New Faces of Democracy

About New Faces of Democracy

Welcome to the New Faces of Democracy podcast, hosted by Nancy Bynum. This podcast features inspiring interviews with people who have transformed their lives since 2016 and who are transforming our political landscape. These are not career politicians or former cabinet members, but ordinary citizens who are starting organizations, running for office for the first time, using their creative skills and otherwise stepping outside of their comfort zones to stand up for our democracy. Along the way, they are discovering new skills and talents and creating new communities. Nancy felt her own personal call to action in the aftermath of the election of 2016, when it became painfully clear how important it is to use our voices to stand up for the America we believe in. As she became increasingly politically active, she witnessed the emergence of an awe-inspiring phenomenon: people changing their lives to defend our democracy. She decided that the best way for her to help would be to share the work of these change-makers, and New Faces of Democracy was born. Since then, she has dedicated herself to both spreading the word about this new wave of activism and chronicling the tremendous political and patriotic energy of this time. This podcast elevates and celebrates these new faces, and in the process, will hopefully inspire you and maybe even galvanize you to take action on your own. These are unprecedented times, but there is a silver lining. As we become more engaged citizens, our democracy will become stronger and more resilient– in fact, it’s already happening.  So if you’ve had enough depressing news and are ready to feel hopeful and maybe even optimistic about the future, head over to newfacesofdemocracy.org where you can subscribe to the podcast, watch the videos and follow New Faces of Democracy on social media.

Publisher

Nancy Bynum

Category

government · news · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 May 2020

Latest episode

19 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

34 of 85 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   19 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Larry Lessig on the Maine Case That Could End Super PACs

   Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig explains to host Nancy how a Maine case could dismantle Super PACs by overturning a flawed 2010 precedent.

2. 

   22 Jul 2026

   Sarah Jakle of Democrashe: Can High School Girls Save Democracy?

   Host Nancy interviews Sarah Jakle, founder of DemocraShe, about empowering underserved high school girls with brain-science skills to become future leaders and elected officials.

3. 

   6 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Dr. Matthew Taylor on the Christian Nationalist Threat to Democracy, Part 2

   This episode is the second part of Nancy’s conversation with Dr. Matthew Taylor, a visiting scholar at Georgetown's Center on Faith and Justice and a leading expert on Christian nationalism, religious extremism, and the role of religious pluralism in defending democracy. In this part of the conversation, Matt and Nancy discuss whether Christian nationalism can ever be compatible with a pluralistic society; how we need to build a big tent to unite with what Matt calls the “persuadable middle”; the Christian supremacists at the highest level of power in our government; Christian Zionism, anti-semitism; and where to look for inspiration and hope.At the end of Part 1, Nancy and Matt had just finished speaking about the theology, symbols and culture of independent charismatic Christianity and the huge role this played on January 6th. Matthew D. Taylor is a visiting scholar at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. is the author of The Violent Take It by Force and, forthcoming, Defying Tyrants. A public-facing theologian and religious studies scholar who specializes in American Islam, Christian nationalism, and Christian extremism, he is also the creator of two limited podcast series–American Unexceptionalism and Charismatic Revival Fury. Taylor holds a PhD from Georgetown University and an MA from Fuller Theological Seminary. Thank you for being a listener! Stay up to date on New Faces of Democracy by signing up for the newsletter here (https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/#contact). If you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, send us an email at info@newfacesofdemocracy.org (mailto:info@newfacesofdemocracy.org). If you like this podcast, please subscribe/rate/review on Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-faces-of-democracy/id1512070381) and Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/4sW3N5XFczW28l57TmJxTB?si=988706a6909b4ac8). It makes a huge difference! Follow New Faces of Democracy on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/newfacesofdemocracy_/), Threads (https://www.threads.net/@newfacesofdemocracy_?xmt=AQGziyEMAPkiCQxKQf_K8bTBkAobpdDOwx1KRfi5GDFOFLM) and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/nfod.bsky.social)

Who has been a guest on New Faces of Democracy

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Larry Lessig
• Sarah Jakle
• Jeff Clements
• Jami Floyd
• Heather Cronk

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

41 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

56

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact New Faces of Democracy

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about New Faces of Democracy