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Welcome to the Branding Democrats podcast – your field guide to helping Democrats win before it's too late. Our hosts, Ken and Daryl, are renowned industry experts and authors of the book Branding Democrats: A Top-to-Bottom Reimagining of Campaign Strategies.
The truth is: Democrats suck at branding.
Branding Democrats is the solution. With our expertise in messaging and branding, we’ll lay out a process to transform the public's perception of Democrats, repositioning the party as the people who genuinely care about the well-being of all Americans.
We examine the current political landscape and some notable case studies of failing Democratic campaigns of the past. We'll show you how to brand Democrats as the party that "fights for the people", how to make that branding personal, and how to differentiate Democratic policies from those of Republicans that prioritize corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
Let's help Democrats save America from the crazies. Tune in to the Branding Democrats podcast today.
98 Episodes
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This week on the Branding Democrats Podcast, we’re joined by progressive TikTok creator Chris, better known as @letsdiscusssomething. As backlash grows over federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota, a looming government shutdown, and an economy Trump insists is “winning” despite widespread anxiety, we break down what all of this reveals about MAGA's narrative failure. Trump is caught between competing interests: a MAGA base demanding escalation and a broader public recoiling from cha...
In this week's episode of Branding Dems, Ken and Gabby sit down to discuss the week's tumultuous events. We get into everything and in between, from the ICE tragedy in Minnesota, Trump's obsession with Greenland, and how Dems can use this moment to gain momentum through midterms. Polls are showing that Gen-Z is possibly turning blue(r). How do we make sure this isn't just a reaction to a (very bad) Trump admin? Tune in to hear how Dems can create a long-lasting brand that resonates with...
On today's episode, we sit down with creator Chris, better known as @HappyAtheist on TikTok. Chris shares what pushed him from being a “just a scroller” into making political content when Trump moved toward a second term, and how his calm, clip-by-clip takedown style became such a powerful way to cut through blatant lies online. Together, we discuss how to buildi a sustainable Democratic base heading into the midterms, including taking cues from fighters like Maxwell Frost, AOC, Jasmine...
Happy New Year and welcome to 2026. We are kicking off the year with an unfiltered recap of 2025 and some predictions (and calls to action) for the year ahead. We discuss how in 2025, Trump --- among the many terrible things he did for our country -- created a U.S. economy, where billionaires keep winning and everyone else keeps paying. We dig into what Democrats still haven’t fixed (a real, unified brand that people can feel), why “Trump is dangerous” wasn’t enough to break through, an...
This week on Branding Democrats, we sit down with Steve—better known online as @FactsStillMatter—a Vermont-based creator and former broadcast/media professional who’s built a daily live show around politics, culture, and one big premise: facts still matter. We dig into why media literacy is basically a modern survival skill, how right-wing outlets have trained audiences to treat propaganda like “truth,” and what it means when public trust in journalism gets intentionally hollowed out. From Tr...
In this week’s episode of Branding Democrats, Ken makes a big call: we’re at the beginning of the end of the Trump era. He breaks down why, from the Epstein files and Trump’s desperate “tariff dividend” promises, to a looming affordability crisis and an overinflated stock market, and what all of it means for Democratic messaging. Gabby and Ken dig into the politics and the branding of the longest government shutdown in history and push back on the “Dems caved” narrative, arguing that Democrat...
This week on Branding Democrats, we sit down with Essy, better known online as @TheDarkLeft — a progressive creator and Substack writer who’s built a massive following by cutting through right-wing spin with clarity and conviction. In this episode, we unpack how modern fascism doesn’t look like tanks in the streets. It looks like what we’re living through right now: a president weaponizing government shutdowns, silencing critics through intimidation, and flooding the media ecosystem with disi...
This week on Branding Democrats, we sit down with creator and comedian Bill Jubran to unpack a wild stretch in American politics. We dive into the revival-style atmosphere at Charlie Kirk’s memorial and what it signals about MAGA’s future. We contrast Erika Kirk’s unity-and-forgiveness moment with Trump’s open calls for retribution on the same stage, and ask what happens when a movement mixes religion with raw power politics. Then we zoom out: What do you do when the umpire’s biased? Wi...
This week on Branding Democrats, we are joined by political creator and podcaster Jon Cooper (@counterpointpolitics) for a raw conversation about America’s deepening crisis. We begin the episode by addressing the shooting of Charlie Kirk at a Utah rally. Political violence is a symptom of a larger problem in our society, and we take some time to unpack what's going on. Later, Jon gets into why false equivalence is so dangerous, why Republicans win on branding even when they lie, and what Demo...
