The Most Important Question

TMIQ Today: Political Hobbyism

Today: Many people practice "political hobbyism": obsessively following political news and offering hot takes, while doing little constructive work, because the personal stakes feel low. Let's redirect that energy towards doing the actual, proven, boring local organizing necessary to build political power. What Can You Do: Many school board races go unopposed. Make sure someone who believes in books is representing your children with Run For Something's guide to running for school board https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/run-for-school-board/ Read Eitan Hersh's book Politics is for Power https://bookshop.org/a/8952/9781982116798 ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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What is TMIQ Today?

You've probably noticed short episodes called TMIQ Today popping up in your feed. Today, INI Producer Willow hops on to chat with Quinn about what these episodes are, why we've added them to your feed, and what you can expect coming up! ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Mitch Voted Against Paid Leave, And Yet

Today: Senator Mitch McConnell was absent from the Senate for three months after falling in June. When he returned in September to vote, his seat was intact. Which is how it should be: your job shouldn't be in jeopardy if you get sick. However...Mitch voted AGAINST you having those rights 8 times over his career. What Can You Do: Call your representatives about supporting the FAMILY Act to secure paid family and medical leave https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/family-act-house/ ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Florida's Education Loophole

Today: Since 1975, federal law has required public school districts to offer students with disabilities an education. But if parents decline and choose a private school, the district's obligation ends. In Florida, a special scholarship that uses public money for private schooling effectively pays families to release the district from responsibility. What Can You Do: If you're a parent considering school choice, contact the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates https://www.copaa.org/ ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Cleaner Air, Smarter Kids

Today: New York City cleaned up its air over 22 years with multiple policies, and a Columbia University study tracking 1100 children tested from toddlerhood during the same period found that as air pollution decreased, standard development and cognitive test scores increased. So why are we still funding natural gas buses? What Can You Do: Support Mom's Clean Air Force https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/moms-clean-air-force Use the WRI's free toolkit for getting cleaner buses in your district https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/transition-to-electric-school-buses/ ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: A Right To Clean Water

Today: The Fifth Circuit just dismissed a Jackson, Mississippi family's lawsuit over alleged lead-contaminated water, stating that "the Constitution does not guarantee clean water." We can change that, like in New York, where a state constitutional amendment established a right to clean water and air and a healthy environment. Is your state next? What Can You Do: Support the Lead Exposure Elimination Project https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/lead-exposure-elimination-project/ Support the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/deep-south-center-for-ej/ ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Summarily Slow

Today: When someone is detained in the US, the government must quickly justify the detention to a federal judge. But judges are only instructed to decide cases "summarily" with no set deadline, leading to major differences by district. What Can You Do: Donate to independent journalism outlets like ProPublica, Capital B, The 19th and more ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Measles & Misinformation

Today: Parents should have transparent access to measles vaccination rates for their child's specific school and classroom so they can assess their child's risk. Statewide averages can be misleading, and vaccine disinformation and declining rates are making children less safe, after decades of widespread vaccination largely eliminated measles for decades. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: COVID Vaccines and Pregnancy

Today: Senator Ron Johnson claimed that the COVID vaccine causes an 82% miscarriage rate in pregnant women. How did he get that number? He just made it up by taking the real 2021 study and excluding about 700 participants. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Meta's Settlement

Today: Parents often lose the "phone at bedtime" battle because social media is designed to keep users (kids) engaged. The attorneys general in 51 states and territories sued Meta, alleging Facebook and Instagram were built so kids can't put them down, and Meta has now settled the case. What does that really mean for parents? ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Dolly's Legacy

Today: Dolly Parton's life is defined by her unmatched generosity and impact, from her Imagination Library, which has distributed at least 300 million books, to her donations of tens of millions to global disaster relief, to her efforts in helping protect the bald eagle and funding the Moderna vaccine. She was an example in showing up, and we're so thankful she did. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Beyond Our Lifetime

Today: We are working on projects we may never live to finish, building cathedrals we won't see completed. Think about the work done so far on lead contamination: scientists and activists spent years getting it banned from gasoline. But we still have lead pipes in schools, which means we've gotta keep working. Thanks for giving a shit. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: Arkansas Medicaid & Postpartum Coverage

Today: While people focus on newborns, new mothers often go unchecked. In Arkansas, Medicaid covers childbirth but ends 60 days postpartum even though the period when mothers die extends to up to a year. What you can do: Call the free hotline 1-833-TLC-MAMA if you need it today Check out and call your reps about Rep. Lauren Underwood's Momnibus Act https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/black-maternal-health-momnibus/ Thanks for giving a shit. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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TMIQ Today: The Future of Childhood Vaccines

Today: The president signed an executive order directing pediatricians to give children 3 separate shots instead of the combined MMR vaccine, despite those separate products not currently existing in the US. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

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TMIQ Today: FDA Food Safety Delays

