Podcasts about liuba grechen shirley

In this conversation, Olivia speaks with Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder of Vote Mama, about the importance of having mothers in political positions. They discuss Liuba's journey as a political mom, the challenges faced by women running for office, and the structural barriers that need to be addressed to empower more women to participate in politics. Vote Mama aims to support and endorse women candidates, particularly mothers, to create a more inclusive political landscape. The conversation emphasizes the need for policy changes that reflect the realities of motherhood and the importance of community support for women in politics.Liuba Grechen Shirley is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama, an interconnected trio of organizations dedicated to electing mothers, transforming the political system, and advancing family-friendly policies. These organizations include Vote Mama PAC, the nation's first Political Action Committee focused on electing Democratic moms across the ballot; Vote Mama Foundation, the leading source of research and analysis on the political participation of mothers in the United States; and Vote Mama Lobby, which collaborates with elected officials from both parties to support policies that benefit families and children. These organizations aim to elect mothers, transform the political system, dismantle barriers for mothers running for office, normalize candidacies of mothers with young children, and promote family-friendly legislation.Liuba's career highlights include her historic congressional campaign for New York's 2nd District, where she achieved the highest vote share of any Democrat against the incumbent in 25 years and raised over $2 million without corporate PAC money. She made history as the first woman to receive federal approval to spend campaign funds on childcare. Previously she worked in international development in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, with a focus on women's economic empowerment. Liuba has been recognized as one of Long Island's 100 Most Powerful People and has been featured in major media outlets like CNN, The Today Show, and TIME Magazine. Her academic background includes an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in Politics and Russian from NYU. Liuba resides on Long Island with her husband and three children.Check out Vote Mama: https://www.votemamapac.org/Vote Mama on InstagramLiuba Grechen Shirley on InstagramMentioned in this episode:Are you ready to vote?Are you ready to use your vote? Whether it's your first time or you've done it before, *Vote Without Fear* is here to help you feel prepared and safe every step of the way. From understanding how to vote securely, to knowing where your nearest polling location is, this platform has all the information you need. Don't let uncertainty hold you back—your voice matters. Head to votewithoutfear.com and make sure you're ready to vote with confidence and peace of mind. Remember, it's your vote and you deserve to Vote Without Fear. That's VoteWithoutFear.com Vote Without FearLearn More About Vote Without FearIt's no secret our right to vote is the foundation of our American democracy, but sometimes the process can feel overwhelming or unsafe. That's where Vote Without Fear comes in. Whether you're voting for the first time or the tenth, this platform has everything you need to feel confident and informed—from where to vote, how to vote safely, and...

In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley launched a historic congressional campaign to represent New York's 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives—all while raising two young children under six-years-old. As her demanding campaign schedule clashed with limited access to affordable childcare, Liuba quickly realized the whole thing was untenable. So, six months into her campaign, Liuba petitioned the Federal Election Commission, making history as the first woman to receive federal approval to spend campaign funds for childcare. This experience inspired her to launch the Vote Mama Foundation, dedicated to empowering mothers to run for office. In this episode, Liuba discusses the importance of having pro-choice moms elected to office, the double standard that women candidates face, and how electing moms, up and down the ballot, benefits everyone. This episode was made possible with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through URL Media. In this Episode Vote Mama Candidates Vote Mama PAC Vote Mama Research Giving Circles Climate Power 2024 Election Listen to All Electorette Episodes https://www.electorette.com/podcast Support the Electorette Rate & Review on iTunes: https://apple.co/2GsfQj4 Also, if you enjoy the Electorette, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review on iTunes. And please spread the word by telling your friends, family, and colleagues about The Electorette! WANT MORE ELECTORETTE? Follow the Electorette on social media. Electorette Facebook Electorette Instagram Electorette Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Busy thinks the internet has broken her brain and is contemplating doing something drastic with her phone, and Caissie explains how she was tricked into staying at the office until 11PM. Then, Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder of Vote Mama stops by to talk about all the moms who are running for office this election and what we can do to support them. Then, Busy and Caissie share some good news they got this week, which would not have been possible without all of you! SPONSORS: http://Cuddly.com/BEST to make a donation that supports animal welfare organizations all over the world! For every $20 one-time donation, Cuddly will gift a snuggly blanket to a rescue animal in need. http://shopify.com/herbest for your one dollar-per-month trial period http://Joniperiodbook.com to submit your period story for possible inclusion in The Book On Periods from Joni Period Products. All submissions must be received by 10/15/24 and every participant will be entered for a chance to win a year's supply of Joni Period Products, worth $300 http://Smalls.com/BEST promo code BEST or 50% off your first order PLUS free shipping on the protein packed, preservative free cat food of the 21st century! http://HiyaHealth.com/BUSY for 50% off your first order of pediatrician approved superpowered chewable children's vitamins!

