author of The Nation’s Rethinking Rural column. 

And, in a special bonus segment, we spoke to Sarah Taber, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, about her campaign and how she is trying to bring urban and rural residents in her state together.

Gallegos is a longtime Chicano activist, political organizer, and a member of the Nation editorial board. Herrera is a reporter who has covered Latino politics and immigration for just about every major outlet you can think of—including The Nation.

To discuss all of this, host D.D. Guttenplan is joined by two of the sharpest Pennsylvanians around: Will Bunch, longtime opinion columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Carrie Santoro, executive director of progressive advocacy group Pennsylvania Stands Up

Most, but not all. Even as Harris and a string of top Democrats rode the waves of jubilation coming off the floor of the United Center, activists and delegates from the Uncommitted movement were doing everything they could to keep the issue of Gaza on the agenda.

So what did the convention say about how Democrats see the race ahead? Did Harris pull off her reintroduction to the American people?

On this episode of See How They Run, we're joined by Nation national affairs correspondent John Nichols to discuss all that and more.

If there's one thing everyone knows about American politics, it's that there is no way for a Democrat to win the presidency without Black voters. That's one of the reasons why, as Joe Biden fights desperately to stay in the 2024 election, he's made an aggressive effort to shore up Black support. In recent days, Biden has spoken at Black churches, given interviews to Black radio hosts, and leaned on the powerful Congressional Black Caucus to help bolster his political defenses.

But there are signs that Black voters may not be ready to turn out for Biden as fervently as he needs them to. in the past few months, polls have shown Black support for Biden slipping to levels Democrats have not seen in generations. So can Biden overcome doubts about his fitness, reverse these trends, and hold the White House? Should we even believe the polls? And are we in the middle of a historic shift in the relationship between Black voters and the Democratic Party?

To discuss all of this, D.D. Guttenplan is joined by a powerhouse trio of guests: Christina Greer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University; Steve Phillips, political strategist, Nation contributor, and author most recently of How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good; and Adolph Reed Jr., Nation columnist and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today we bring you the first in a series of special in-depth episodes about the swing states that will decide the 2024 election. We're starting with Nevada, a state that Joe Biden won in 2020 but is struggling to retain this year. To understand what makes Nevada tick and what hurdles Biden has to overcome, D.D. Guttenplan spoke to Jon Ralston, editor and CEO of the Nevada Independent and the dean of Nevada political journalists.

First, we're joined by Danielle Deiseroth, executive director of progressive polling firm Data for Progress, to talk about how polls are really conducted and how we should think about them. Then, Josh Cohen, the political scientist behind the Ettingermentum newsletter, takes us through what the 2024 polls are really saying about Biden and Trump’s chances in November.

Joan Walsh, a national affairs correspondent for The Nation, is a coproducer of The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show and the author of What’s the Matter With White People? Finding Our Way in the Next America. Her latest book (with Nick Hanauer and Donald Cohen) is Corporate Bullsh*t: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power and Wealth In America.

Jeet Heer is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation and host of the weekly Nation podcast, The Time of Monsters. He also pens the monthly column “Morbid Symptoms” and is the author of In Love with Art: Francoise Mouly’s Adventures in Comics with Art Spiegelman (2013) and Sweet Lechery: Reviews, Essays and Profiles (2014).