Welcome to our new series, The Most Important Question Today. These will be short (1-3 minutes) drops, responding to just one news story daily, with action steps. Today: The FDA is handling eleven different food poisoning cases right now, and even though we have a rule passed by Congress in 2011 to require recordkeeping for traceability, there's been delay after delay in implementation. What you can do: Urge your elected officials to start the rule for real in January. Donate to the Center For Food Safety Donate to the Center for Science in the Public Interest https://www.whatcanido.earth/action/center-for-science-in-the-public-interest/ Thanks for giving a shit. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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Run To Defend Democracy

Today, another in our series of conversations with friends who are part of the pipeline at Run For Something. I'm excited to introduce you to Sophia Gibb. She is a public servant and elite athlete who knows what it means to perform under pressure, which is what our elections are. She is the elections deputy for Chaffee County in Colorado, where she is responsible for running secure, accessible elections, backed by advanced national certifications in election administration. Before that, Sophia led emergency preparedness efforts in public health, so resilience is quite literally part of her job description. And of course, outside government, Sophia is a two-time Paralympic medalist, multi-time world champion, and a former Team USA Paralympic captain who has advocated for equity on the global stage and on Capitol Hill. So whether she is strengthening democracy by example or competing at the highest levels of sport, she brings discipline, leadership, and a deep, deep commitment and kindness, frankly, to community and everything she does here. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Links: Support Sophia's campaign https://sophiaforchaffee.com/ Find something to run for https://v2.wherecanirun.org/ Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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Run To Build The Future You Want

Today we're gonna talk about Florida and representation, and how Florida has very little of it, in even the loosest definition of the word. We're gonna do that by introducing you to my new friend, May Thach. May is a candidate for state representative in Florida, and boy, is she an awesome human being. Look, you folks across the country, across the world, told us you wanted more very specific, preferably living examples of fight and progress you can see and touch and feel and vote for. And in the second batch of conversations with our best friends at Run For Something, we are giving you more and more of that, and that's really exactly who May is. This is a great conversation. I'm really just such a fan. May, like everybody else in the series, is sourced from the Run For Something pipeline and graduating classes. She and all these other folks are the next generation of leaders, if we will have them, if we will support them, and recruit them and vote for them, and then hold their feet to the fire. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Links: Check out May's non-profit, engaging and empowering AAPI residents in Florida https://www.flaapp.org/ Check out the work of Floridians For Reproductive Freedom https://floridareprofreedom.org/ Support May's campaign https://www.maythach.com/ Find something to run for https://v2.wherecanirun.org/ Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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Run To Unite Your Community

There are a lot of folks in rural America that can say, "No candidate's ever come and knocked on my door." So today, I'm going to introduce you to the one who knocks, my new best friend, Brittany Newton. You folks around the world have said very clearly that you would like more examples of fight and progress you can actually see, touch, and feel, and talk to, and feel like someone is listening to you. And so in these conversations, in partnership with our best friends at Run For Something, we're giving you the people you asked for. Because that's exactly who Brittany is. She's a vet, she's a mom, a future representative who will actually, and this might shock you, represent her constituents, her neighbors in North Carolina. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Links: Watch The Deciders documentary https://decidersmovie.com/ Support Brittany's campaign https://www.brittanyfornchouse.com/ Find something to run for https://v2.wherecanirun.org/ Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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*Actually* Pro Life: Our Principles

A huge catalyst for our 2025 pivot towards courting a much wider audience was AOC’s post-mortem of the 2024 election: “We can’t just be right. We have to be effective.” But at the same time, we have to also agree on the fundamentals — human rights — and that we won’t compromise on those. From the very beginning, the founders left the door open for our fundamentals to be — at best! — up for discussion, at worst, blissfully ignored while their very own slave-children tended to their expansive gardens. So while we’re definitely trying to reach way, way more people where they are in their everyday lives, we’re simultaneously making it as clear as humanly possible that these eight basics — the Actually Pro Life Principles — are absolutely non-negotiable. -------------------------- Get more: Take action at www.whatcanido.earth Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.com Support our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch https://shop.importantnotimportant.com/ Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Take a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

Run To Flip Your State

Today we're gonna talk about Texas. For a decade, maybe 100 years, we've heard over and over, this is the year we flip Texas. Sometimes we get closer, sometimes we get much further away. But as much as I'm excited about a candidate like James Talarico, I am always more interested in the people standing up to run in their communities at the state and local level. So today, I'm going to introduce you to Junior Ezeonu. You all ave asked for more examples of people fighting for progress you can actually see and touch and feel. And in this batch of conversations, another one in partnership with our best friends at Run For Something, we're giving you exactly what you asked for. And my friends, that's exactly who Junior is. I can't wait for you to hear more about him. ----------- Have feedback? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. Find every action recommended in The Most Important Question here: www.whatcanido.earth ----------- Links: Support Junior's campaign https://www.votejuniorezeonu.com/ Find something to run for https://v2.wherecanirun.org/ Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletters at importantnotimportant.com Join us at importantnotimportant.com/upgrade Get our merch! Follow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant Subscribe to our YouTube channel Follow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmett Produced by Willow Beck Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

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