One of the most under-represented groups in elective office is also one of the least discussed: moms, especially mothers of young children. On this week's episode of "The Downballot," we're talking with Liuba Grechen Shirley, the founder of Vote Mama, an organization devoted to electing progressive moms at all levels of the ballot.Grechen Shirley describes her groundbreaking success in getting the FEC to allow her to use campaign funds for childcare when she ran for Congress on Long Island in 2018 and her subsequent efforts to support candidates like her. She explains how electing more mothers will mean more pro-family policies and tells us about some of her top candidates running this fall.Co-host David Nir and guest co-host Joe Sudbay also recap Tuesday's key primaries in Ohio and Illinois, including the blowout GOP Senate primary in the Buckeye State whose results will make both Donald Trump and Democrats happy. They also discuss an important new ruling from the Montana Supreme Court, which just smacked down an attempt by the state's Republican attorney general to keep an abortion rights amendment off the November ballot.

Liuba Grechen Shirley joins The Great Battlefield podcast to talk about her career in politics, her 2018 Congressional run and founding Vote Mama, where they work to break down barriers to mothers engaging in politics, particularly as candidates.

Dr. Annie Andrews has an incredibly unqiue political story...a pediatrician turned House candidate turned founder of the new organization Their Future, Our Vote. In this conversation, she demystifies what it takes to become a practicing medical doctor, mines her background studying gun violence, talks her jump to become a candidate for Congress in 2022, what it's like to run for House as a first-time candidate, & the decision that led her to start a new advocacy group focusing on a "kids first agenda".(To donate to support The Pro Politics Podcast, you may use this venmo link or inquire by email at mccrary.zachary@gmail.com)IN THIS EPISODEWhat drew Annie toward the field of medicine from an early age…What goes into becoming a medical doctor…The historic Republican inclinations of the medical community…Why there is a temptation for doctors to be apolitical…Two of the political figures she most identifies with…Her background researching gun violence and what she knows on the topic that most might not…Annie on the challenge of child hunger…What led her to jump into the SC-01 congressional race in 2022…What surprised her about running for Congress…How she overcame her aversion to “small talk” as a candidate…How her medical background made her a different type of political candidate…Some of the “conventional wisdom” advice she ignored…The groups that did the most to help her campaign…The origin story of her new organization, Their Future Our Vote…What is the day-to-day role as a founder of a new advocacy organization…Annie's most unconventional work habit… AND 314 Action, Cory Booker, Joe Cunningham, daily trauma, Dollar General, doomscrolling, Everytown, food deserts, giant binders, Renee Harvey, Instacart, internet trolls, lovely notifications, the MCAT, Nancy Mace, moderate white suburban women, Moms Demand Action, Barack Obama, organic chemistry, Parkland, Tim Scott, Liuba Grechen Shirley, sticky notes, subtexts, sugared beverages, Vote Mama, Elizabeth Warren, weirdo rates, western Kentucky & more!

On the radio show this week we cover tips on how YOU or someone you know can run for office and talk about what it takes to win; we cover the importance of fighting back against the extreme disinformation being spread about immigrant families; we also talk about the power of moms in getting out the vote and learn what's happening in Georgia (The Georgia special election for the US Senate seat is on December 6th!); and we hear what's on the horizon inside the Beltway. Special guests include: Liuba Grechen Shirley, Vote Mama. @VoteMamaPAC; Liz Robbins, Define American, @defineamerican; Monifa Bandele, MomsRising, @MomsRising; and Fatima Goss Graves, National Women's Law Center, @nwlc.

