Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda

Hosted by Karen jagoda

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda is a non-partisan podcast featuring thought leaders and industry pioneers with insights about innovative approaches to political campaigns, voter engagement, mobilization, fundraising, persuasion, and GOTV. Topics include the power of mobile devices, leveraging social networks, message testing and targeting, cross-media advertising, grassroots organizing, and big data.

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60 recent

October 13, 2026Episode 4024 min

Cultivating Hope and Resistance with Paul Loeb

Paul Loeb activist and author of The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Book on Political Hope, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss how to maintain and develop hope and resistance in dark political times. Paul has assembled an anthology of stories demonstrating how ordinary people have resisted oppression in seemingly hopeless circumstances. The book is both historical documentation and practical inspiration for activists. Deepak and Paul talk about Why hope must be actively grown through stories and action Symbolic and passive resistance Intergenerational transmission of courage Effective activism and measurable impacts #TheDemLabs #TheImpossible #PaulLoebBooks #PoliticalActivism #PoliticalResistance #Democracy #Hope #Accountability #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalOrganizing #GrassrootsMovement #VoterMobilization #GetOutTheVote #GOTV TheImpossible.org TheDemocracyLabs.org

October 7, 2026Episode 3919 min

Volunteer Lawyers Join Election Protection Efforts with Anna Chu We The Action

Anna Chu , Executive Director at We The Action, describes the organization's mission to connect volunteer lawyers with nonprofits to protect democracy. The newly launched Democracy Legal Defense Network recruits and trains lawyers for election protection efforts and accommodates lawyers of all specialties for in-person local work, travel opportunities, and remote participation. The initiative partners with nonprofit organizations to support voter registration and GOTV efforts and provides management tools to help grassroots organizations build a sustainable network. We talk about: The variety of opportunities for any lawyers to participate in this effort Which nonprofits need the most help Why some lawyers are eager to participate and some are more cautious Building and maintaining a resilient democracy #WetheAction #ElectionProtection #DemocracyLegalDefenseNetwork #Election2026 #2026Midterm #Lawyers WeTheAction.org

September 28, 2026Episode 3831 min

Deep Canvassing at Scale By Tapping Into Conversational Intelligence with Marty Santalucia MFStrategies

Marty Santalucia , CEO of MFStrategies, highlights how conversational intelligence and AI are transforming how political campaigns communicate with voters. Traditional campaign tools such as polling and focus groups are being supplemented or replaced by AI-driven, two-way communication through text messaging to reach voters at scale. This additional source of voter engagement lets campaigns engage large numbers of people in real time and collect unstructured conversational data that reveals what matters to voters in their own words. We talk about: Why two-way communication is foundational to representative democracy and not merely a tactical tool The untapped value of unstructured conversational data from voter engagement Finding the most meaningful words to shape campaign messages and fundraising appeals The critical role of human judgment in guiding AI models within the political environment #MFStrategies #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalPolitics #VoterEngagement #Fundraising #ConversationalAI #CampaignIntelligence #DownBallot #PoliticalTech #AIForGood MFStrategies.com

September 23, 2026Episode 3723 min

Social Media Missiles Deliver AI-Powered Political Misinformation with Scott Goodstein Catalyst Campaigns

Scott Goodstein , Founder and CEO of Catalyst Campaigns, highlights how quickly misinformation spreads and how reaching even a small audience can shape broader public opinion. While always a part of the political campaign landscape, AI is being used to create social media missiles that can be highly targeted with misinformation and disinformation to reach undecided voters. With traditional fact-checking organizations in decline, campaigns must build proactive rapid-response strategies and educate voters about deepfakes. We talk about: How AI and easier access to voter files enable targeted delivery of sophisticated misleading videos The real threat has moved underground to harder-to-detect, low-visibility channels How the Russians are creating and distributing AI-generated videos using the voices and likenesses of celebrities to create confusion Developing a fire-drill mentality and monitoring local news and diverse social platforms to be prepared for a rapid response #CatalystCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns #CampaignStrategy #AIDisinformation #PoliticalConsultants #GetOutTheVote #GOTV #RapidResponse #ElectionSecurity #Misinformation #CampaignComms #ForeignInterference Russian Disinformation Machine is Gearing Up for the Midterms Scott's Warning in USA Today CatalystCampaigns.com

September 14, 2026Episode 3624 min

Political Media Budgets Shift from Broadcast TV to CTV and Streaming with Sarah Fuller Comcast Advertising

Sarah Fuller , Sr. Director, Government and Advocacy, Comcast Advertising, highlights the major shift from traditional broadcast and radio to CTV and streaming, while emphasizing the growing importance of measuring effectiveness across all media. While more data does not guarantee success, data analytics and AI are enabling more sophisticated audience segmentation beyond standard demographic groups, including preferred screen and platform. Sarah emphasizes the constraints on ad inventory and the challenges of rapid response in tight markets. We talk about How multi-device consumption patterns are changing day-part buying assumptions Purple state dynamics where partisan lines are less predictable than in previous cycles Voter response to AI-produced political ads Current focus on combined reach and frequency across platforms rather than siloed buying Privacy compliance and quality of data #ComcastAdvertising #PoliticalAdvertising #CampaignStrategy #CTV #StreamingAds #DigitalPolitics #VoterTargeting #Midterms2026 #MediaBuying #PoliticalMedia #AdTech ComcastAdvertising.com

