Politics in Question

In this episode of Politics in Question, Lee chats with Alex Hertel-Fernandez and Jamila Michener about what power building might look like for the next pro-democracy government. Hertel-Fernandez is the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and is leading the Empowering Democracy Initiative. Michener is a Professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University and co-author, with Mallory E. SoRelle, of the new book Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power (Princeton University Press, 2026).

Is deliverism not enough? How can power be created and distributed through people and policy? What are the levers government has to make organizing easier? These are some of the questions Lee explores in this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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In this episode of Politics in Question, Lee and James chat with Georgia Kernell about how parties choose their candidates. Kernell is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and author of Inside Parties: How Party Rules Shape Membership and Responsiveness (Cambridge University Press, 2025).

How does party membership outside of the U.S. function? Do members have actual control or only symbolic control within a party? Could a decentralized party structure give a minority faction a vehicle to "capture" government? These are some of the questions Lee and James explore in this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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In this episode of Politics in Question, Lee and James chat with Seth Masket about how Trump voters fundamentally changed the Republican Party. Masket is a professor of political science at the University of Denver and the author of the Substack the @smotus report, as well as his new book, The Elephants in the Room: How Trump Voters Seized the Party from Republican Leaders (Cambridge University Press, 2026).

Who are typically county-party chairs? What was the pivot moment in the Republican Party’s transformation? What effect did Trump's 2023 indictments have on county chairs' support for him? These are some of the questions Lee and James explore in this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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In this episode of Politics in Question, Lee chats with Tabitha Abu El-Haj about the power of associational party building. Abu El-Haj is a professor of law at Drexel University and the author of a new report, A Model for Associational Party Building (New America, 2026).

How does associational party building work under the constraints of the two-party system? What are the key components of an associational party? Why hasn't this associational model spread more broadly? These are some of the questions Lee explores in this week's episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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In this episode of Politics in Question, Lee and James chat with Didi Kuo about how to fix political parties. Kuo is a Center Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and co-author, alongside Lee Drutman, of a new report, A Blueprint for Healthier Political Parties (New America, 2026).

Why do we need strong political parties? Are parties failing because of internal choices or outside forces? Why does every election feel existential? These are some of the questions Lee and James explore this week. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
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