On the radio show this week we cover tips on how YOU or someone you know can run for office and talk about what it takes to win; we cover the importance of fighting back against the extreme disinformation being spread about immigrant families; we also talk about the power of moms in getting out the vote and learn what's happening in Georgia (The Georgia special election for the US Senate seat is on December 6th!); and we hear what's on the horizon inside the Beltway. Special guests include: Liuba Grechen Shirley, Vote Mama. @VoteMamaPAC; Liz Robbins, Define American, @defineamerican; Monifa Bandele, MomsRising, @MomsRising; and Fatima Goss Graves, National Women's Law Center, @nwlc.

On the radio show this week we cover tips on how YOU or someone you know can run for office and talk about what it takes to win; we cover the importance of fighting back against the extreme disinformation being spread about immigrant families; we also talk about the power of moms in getting out the vote and learn what's happening in Georgia (The Georgia special election for the US Senate seat is on December 6th!); and we hear what's on the horizon inside the Beltway. Special guests include: Liuba Grechen Shirley, Vote Mama. @VoteMamaPAC; Liz Robbins, Define American, @defineamerican; Monifa Bandele, MomsRising, @MomsRising; and Fatima Goss Graves, National Women's Law Center, @nwlc.

I'm going to be really upfront here and tell you that I was never interested in politics until I became a mom. I'm embarrassed about it now but honestly, I found it all to be super boring. Mostly white, male candidates never spoke my language and it wasn't until Barack Obama came on the scene that I even bothered to vote. Shameful, yes, but true. Now that I have little people, I have become a whole heck of a lot more invested in what happens in this country, especially when it comes to healthcare, environmental protection, and women's and family issues. I started thinking about why so many political candidates are white males and why so many issues that are important to me as a mother - paid parental leave, universal preschool, safety in schools - never seem to make it “up the hill”. As I started looking into it, I found out that prior to this past election, 7 percent of representatives in Congress and only 5.3 percent of state legislators in the United States are mothers with children under the age of 18. What's being celebrated in the media is Congress's “unprecedented” diversity with 28% of the makeup being women and 23% identifying as non-white -  the most in history. Humph.So, are we doing something wrong here or are the increases in numbers actually encouraging? How can we help more women and mothers get into the political spectrum so we have a fighting chance at actually getting what we need for our families? Let's find out.My guest today is Liuba Grechen Shirley, Founder and CEO of Vote Mama. Liuba ran for Congress in 2018 as a mom of two toddlers with no salary to pay for childcare. She quickly figured out why moms with young children don't run for office and started the fight to change it. Liuba became the first woman in history to receive federal approval to spend Campaign Funds for childcare and she received the highest vote share of any Democrat to run against the incumbent in 25 years. After her campaign, she launched Vote Mama PAC, the nation's first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing Democratic moms up and down the ballot. Since 2019, Vote Mama PAC has helped more than 400 pro-choice, Democratic moms run for office in 31 states. In 2020, Liuba launched the Vote Mama Foundation to break down the barriers that keep moms out of office and make it easier for moms to run and serve. Just recently, Liuba launched the Vote Mama Lobby, a political empowerment app that mobilizes fed-up moms to become an organized civic and voting bloc, volunteer for mama candidates, and lobby for truly family-friendly policies. It just so happens to be the virtual mom group of my dreams. From mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast orFrom mental health and managing relationships to raising changemakers and advocating for support, freemom is a podcast dedicated to ensuring that every mom feels heard. You can find us on the gram at @freemomcast or on the web at www.freemomcast.com. You can also support the show and help fund production with a sweet little five-dollar donation right here. Thanks for listening!

