... and North Carolina beat gerrymandering!

We're still losing our shit -- in a good way -- about last week's election results. Those results were especially amazing in the state of North Carolina, where women and community organizing overcame incredible odds to win across the state. We set out to break the Republican supermajority in NC... and instead, we *got* the supermajority! And behind every one of those wins is a candidate who worked really hard and a community who put their whole selves into this election to beat gerrymandering and big money.

A perfect example is LaKesha Womack, who beat Republican Tim Moore to Congress in a district that Tim literally drew for himself to win. He outspent her 34 to 1 and the Democratic Party didn't invest in her race because it was such a long shot. But women in LaKesha's district believed in her so much (including two Red Wine & Blue groups) that we threw our support behind her. And last Tuesday, she won!

This is just the beginning -- we'll be celebrating these wins and telling stories like LaKesha's for a long time.

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This is the first time in years that we've all woken up the morning after an election feeling this good! Yes, we saw great wins during the midterms of 2018, but it was nothing like this. As Jess McIntosh, our guest this week, said: "We were hoping to get the Senate and instead, we got the South."

And it certainly wasn't just the South. We saw amazing wins in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Michigan, even Kansas and Alaska. This was a night like we've never seen before.

And it didn't just happen by accident -- it happened because people (especially suburban women) had conversation after conversation with the people in their lives. Red Wine & Blue members alone talked to 250,000 people about voting this year! We beat big money in politics last night by having one conversation at a time.

So let's celebrate! There's lots of work to do, but celebration is part of democracy. Text your group chats. Throw a party. Joy is the antidote to fascism and last night, it won!

Speaking of celebrating, you can join us at Red Wine & Blue's family meeting tomorrow night! RSVP here: https://go.redwine.blue/1spw

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Yesterday, Red Wine & Blue brought together over 1,200 people for an in-person event in West Chester, Philadelphia. The line stretched for ages, wrapping around the college campus, with people eager to do anything they could to elect a trifecta in their state.

They were there to see Heather Cox Richardson and some amazing PA lawmakers, but Katie Paris put them to work. She asked the crowd to think of all the people they could talk to about voting before Tuesday’s midterms. Anyone in their lives who needed one more nudge, help with their voting plan, or had any last-minute questions about their ballot. Attendees wrote down how many conversations they planned to have in the next two days. In the end, they pledged over 21,000 conversations with friends and family. Any one of those conversations could be the vote that flips a seat, funds a library, or turns the tide in our direction.

Pennsylvania was the last stop in our 4-state tour with Heather before the midterms and we couldn’t be more grateful for the thousands of Red Wine & Blue members who showed up… and, of course, for Heather herself.

There’s still time for you to get involved. Text that friend you talk politics with. Call family members who haven’t quite decided whether they’re voting. Don’t wake up on Wednesday morning wishing you’d done more.

We'll see you on Wednesday afternoon with a special post-election recording. Here we go!

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Heather's third stop on her live and in-person Red Wine & Blue tour was in Michigan. And what an event it was! We were joined by more than 800 women who came to see Heather and celebrate democracy.

We were also so lucky to be joined by MI state senator Mallory McMorrow! Our two favorite redheads and America's best historian answered questions about what's at stake in next week's midterms, how we can use these last few days to make a difference, and the power of women working together for change.

Next Monday, we'll share our final HCR live event. We have four days left until election day -- we can do this!

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Are you worried about your vote counting in the midterms? It's understandable, with the shenanigans that the Trump administration has pulled in the past (and is already trying to pull right now in places like Alaska). But our guest this week reassured us that our votes are safe and there are procedures in place to ensure that everyone's ballots will count.

And who is this reassuring guest? Well, this is our last episode before the election, so we brought on some extra special. Jeremy Paris is a lawyer and voting rights expert... who just so happens to be Katie's husband. Jeremy reminded us that elections are not political. The *results* of elections are political, but the process itself is written into law. There are clear rules and tens of thousands of nonpartisan poll workers whose entire job is to enforce those rules.

Jeremy explained what we can do if we see something suspicious at our polling location and how we can help after the election is over, but the most important thing he emphasized is that we don't spread fear. The most effective way to "rig" an election is to demoralize or scare people into not voting in the first place. If enough people vote and we see a big enough blue wave, there will be nothing that Republicans can do.