September 1, 2026Episode 3524 min

Civic Information Hub Rebuilding Trust Between Government and Constituents with Evan Meyer MyGovTools

Evan Meyer , civic leader and Founder of MyGovTools, BeautifyEarth, and RideAmigos, emphasizes the need for meaningful change in the political environment to encourage more community-focused political action and less opposition-driven engagement. The place to start is at the local level, where citizens can see tangible results. Evan decided to use web scraping, AI, and human curation to connect fragmented data and overcome inadequate communication channels by creating MyGovTools and a weekly newsletter that aggregates local government activity. We talk about: Need to create a politically neutral and constituent-serving platform that provides impartial information, not a propaganda machine Addressing the lack of trust in government officials Role of AI in decoding complex legislative language Tension between donor interests and constituent needs Using community mural projects to encourage nonpartisan cross-generational civic activity #MyGovTools #CivicTech #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalPolitics #CampaignStrategy #VoterEngagement #GovTech #LocalPolitics #ElectedLeaders #CommunityBuilding #AIinPolitics EvanMeyer.io

August 25, 2026Episode 3424 min

For-Profit Detention Centers and the Human Cost of US Immigration Policy with Sarah Towle

Sarah Towle, international educator and author of Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss her on-the-ground investigation of immigration detention and deportation practices at the US-Mexico border. She traces the historical roots of the current immigration policies and how detention centers operate as for-profit enterprises. Her book chronicles the Trump administration's detention center policies and calls for grassroots resistance. Deepak and Sarah talk about The bipartisan origins of the current detention center system How the Trump administration has institutionalized cruelty The sanctuary movement and current resistance efforts Coalition building to drive corporate accountability and divestment from companies in the business of detention #TheDemLabs #PoliticalActivism #Democracy #Accountability #ImmigrationReform #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalOrganizing #GrassrootsMovement #HumanRights #VoterMobilization #SanctuaryCities #PrivatePrisonDivestment #ProgressivePolitics #GetOutTheVote SarahTowle.com TheDemocracyLabs.org

August 19, 2026Episode 3320 min

AI Tool Improving Accuracy and Fraud Detection in Paid Field Canvassing with Jon Seaton Echo Canyon Consulting

Jon Seaton , founding Partner at Echo Canyon Consulting, has developed a platform to reshape how data and AI can improve the ground game of field canvassing. Field data, often manually audited and slowly made available, is a key source of information for campaigns, and intentional inaccuracies or accidental errors can quickly contaminate datasets downstream. While many AI solutions focus on generating content, this solution focuses on verifying that a human has actually conducted the work. We talk about: Previous struggles with data reliability from field canvassers leading to poor strategic campaign decisions Fraud detection and what canvassers think they can get away with How near real-time reporting allows for corrective actions and feedback to canvassers Why door-to-door canvassing remains the most effective campaign tool #EchoCanyonConsulting #Astralis #PoliticalCampaigns #FieldOperations #CampaignTech #GroundGame #AIinPolitics #DataIntegrity #GetOutTheVote #CampaignStrategy EchoCanyonConsulting.com

August 14, 2026Episode 3225 min

Inside the Fight for Secure Auditable Voting Systems with Susan Greenhalgh Free Speech for People

Susan Greenhalgh, Senior Advisor on Election Security for Free Speech for People, joins Deepak Puri , Founder of The Democracy Labs, to pull back the curtain on the security of voting machines and how election results can be manipulated. Having paper ballots provides physical verification of votes and enables post-election audits and recounts when necessary. Still, a broader focus is needed to ensure all votes are counted and reported accurately, with proper protective measures in place. Deepak and Susan talk about Critical vulnerabilities in the US voting system Post-election audits and validation of election results Federal interference threats to mail-in voting and voter eligibility Maintaining confidence in the election system #TheDemLabs #FreeSpeechforPeople #ElectionSecurity #CampaignStrategy #PaperBallots #ElectionProtection #VoterIntimidation #PoliticalCampaigns #PostElectionAudits #GOTV FreeSpeechforPeople.org TheDemocracyLabs.org

August 12, 2026Episode 3125 min

We Are the Power to Win the Future with Gary Lucks

Gary Lucks is an environmental attorney, activist, and author of We Are the Power: To Win the Future , a book designed to mobilize citizens across all districts for the 2026 midterm election. Drawing on extensive campaign experience, Gary presents practical strategies, tools, and tactics for grassroots activism, including community outreach at farmers' markets and transit stops, as well as virtual fundraising events. Emphasizing that everyday people possess untapped potential to defend democracy, the book encourages readers to get involved and includes a list of activist organizations and groups that support local activism. We talk about: Viewing civic participation as a fundamental duty Providing a toolkit for individual activists Pacing activism efforts across two-year election cycles How campaigns can step up their volunteer recruitment and mobilization #GaryLucks #GrassrootsPower #2026Elections #VolunteerMobilization #DigitalPolitics #CampaignStrategy #ProDemocracy #Indivisible #PartiesForDemocracy We Are The Power GaryLucks.com

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