In POTUS, Chris (1 of the 7 women trying to keep a great dumbass alive) is a white house journalist eagerly trying to gather the facts around the president's scandal, all while balancing the demands of motherhood. In conversation with Lisa Helmi Johanson (an actress who plays Chris), Liuba Grechen Shirley (Founder and CEO of Vote Mama), and Françoise Olivas (NYS Senate Candidate),  we'll traverse what it means to be a mother and/or a caregiver running for office, the policies/issues they are uniquely fit to address, and why we need more moms and caregivers in the white house - using the events of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive as a launching point. Feed your ongoing curiosities about POTUS on Broadway: potus.moretotalkabout.comPlease note: All of these POTUS conversations deeply impact a range of gender and sexual identities.  This includes cis women, trans women, trans men, non-binary people, and a range of LGBTQIA+ identities who are marginalized.

Mothers in Congress are leading the way on children and family issues.  In new research Lisa A Bryant and Julia Marin Hellwege found that mothers write, on average, five more bills over their time in congress compared to women who are not mothers, and moms with children under the age of 18 are even more productive.  These congresswomen are more likely to include a variety of policy issues including healthcare access, educational priorities, and family leave.  Basically, we need more moms in office.   Today I'm going to talk to a couple of hardworking mothers who are committed to improving how government can help us, Liuba Grechen Shirley, a mother of three who started Vote Mama PAC and Vote Mama foundation and one of the mamas her PAC supports, congressional candidate of Western North Carolina, and another mom of three, Jasmine Beach Ferrara.  You may be thinking to yourself, Caitlin, you're getting pretty political here.  Well, I created this podcast to share my platform with causes I want to help, organizations that I think are making a positive impact, and Vote Mama is one of them.  And though politics in this country are painfully divisive, I do believe these are two women who are fighting to improve the quality of life for all Americans. So, whatever your political affiliation, I hope you are able to listen to these brilliant mothers who care deeply about our country.Links:https://www.votemama.orghttps://www.votemamafoundation.orghttps://www.jasmineforcongress.com https://www.howcanihelppod.com https://www.citizensofsound.comhttps://www.lesliepowellmusic.com

Liuba Grechen Shirley is the founder/CEO of VoteMama – a non-profit dedicated to supporting moms running for office. In this conversation, she talks running for office in 2018 as a first-time candidate, making history as the first woman to receive FEC approval to use campaign money for child care, and making an impact with VoteMama. IN THIS EPISODE…Liuba speaks to the politics that shaped here while growing up on Long Island…Her analysis of why Trump connected with voters on Long Island…Liuba talks her work on development in Ghana before entering politics…The phenomenon of “mommy-tracking” in the business world…How the switch flipped for her to become active in congressional politics in the 2018 election…Liuba's take on her 2018 opponent Congressman Peter King…Her experience running for office as a first-time candidate…How she made history as the first woman to receive approval to use campaign money to cover child care…The relationship Liuba forged with Elizabeth Warren during the congressional campaign…The high profile pol who gave Liuba pep talks before debates…A window into how Liuba put together her consultant team…Why she passed on the 2020 open-seat after a narrow 2018 loss…How she started VoteMama to support mothers running for office…VoteMama's nonpartisan work being done to ensure more candidates can use campaign funds for child care…How Liuba is thinking about the 2022 election cycle…Advice for others starting a political non-profit…AND 6-foot cardboard cutouts, Accra, adult coloring books, affable guys, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Jocelyn Benson, Berlin Rosen, Anna Brichacek, Madison Cawthorn, Hillary Clinton, Stephen Colbert, FoxNews, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chelsea Clark, Isaac Goldberg, green marble notebooks, Grey's Anatomy, MJ Hegar, Monica Klein, Kathy Hochul, Indivisible, Morgan Lamandre, Lindenhurst, Grace Meng, mom pep talks, Gwen Moore, the Muslim Ban, NYU, Maggie Oliver, paid family leave, orange juice, osteogenesis imperfecta, Papua New Guinea, party bosses, Planned Parenthood, Katie Porter, Emily Robinson, the Russian Revolution, Kim Schrier, small structural change…& more!

Since Texas passed SB8, several states legislatures have followed suit with their own versions of legislation that would severely restrict abortion access in the hopes it will be challenged on the federal level, placing Roe v Wade at risk. To give us the lay of the reproductive justice land and action steps to get engaged, L. Joy brings Kelley Robinson to the front of the class. But first, L. Joy catches up with Liuba Grechen Shirley and chats with Vote Mama Spotlight Candidate Sarah Godlweski. 

