00:00She is one of the best coalition leaders that Democrats have ever had.
00:04And I think in this moment, retiring is modeling the kind of selfless leadership we need to see from all of our older members.
00:11She's acknowledging that while she has done incredible work, it's time to pass the baton and make space for new leadership.
00:17And we're so grateful for what she's done and for the way in which she's lifted up other young women and grateful for her stepping aside at this moment, acknowledging that she's maybe not the best person to lead us forward.
00:26Right. And of course, we know that she steps aside. She gave up her House leadership position to Hakeem Jeffries of New York, you know, as kind of a prelude to her saying she was retiring.
00:36Do you expect someone like her to play a role and run for something as you look for folks to help recruit, train and, you know, cultivate this next generation of leadership?
00:46I think every older leader can play a part in this. They can inspire others. They can ask people to run.
00:52We've seen folks like Senator Sanders recruit thousands of people to run for office.
00:56We've had other elected leaders over the years ask their supporters, say, if you want to run, run for something.
01:01We'll be there to help you. It's part of leadership. It's succession planning.
01:04Every executive knows that you've got to prepare for what comes next beyond you.
01:08So I think she can be part of it, as can the rest of these members of the House and Senate.
01:12Now, the candidates that your organization supports are younger, under 40 and affordability, which is what we were just talking about with our previous reporter, is obviously something that resonates with voters and with your with your talent that you're recruiting.
01:27What is the messaging from Democrats, from progressives on affordability right now?
01:31It's got to be about the things that really are about cost of living.
01:36So it's housing, child care, transportation, cost of groceries.
01:39And I think this is one of the challenges you have if you're running for Congress in 2026, where there isn't as much specifics that you can promise.
01:46But it's why I think state and local candidates, as we just saw earlier this week, can really break through.
01:52Because if you're running for mayor or city council or even governor, you can really make concrete arguments about the things you will do to affect people's cost of living and quality of life.
Be the first to comment