So let's all make sure we're talking to everyone we know about voting. And if they're worried their vote won't matter, just tell them to listen to this episode!

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We couldn't be more excited that Heather Cox Richardson is doing a Red Wine & Blue tour in the weeks before the midterms! Earlier this month, she joined us in Ohio and just a few days ago, she spoke with hundreds of RWB members in North Carolina.

Heather answered questions about whether Trump can rig the election, what we can do, why friend-to-friend organizing is so effective, and if she ever sleeps! Don't miss this injection of hope and history as we count down the days until November 3rd.

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If you used to listen to our podcast The Suburban Women Problem, this week's guest needs no introduction. If this is your first time being introduced to the superwoman who is Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark, we are so excited to introduce you to her.

Jasmine is a PhD microbiologist. She's a mom. She teaches nursing at Emory University. She's been elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives four times. And now... she's running for US Congress!

It was so fun to catch up with Jasmine and hear all about how her kids are doing, how her Congressional race is going, and what we all need to know going into November's midterms. She also shared wisdom about what it's like running for these high-level offices as a Black woman, how she takes care of herself while doing so many amazing things, and what good she (and other Democrats) can do in Congress over the next 2 years, even with Trump in the White House.

We have a little less than two weeks to bring this election home. Make sure you're talking to everyone you know about voting!

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Stephanie and Paula lead a Network group called Make Good Trouble Reno with more than 500 members on their mailing list! They hold monthly meetings to talk about local and state politics with progressives, people who are nonpartisan, and even former Republicans. Next week, they're hosting a "Ballots and Beverages" party to make sure everyone has the information they need to vote in the midterms.

But Stephanie and Paula didn't start out as rockstar group leaders. They started, like so many of us, by simply wanting to do something. Stephanie went to meet her local city council member, who gave her some simple but powerful advice: just show up.

When Stephanie started Make Good Trouble Reno, it was just her and her husband leading the group. She soon met Paula in the Zoom chat of a Red Wine & Blue webinar (the perfect friendship origin story, no notes) and now the two of them aren't just co-leaders. They're friends who inspire, comfort, and encourage one another.

With only 3 weeks left until the midterms, it's time to follow Stephanie and Paula's example. Make sure everyone you know is voting (early if possible). You can even throw a ballot party like Make Good Trouble Reno. It all starts by just showing up.

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When Liuba Grechen Shirley ran for Congress in 2018, she realized how hard it was to run a campaign at the same time as parenting young kids. She didn't just sit back and accept that was how the world works -- she vowed to change it. Liuba became the first person in America to use campaign funds for childcare, but she didn't stop there. She went on to found Vote Mama, an organization dedicated to helping moms build political power.

It's not just a matter of fairness. It's how we get good policy. When only rich white men are in power, they make laws that benefit other rich white men. It doesn't even have to be malicious -- it's the nature of legislating based on your own experience. But with more moms in office, we can get better policies that support families, like paid parental leave and better healthcare for everyone.

In this episode, Liuba, Katie, and LaFonda also chat about how we can talk to our kids about the horrible things we've been seeing in the news... and how we can deal with all that bad news ourselves too. The good news is that saving the world doesn't have to feel like hard work! With the right people by your side (whether they're a mom or not), advocating for a better country can actually be fun.

You can learn more about Vote Mama and their "Moms Night Out" program at https://votemamafoundation.org/.

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On September 27th, in a high school auditorium near Cleveland, Heather Cox Richardson spoke to a group of nearly 1,000 Red Wine & Blue members. She and Katie Paris talked about the midterms, what's at stake, and what gives Heather hope.

This wasn’t your typical political event. It was a room full of real conversations, real connections, and people ready to make a difference in their communities. Red Wine & Blue has three more in-person HCR events coming up in the next few weeks, and we'll share them all here on the How To Not Lose Your Sh!t podcast.

After you listen, make sure you’re ready for Election Day: check your voter registration, make your voting plan, and help your friends and family make theirs too. You can take our pledge here!

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Climate journalist Emily Atkin is a pessimist. Or maybe she's a realist. Or maybe she's actually hopeful? One thing's for certain: she's not going to stop calling out tech and oil company billionaires or the politicians who are in their pocket.