In our 101st episode of Branding Democrats, we sit down with progressive TikTok creator Nicole Whitted (@NicoleWhittedAuthor) to talk about politics, branding, and what it takes to cut through the GOP’s smoke and mirrors. Nicole shares what motivated her to start making videos and how her content reaches people in deeply red communities. Together, we unpack why voters don’t always know what Dems stands for, how to counter Republican narratives about money and power, and what it means to “matc...
For our 100th episode of Branding Democrats, we’re bringing back a very special guest: Daryl Weber, Ken’s son and co-author of Branding Democrats. In this conversation, we look back at the book’s predictions—what Democrats got wrong (and right) in the last election cycle—and how the party’s branding failures continue to hold it back. Email gabby@brandingdemocrats.com if you’d like to be a guest on our show.
This week on Branding Democrats, we are joined by TikTok creator Felicia, best known as @Jeanine Pirreaux. Stay and listen for a wildly funny and fiercely smart conversation about the role of satire in politics, the unraveling of Trump’s second term, and why comedy might be the Democrats’ secret weapon. Felicia shares how Judge Jeanine Pirro became her MAGA muse, how political sketch comedy became her coping mechanism after Trump’s reelection, and what advice she’d give to Democrats trying to...
This week, we're back for a conversation about what’s broken in Democratic branding and what it’ll take to fix it. We start with Obama’s recent call for Democrats to “stop whining and toughen up". We talk about what it means for Democrats to fight back and stop being a punching bag. Our conversation goes to the infamous Epstein files, which Trump is now calling a hoax (hmmm, we wonder why...). We get into how MAGA excuses Trump's behaviors and how there's some internal tension within the curr...
In this episode of Branding Democrats, we welcome back Stacy Hughes, known as @Belle Valise on TikTok. Stacy shares her inspiring personal journey from progressive advocate and social media influencer to first-time candidate, running for city council in South Jordan, Utah. Together, we tackle the week’s pressing topics: Trump’s chaotic ICE raids and sudden immigration backtrack; escalating tensions with Iran after Ted Cruz’s troubling admissions to Tucker Carlson; and the GOP’s dangerous appr...
In this week's episode of the Branding Democrats Podcast, we are joined by repeat guest Chelsea, better known on TikTok as Political Mom. We dive into recent authoritarian escalations from the Trump administration, including aggressive ICE raids and the alarming incident involving Senator Alex Padilla. We unpack the implications of Padilla's controversial detention, highlighting Democrats' growing fears and responses to the administration's tactics. Our discussion also touches on broader poli...
This week, we dive into the surreal and seismic fallout of Trump and Elon Musk’s public breakup — a political spectacle filled with betrayal, billion-dollar threats, Epstein files, and the most powerful men in America slinging insults on the platforms they own. But beyond the headlines, this episode gets into what it all really means: What the feud exposes about unchecked power and dark moneyWhy the Republican Party is cracking under its own contradictionsHow Democrats should respond, and wha...
This week on Branding Democrats, we dive into the Democratic Party’s six-month identity crisis and the numbers behind it. Why are men leaving the party in droves? Is the answer really as simple (and uncomfortable) as “nominate a man”? We break down the data, the cultural failures, and the $20 million plan to win back male voters that’s already being mocked by the right. From Hillary to Harris, Simone Sanders to Secretary Pete, we unpack how Democrats keep missing the moment — and what it woul...
In this episode, we tackle the whirlwind week in American politics — starting with President Biden’s cancer diagnosis and the Right’s immediate attempt to weaponize it. We unpack the Jake Tapper's new book Original Sin, which alleges a widespread cover-up of Biden’s decline, and reflect on what that means for trust in the Democratic Party. From there, the conversation digs deeper: why is the Democratic brand still perceived as old, elite, and out-of-touch? Why does the working class still bel...
This week on Branding Democrats, we're joined by Becca McKnight — Burlington City Councilmember, mom, marketer, and powerful voice for progress. Becca shares what inspired her to run for office, why representation still matters at every level of government, and how Democrats can reclaim the future from a party stuck in the past. We get into what makes someone a Democrat, what MAGA’s brand is really built on (hint: white male fragility and fear), and why it's time to stop letting Republicans d...
This week on Branding Democrats, we’re joined by Matteo il Pazzeo, known known as @matteo_il_pazzeo /The Justice Guy on social media. Today on the pod, we will be diving deep on constitutional law, unchecked executive power, and whether the U.S. is hurtling toward a true constitutional crisis. We unpack the Trump administration’s defiance of court rulings and what happens when enforcement breaks down, or never happens at all. Matteo lays out the definition of a constitutional crisis, what mak...
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