Founder and CEO of the nation's first Political Action Committee dedicated to electing progressive moms up and down the ballot, Vote Mama, Liuba Grechen Shirley, joins Jess and Zerlina to discuss childcare expansion, paid family leave, and Vote Mama's efforts to support moms running for office!

In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley made waves when she successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission to allow her to use campaign funds to pay for child care. The Long Island Democrat ultimately lost her race against then-Congressman Peter T. King, but now her full-time job is to make it easier for mothers to get elected across the country. Shirley founded the Vote Mama Foundation and she speaks with podcast hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad about the many obstacles that prevent working mothers from running for public office. Greg and Kyle also go over the most recent campaign finance disclosures and find that anti-Trump Republicans seem to be raking in the dough.

Vote Mama Foundation, a non-profit working toward gender equity by breaking down the structural and cultural barriers mothers face while running for office, has launched an aggressive campaign to enact the use of Campaign Funds for Childcare for state and local elections in all 50 states by 2023.Vote Mama Foundation founder and CEO Liuba Grechen Shirley was the first woman to receive federal approval to spend Campaign Funds for Childcare during her Congressional run in 2018. Eleven states have enacted legislation, and Vote Mama Foundation is partnering with 18 states in 2021.You will learn about:Liuba's journey leading to the start of this campaignWhy this matters to communities across the nationChallenges in getting it passedHow this helps first-time candidatesWhat comes nextHow YOU can get involved

On this episode we speak with Liuba Grechen Shirley, Founder of the Vote Mama PAC and the Vote Mama Foundation, about their push for candidates to be permitted to use campaign funds for childcare at the state level as they are now allowed to do at the federal level, and what it would mean for more legislators to be parents of young children.

Jeff Simmons and Celeste Katz Marston speak with Eleanor Randolph of Citizens Union's ElectNYC.org about the 2021 NYC mayor's race and discuss campaign finance funding for childcare with Liuba Grechen Shirley of Vote Mama PAC. Original air date: June 17, 2021.

When people asked Liuba Grechen Shirley what she needed to run for office, she replied "child care." They told her they couldn't help with that, but luckily for us, Liuba ran anyway, even though she had a 1 year old and a 3 year old. In this episode, Diana and Liuba discuss what it's like to run for office while raising two toddlers, why child care is a racial equity issue, canceling student loan debt and what that could mean for our country's economic growth.  They also discuss how Vote Mama is helping more moms run for office (and win!)  Listen and get inspired to help elect more moms to office, or run for office yourself! 

In this episode, I got to chat with Liuba Grechen Shirley, who is an amazing mama who ran for Congress while she had a 3 year old and a 1 year old! Liuba has spent her career leading organizations to empower working families both at home and abroad. She has worked for the UN Foundation and was selected as a Global Champion for Women’s Economic Empowerment by UN Women.  Together with UN Women, she launched the #IAmParent campaign for Parental Leave. Liuba has forged partnerships between government, businesses, and nonprofits to tackle issues including economic development, access to health care, and paid family leave. She has worked with diplomats, healthcare workers and government leaders across four continents, and fought to make the use of international aid funds more accountable and less corrupt. In 2018, Liuba ran a historic congressional campaign to represent New York’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She received the highest vote share of any Democrat to run against Peter King in 25 years. Liuba raised over $2 million with no corporate PAC money and built a grassroots movement of volunteers that knocked over 250,000 doors. She became the first woman to receive federal approval to use campaign funds for childcare. The decision, which gained support from Hillary Clinton and 25 members of Congress, was unanimously approved by the FEC. Following her historic win, nine federal candidates used her FEC ruling to spend campaign funds for childcare— and candidates across the country followed her lead and petitioned their state and local governments for the same right. Liuba holds an MBA with specializations in Management and Economics from New York’s University’s Stern School of Business, and a BA in Politics and Russian from NYU. She lives on Long Island with her husband Christopher and children, Mila and Nicholas. In the News Want women to run for Congress? We need someone to watch our kids first. - The Washington Post, 04/09/2018 We Need More Women In Congress - The Huffington Post, 11/28/2017   Links: https://www.votemama.org https://twitter.com/liuba4congress?s=20  https://twitter.com/VoteMamaUS https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/08/207526/liuba-grechen-shirley-new-york-congress-2nd-district

