Lauren Harper Pope hosts the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, where we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the Party to the median voter. Here at Welcome, we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
Winner, Winner: Cait Conley on leadership and depolarization
In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Cait Conley, who’s running for Congress in New York’s 17th congressional district against Republican Mike Lawler.
Cait is a decorated Army veteran and national security expert. A fourth-generation Hudson Valley native, Cait served 16 years in the U.S. Army with six overseas deployments and later led counterterrorism efforts at the National Security Council and election security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. She’s been a mission-driven, independent leader focused on protecting democracy, lowering costs, and strengthening critical infrastructure, bringing real-world experience to the fight to deliver results for working families.
New York’s 17th congressional district is located in the lower Hudson Valley, just north of New York City, spanning Rockland and Putnam Counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess. It’s a highly suburban, affluent, and diverse district with an economy tied to finance, healthcare, and professional services.
Politically, NY-17 is one of the nation’s most competitive swing seats: it’s rated near even and has recently voted for both parties in top races. NY-17 has a PVI of D+1, and Harris won the district by less than a point in 2024.
The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 election cycle.
Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
3 Aug 2026
Winner, Winner: Sarah Trone Garriott on faith, showing up, and good leadership
In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Sarah Trone Garriott, who’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 3rd congressional district against Republican Zach Nunn. Sarah is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.
Sarah serves in the Iowa State Senate and has flipped not one but two seats in the Iowa Senate. She defeated a popular Republican mayor in 2020, and in 2022 after redistricting, she was drawn into a district with a Democratic colleague. Instead of running in a primary against her colleague, Sarah uprooted her home and moved to a neighboring district to take on the GOP Senate president in an R+5 district. Not only did she win, but she beat him by three points while running 10 points ahead of the top of the ticket. Sarah has a proven track record of over-performance and is the only Democrat in Iowa to flip multiple seats in districts that Trump won.
Notably, Sarah is also a Lutheran minister and works at an interfaith food pantry network.
Iowa’s 3rd congressional district encompasses central and southern Iowa. Iowa-3 has a Cook PVI of R+2, and Trump won the district by 4 points in 2024. The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 cycle.
Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
25 Jun 2026
Winner, Winner: Christina Bohannan on representing "the heart of the country"
In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Christina Bohannan, who’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 1st congressional district against Mariannette Miller-Meeks, one of the Republican Party's biggest under-performers. Christina is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.
Miller-Meeks won the district by just six votes in 2020, and she lagged the top of the ticket by 11 points in 2024. Christina ran for Congress in 2022 in a previous iteration of the district and went back for a rematch against Miller-Meeks in 2024. Christina lost that race by just 798 votes, the second-closest race in the country.
In her 2024 congressional campaign, Bohannan made a point to meet constituents in rural areas where voters had not seen or heard from Democrats in years. She was also able to differentiate herself by opposing Democratic policies that were not popular among voters like student loan debt cancellation and calling on President Biden to drop out of the race. This helped her achieve the strongest over-performance of any other Democratic challenger in the country, outperforming Harris by 8.2% and running 11.3 points ahead of a generic Democrat in her district.
All of this has put her in a great position to flip this crucial seat for her rematch against Miller-Meeks in 2026.
Iowa-1 has a Cook PVI of R+ 4, and Trump won the district by 8 points in 2024. The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 cycle.
Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
15 May 2026
Winner, Winner: Dr. Jasmeet Bains (CA-22) on public health and public service
In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Dr. Jasmeet Bains, who’s running for Congress in California's 22nd congressional district against Republican David Valadeo. Dr. Bains is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.
Dr. Bains is a frontline physician and California State Assembly member. The first South Asian woman elected to the Assembly, Dr. Bains has been a fearless, independent voice and vote, bucking special interests to protect the Central Valley’s economy and healthcare access.
California’s 22nd congressional district sits in the Central Valley, anchored in Bakersfield and stretching north toward the Fresno suburbs. It is a heavily working-class district shaped by agriculture, energy, and logistics, where voters are primarily driven by the cost of living, water access, fuel prices, and job stability.
Following new maps adopted after Proposition 50 in 2025, CA-22 has been significantly reshaped, altering its political landscape ahead of the 2026 cycle. CA-22 now has a PVI of D+1, and Trump won the district by 1.8 points in 2024. The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 cycle.
Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
15 Apr 2026
Winner, Winner: Shannon Bird (CO-08) on effective leadership
In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Shannon Bird, who’s running for Congress in Colorado’s 8th congressional district against Republican Gabe Evans. Shannon is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.
Shannon served in the Colorado State House for seven years and has been a pragmatic voice and leader for Democrats in the state. As a results-oriented legislator with an independent streak, Shannon has built a record of challenging the status quo to deliver tangible outcomes for her constituents.
In the state legislature, Shannon focused on issues that resonate across party lines: protecting Colorado jobs, improving public safety, and expanding economic opportunity. She has consistently shown a willingness to take politically difficult votes when they align with the needs of her district, reinforcing her credibility with moderate and unaffiliated voters.
Colorado’s 8th congressional district is the near definition of a swing seat and is likely to play a decisive role in determining the control of the U.S. House in 2026.
Located just north of Denver, the district includes many of the region’s northern suburbs. CO-08 has a Cook PVI of even and is currently rated as a toss-up, and Trump won the district by 2 points in 2024.
The district is on the DCCC’s Districts in Play list, a possible precursor to being added to its prized Red to Blue list.
On the Winner, Winner podcast, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome, we work to strengthen the centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
2 Apr 2026
Winner, Winner: Bobby Pulido (TX-15)
Lauren Harper Pope hosts the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, where we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the Party to the median voter. Here at Welcome, we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
In today's episode, Lauren is in conversation with Bobby Pulido, a native South Texan and Grammy award-winning Tejano music artist running for Congress in Texas' 15th congressional district. Bobby's hits and star status have helped define modern Tejano music and solidified his reputation as a cultural ambassador for the region.
TX-15 is one of the newly-drawn congressional districts that the Texas GOP is betting will result in a Republican hold. It has a PVI of R+7, and Trump won the district in 2024 by 18 points. But Hispanic voters in South Texas have shown significant volatility in recent cycles, and recent polling has shown meaningful movement away from Donald Trump among Hispanic voters, creating a real opening in this district that may not be as red as recent results suggest. The district was also recently added to DCCC’s district and playlist, a possible precursor to Red to Blue. Bobby is part of Welcome's Win the Middle slate of candidates for the 2026 cycle.
17 Mar 2026
Winner, Winner: Jamie Ager (NC-11)
Lauren Harper Pope hosts the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, where we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the Party to the median voter. Here at Welcome, we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.
In today's episode, Lauren is in conversation with Jamie Ager, who’s running for Congress in North Carolina’s 11th congressional district in Western North Carolina. Jamie’s a fourth-generation farmer and a business owner running Hickory Nut Gap Farm, a sustainable meat company that today employs 25 employees and works with dozens of farmers across the region. NC-11 has a PVI of R+ 5, and Trump won the district in 2024 by 9.5 points. The district was recently added to the DCCC’s Red to Blue list. Jamie is part of Welcome's Win the Middle slate of candidates for the 2026 cycle.
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