This week, Katie and LaFonda had a fascinating conversation with Emily about the environment and whether you need to be an optimist to work for change. Emily started her Substack, Heated, back in 2019 -- almost the exact same time that Katie started Red Wine & Blue -- and while the climate is such an important issue on its own, it can also stand in for almost any issue we care about.

There's no shortage of causes that feel hopeless right now, from preserving our democracy and fighting corruption to women's rights to racial equality. If we waited to know for certain that our efforts would pay off, no one would ever take any action at all. Not to mention, the people in power want us to feel hopeless. There's nothing they want more than for us to all throw up our hands and stay home instead of standing up for what we believe in.

And that's exactly why we have to keep fighting. As Emily said, "the future is still being decided and I'm not gonna surrender my part in deciding it." We couldn't agree more.

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This week, Red Wine & Blue founder Katie Paris and our Director of Distributed Organizing Missy McGinnes joined Allison Gill on The Daily Beans to talk about the midterms, friend-to-friend organizing, and how you can join or start your own RWB Network group.

It was such a great conversation that we wanted to share it here! You can expect more bonus episodes as we get closer to election day.

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Romance novels are already political, but one that features two campaign staffers and ends with a call for its readers to run for office is *definitely* political. This week, we were joined by Kate Stayman-London, the author of a new book called See You Next Tuesday. She's worked for many campaigns herself, including as lead digital writer for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, so she knows the ins and outs of the political world.

She also knows about hope. After watching Clinton lose in 2016, and then Harris in 2024, it would be easy to become cynical and jaded. But in politics and in romance, hope is crucial. It keeps us open to new love (whether it's a date or a candidate!) and the possibility that things can get better for ourselves and our communities.

Both women candidates and romance novels are too often dismissed by the establishment -- in no small part because they take women out of the passenger seat and into a position to lead the way. So let's keep putting women in the driver's seat!

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On June 13th in Philadelphia, Red Wine & Blue founder Katie Paris did something she'd never done before: give a TED talk. Three months later, her speech on breaking the old D.C. rules about politics is finally available for everyone to watch!

Today on the podcast, Katie was joined by her TED coach, Kelly Stoetzel, along with Stacy Kunkel, our Deputy Program Director in PA who was on the ground at TED Democracy. They chatted about imposter syndrome, what it was like being around so many people who are passionate about democracy, and how we can mentally prepare ourselves for the hard work of the midterms.

You can watch Katie's TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/katie_paris_campaigns_spend_millions_to_influence_voters_this_works_better

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Are you worried about voting rights going into this year's midterm elections? We are too.

But just being worried doesn't fix the problem. In fact, if we let it make us lose our sh!t, that worry can keep us from taking real action to protect our rights.

Luckily, Stacey Abrams is *the* expert on all things voting. She joined us a few weeks ago for a virtual event where she helped us understand how extremists are trying to take away our right to vote and what we can do to stop it. She shared that there are three important questions to ask: Can you register and stay on the rolls? Can you cast a ballot? And does that ballot get counted?

Each of these three questions comes with its own challenges and solutions, but -- crucially -- they help us take action. As Stacey said, "we see villains coming together, and we think the villains have won. But we have power too. And when you believe that we have the ability to be the heroes in our own stories, to be the hero for someone else, then we are not as daunted by the villains."

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Today we're getting back to our local organizing roots with Karen West, the leader of a Red Wine & Blue Network group in Pennsylvania. She recently held a talent show and raised $2000 for a local charity that helps immigrants and refugees -- which for an organization of their size, means more than their year's operating budget!

It would be inspiring enough to see Karen organize a creative event to benefit immigrants in her community, but there's another layer: she was going through a really difficult time in her personal life as her husband was in hospice. Karen cared so much about this fundraiser, it took her sister and an RWB organizer to convince her to postpone the event. And when her group finally held the talent show, of course, it was a rousing success. Let's keep making sure to take care of ourselves and the other "givers" in our lives! We CAN do this work without burning out.

On this episode, we also shared good local news about voting rights in Ohio, a judge siding with students over their schools being renamed after Confederate generals, and bipartisan victories over Flock surveillance cameras.