MOMocrats Karoli, Aliza Worthington, and Donna Schwartz Mills emerge from their social isolation to talk about the latest pandemic news... ...before turning attention back to our election, which is still happening even as presidential campaigns are cancelling in-person rallies and appearances. Their guest this week is Liuba Grechen Shirley, of VoteMama.org, a PAC that supports Democratic mothers running for office. Mothers with young children make up 13% of the US population, but their representation in Congress is less than 5%. This lack of representation hurts us all, according to Liuba. "We’re missing out on a critical voice," says Liuba. "We’re missing out on the voice of people who know at a visceral level what it’s like not to have access to paid family leave; who know what it’s like not to be able to find affordable, quality child care; who know what it’s like to rely on the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover their children’s healthcare." Join the MOMocrats as they discuss ways to encourage more younger women with children to run for office in this week's political podcast from a progressive point of view, part of the #DemCast family

What is a political action committee (PAC)? It's a political organization that raises money to elect and/or defeat political candidates. Liuba Grechen Shirley steps to the front of the class to discuss why she created VoteMama and L. Joy gives a lesson on PACs and how you can start one. Joy and June catch up with Liuba Grechen Shirley since she petitioned the Federal Elections Committee (FEC) to use campaign funds for childcare during her historic 2016 congressional campaign in New York's 2nd District. Liuba is the Founder and CEO of VoteMama PAC which supports Democratic moms with young children running for public office up and down the ballot and across the country though mentoring, fundraising and endorsements. Reading List A guide to political money: campaigns, PACs, super PACs How to Form a Super PAC (Political Action Committee) OpenSecrets.org

Liuba Grechen Shirley, mother of two, made history during the 2018 midterms by successfully petitioning the FEC to use her congressional campaign funds for childcare. Since the election, she's used her experience running for Congress to launch Vote Mama: the first PAC to mentor and financially support moms running for office at all levels of US government. Learn more about Vote Mama and get in touch about running, or to support other moms who are running, at www.votemama.org, or email sarah@votemama.org. Follow @ VoteMamaUS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Find Art, Humanity & Action on Instagram (instagram.com/arthumanityaction), Facebook (facebook.com/arthumanityaction), Twitter (twitter.com/arthumanityact), and www.arthumanityaction.com OUR HOUSE Credits: Production and editing by Jeff Rose. Music by Audioblocks. Hosted by Nicole Ferraro. PR by PKPR.

Vote Mama founder Liuba Grechen Shirley on her new initiative to get more mothers to run for office, sexism in politics, how to change minds, why it is important to diversify Congress and the advice she got from Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand The Hardy Report is a political news and current affairs podcast, bringing you interviews with a range of activists, campaigners and politicians from across the political spectrum in the United States and the United Kingdom. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thehardyreport/support

Kelly talks to Liuba Grechen Shirley, Founder & CEO of the Vote Mama PAC, the first PAC focused solely on electing moms. They discuss Liuba's run for Congress, the challenges she faced in running as the mother of two young children, and Vote Mama's plans to mentor and support Democratic mothers as they run for office up and down the ballot all over the country.

Kelly talks to Liuba Grechen Shirley, Founder & CEO of the Vote Mama PAC, the first PAC focused solely on electing moms. They discuss Liuba's run for Congress, the challenges she faced in running as the mother of two young children, and Vote Mama's plans to mentor and support Democratic mothers as they run for office up and down the ballot all over the country.

Episode 2 of The Bellwether looks at the gender dynamic in New York's 2nd Congressional District race. Democratic challenger Liuba Grechen Shirley hopes to capitalize on Rep. Pete King's stances on abortion and Brett Kavanaugh. In the wake of the #MeToo movement and the Women's March, record numbers of women are running for office. Will Grechen Shirley ride the wave?

