Fly on the Wall

For our Season 9 finale, we interviewed Tom Perez, a Spring 2021 GU Politics Fellow and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee. He served President Obama for eight years, first as DOJ Civil Rights Head and then as U.S. Secretary of Labor. In this episode, Tom not only took the Flies behind the scenes of his civil rights career, but also shared his take on Democratic party unity following the 2020 election cycle and the biggest challenges facing the nation moving forward.

In this episode, the Flies sat down with Guy Benson, host of “the Guy Benson Show,” spring GU Politics Fellow, Fox News contributor, and political editor at TownHall.com. Guy shares his journey from a high school student calling baseball games on local access channels to being a political commentator for Fox News. We also explore politics in post 9/11 America, party realignment, cancel culture, and young people in the conservative movement.

This week on the Pod, we spoke with Spring 2021 GU Politics Fellow and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who represented Alabama from 2018 to 2021. Prior to being one of the Senate’s most bipartisan members, he served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and prosecuted the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Tune in to hear about the most impactful moments of his legal career, important issues he prioritized as a senator, and his most effective strategies for achieving bipartisanship.

Put your rain jackets on because this week the Pod visited the Pacific Northwest! The Fly sat down with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan in this episode, chief of executive of the first major American city to be hit by COVID-19. Mayor Durkan shared her experience coordinating with cities across the globe to respond to the pandemic, building a mass-vaccination campaign, and communicating policy to the city regarding COVID-19. We also dive into Mayor Durkan’s views on the police abolition movement and managing the summer 2020 demonstrations in Seattle.

Our episode this week features North Carolina State Representative Ricky Hurtado, who became the first Latino Democrat elected to the NC General Assembly in 2020. In addition to representing District 63 (Alamance County), Ricky serves on the Board of Alamance Partnership for Children and co-founded LatinxEd, a nonprofit that aims to expand opportunities for first-generation college students and immigrant families. After finding his passion for public service during his time at the University of North Carolina, he received his Masters from Princeton with a focus in fighting poverty and community building.

How has the Trump presidency, COVID-19, and social media changed the journalism industry? What salient issues and policies will dominate the news cycle moving forward? Find out in our latest episode with Julie Pace, Washington Bureau Chief for the Associated Press and a Spring GU Politics Fellow. In addition to the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, she has covered four presidential campaigns, Congress, national security, and more.

The Flies sat down with former Congressman Charles Djou (HI-01) this week for an interview jam-packed with insights from his extensive career in public service. In addition to serving as a Honolulu City Councilmember (2003-2010) and State Representative (2000-2002), the Congressman was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. Listen now for the inside scoop into everything from his military leadership in Afghanistan, to Republican support for Biden, to Hawaiian state politics.

GU Politics Fellow Sara Sendek brings the Fly inside the George Bush White House, shares how she developed the public affairs strategy for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and more in this interview. Listen in for insights on combating misinformation and the duty of federal government communicators to the American people from Sara's experience working under the Trump and Bush administrations.

How are young conservatives shaping the future of the Republican Party? What issues matter to Asian American voters? This week, we got answers to these questions and more from GOP political expert Adi Sathi, who is Chief of Staff to the Young Republican National Foundation, former GOP Director of APA Engagement, and former Vice Chair of the Michigan GOP.

Spring GU Politics Fellow Anatole Jenkins discusses political organization and mobilization in this week’s episode. Learn about his experience organizing for Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and his most recent experience serving as National Director of States Organizing for Joe Biden. Anatole shares his analysis of key points in the 2020 Democratic Primary, how he chooses strong candidates, and more in this amazing interview!

This week, the Flies spoke with seven Hoyas across the country who spent the fall semester working on political campaigns. From state house to presidential races, from Arizona to South Carolina, these Georgetown students took us behind the scenes of the 2020 election and shared their favorite stories from the campaign trail.

For our final interview of Season 8, the Flies Zoomed in with Fall 2020 GU Politics Fellow, Lis Smith. Lis Smith is a veteran on the campaign trail, having worked on over 20 campaigns, including Bill de Blasio’s 2013 mayoral campaign, President Barack Obama’s second presidential campaign, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2018 re-election campaign, and, most recently, Pete Buttigieg’s presidential primary campaign.

This week, the Flies interviewed Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governors Editor for the Cook Political Report. Previously, she was a political reporter for National Public Radio, where she covered elections and breaking news, ranging from the White House to Congress. Her coverage of campaigns and elections has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and numerous other publications.

The Flies are excited to welcome Sarah Rogers to the podcast this week! This episode was recorded on Thursday, November 5, while election results are still being tabulated. Sarah Rogers currently works as Vice President of Navigators Global LLC, a Republican government relations and strategic communications firm in Washington, DC. Previously, Sarah has also worked as Director of Federal Affairs for Walmart. On the Hill, Sarah served in several offices, including Representatives Michael Conway from Texas and Randy Forbes from Virginia.

Our guest this week is Mary Katharine Ham, a former local news journalist turned Presidential debate moderator. MK has done almost everything in the world of journalism. She is currently a CNN correspondent and a Fall 2020 Fellow with our very own Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.