To reach us directly, email us at comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media:

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Red Wine & Blue is all about taking the "ick" out of politics. We believe that the best way to improve this country is to build community and listen to our neighbors rather than out-of-touch politicians or influencers who just want to make us mad.

Our guest this week, Bennett Rea (aka Cookin' With Congress), is doing something a little different. We couldn't stop laughing about how he's putting the "ick" *back* into politics.

But not in the way you think! He's not platforming billionaires or feeding the outrage machine. Instead, he's cooking.

On Cookin' With Congress, Bennett makes historical recipes from presidents, first ladies, and Congresspeople. And many of these recipes are inarguably... icky. We're talking mayo and jello salad, possum, and more liquor than you can imagine. His goal is to show how these powerful figures, from Andrew Jackson to RFK Jr., are really just people at the end of the day. Weird people with strange tastes, maybe, but people all the same. They're not untouchable. And actually, maybe a lot of them shouldn't have had that much power in the first place.

Katie and LaFonda had such a fun chat with Bennett. But it wasn't all laughs -- we also discovered how a show that isn't technically partisan can actually be very political.

We also started a new segment this week with the Good News You Might've Missed! Americans across the country have been winning against MAGA in school board races, cancelled Flock contracts, and so many places that aren't making headlines. Positive political news, laughter, and community are all helping us not lose our sh!t.

To reach us directly, email us at comms@redwine.blue. You can learn more at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media:

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This week, we were lucky enough to sit down with Sara Wiles: a mom, entrepreneur, political activist, and content creator. Whether it's reaching millions of people on Instagram or door-knocking for a local candidate, Sara is using her time and energy for good.

In an age where "influencers" are often (rightfully) dismissed as shallow or opportunistic, Sara is doing the real work and making a serious difference. She shared how the personal messages she receives give her the hope to keep going, how she approaches political disagreements with a MAGA family member, and how she spurs her followers into taking tangible political action.

More than anything, we came away from this conversation in awe of the power of women. Our country is in a tight spot right now, but we know women can figure this out -- women like Sara, her team, her local candidates, and the generations who have fought for our freedom.

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Red Wine & Blue is a sisterhood of diverse communities working to change the world together. We help you make meaningful connections, organize in your community, and become more effective than you ever imagined. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! 

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We're continuing the theme of women in the South fighting for democracy this week, and Red Wine & Blue Network leader Carrie Dix is such an inspiration. She lives in Georgia, surrounded by Republican voters, but she's connecting hundreds of other women with political actions that matter... and, just as importantly, with one another.

It's hard feeling isolated with no one who shares your values, but as we discuss in this episode, you're never alone. If you feel like a blue dot in a sea of red, we guarantee that there are other people in your community who feel the same as you. For Carrie, it's even more important to have that fellowship because her own husband is a three-time Trump voter. We so admire Carrie's grit and determination to lead this Network group despite all of the forces she's up against.

We're also joined this week by Sarah Goodman, our RWB Network South organizer, filling in for LaFonda Cousin. Sarah recently went on an organizing road trip through Georgia where she met dozens of organizers like Carrie. We've got a little over 80 days until the midterms now, and it's local groups like Carrie's that are going to carry us over the finish line.

You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! 

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Amanda Nelson has become a political powerhouse without really meaning to. After Trump's second inauguration, she started posting online as Amanda's Mild Takes, sharing stories from history alongside Trump's failures and losses. Now, she has almost 2 million fans.

What was so striking, however, was just how many of her perspectives were shared by Red Wine & Blue! Amanda emphasized the importance of local politics and relational organizing -- aka talking to our friends and family about politics. She was truly singing from our songbook.

Amanda's relational organizing is playing out in her Y'all Vote initiative, where she's recruiting small content creators in the South to share information about voting with their audiences. Whether it's a small-town bakery posting resources about registration or someone talking to their neighbor in person about the importance of voting, it all comes down to those real authentic connections.

We're not abandoning our neighbors, whether it's women in the South, other red states, the suburbs, religious groups, or anyone else. We're not throwing our hands up or calling any community a lost cause. We're all Americans, we share so many values, and it's only by working together that we can create a better nation.

For a transcript of this episode, please email comms@redwine.blue.

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