Episode 1: Two Long Island congressional races, two paths for the country come November. Newsday Opinion's new podcast, The Bellwether, follows Pete King and Lee Zeldin and their Democratic challengers Liuba Grechen Shirley and Perry Gershon as they fight (tightly contested races) in swing districts east of New York City. Will a blue wave overwhelm Republicans on Election Day? These Long Island races have the answer.

Devon sits down with Rebecca Bauer Kahan (CA-Assembly District 16) and Liuba Grechen Shirley (NY-02) to discuss why they chose to run, how their campaigns have changed since they made that decision and what their kids think about them running for office. They talk about the wide range of issues facing their districts and how they plan to solve as many problems as possible once elected. Learn more about Rebecca Bauer Kahan at rebeccabauerkahan.com/ Follow her @RBKforAssembly Learn more about Liuba Grechen Shirley at liubaforcongress.com/ Follow her @liuba4congress

Devon sits down with Rebecca Bauer Kahan (CA-Assembly District 16) and Liuba Grechen Shirley (NY-02) to discuss why they chose to run, how their campaigns have changed since they made that decision and what their kids think about them running for office. They talk about the wide range of issues facing their districts and how they plan to solve as many problems as possible once elected.Learn more about Rebecca Bauer Kahan at rebeccabauerkahan.com/Follow her @RBKforAssemblyLearn more about Liuba Grechen Shirley at liubaforcongress.com/Follow her @liuba4congress See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Liuba Grechen Shirley is the Democrat hoping to best longtime New York Republican Congressman Pete King in the race for his seat. Like many other women across the country Grechen Shirley became motivated to run for office in the fallout from the 2016 presidential election. “I needed to stand up and say something and I decided running for office would be the best way to do that,” she said.   But she also needed childcare for her two young children while she and her husband worked full time. Last spring, she went to Washington to ask the Federal Election Commission for permission to spend campaign funds on a babysitter. 

After the 2016 election, Shafi Rehman knew he needed to act but didn't know where to turn. Here's his story about how an op-ed changed that, and his path to working with Democratic congressional candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley. Find NY District 2 on Facebook (facebook.com/ny02dems) and Twitter (twitter.com/ny02dems). Find Art, Humanity & Action on Instagram (instagram.com/arthumanityaction), Facebook (facebook.com/arthumanityaction), Twitter (twitter.com/arthumanityact), and www.arthumanityaction.com OUR HOUSE Credits: Production and editing by Jeff Rose. Music by Audioblocks and Nate Lineback. Hosted by Nicole Ferraro. PR by PKPR.

Liuba Grechen Shirley is an Arena Fellow running for Congress in New York’s 2nd District. That district includes parts of Suffolk and Nassau counties on Long Island. While running for office, Liuba has also led the charge to change campaign finance law so candidates can use campaign funds to pay for childcare. Last week, the FEC ruled 4-0 in favor of the change. Liuba talks about how we can’t just have millionaires running for office. Instead, we need to make campaigning accessible to new mothers and fathers. Liuba also talks about how a meeting with longtime incumbent Peter King inspired her to host a town hall for his constituents - and run against him.

Like millions of her fellow Americans, Liuba Grechen Shirley was disgusted to see a man who bragged about sexual assault on tape become President of the United States. As a mother of two young children, she was immediately driven to take action. She founded a Facebook group that gained hundreds of members within the first few weeks alone. By the time the Trump administration issued the first Muslim ban, Liuba's group had grown to thousands. They protested the ban outside the office of Peter T. King, the Republican currently representing New York's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rather than engage with his constituents, King, a supporter of the Muslim ban, ducked out of his office. But due to the media coverage of Liuba's protest, she was able to secure a meeting with King, in which he argued against actually listening to his constituents. So Liuba decided to take things into her own hands. Never having considered running for public office before, she launched her candidacy for New York's 2nd, aiming to unseat King after 25 years. We spoke with Liuba on the podcast about her campaign, the sexual harassment she has experienced as an activist and even on the campaign trail, how being the granddaughter of refugees shapes her views on immigration, and more.