Socially Democratic

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with a special US midterms episode. In just under a week, Americans go to the polls and control of both the House and the Senate is on the line. The outcome will shape the back half of the Trump administration and the race for the 2028 presidential nomination.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Chicago-based Democratic consultant, and Senior Vice President of 270 Strategies, Katie Parsons, for a preview of the races to watch on election day. They discuss:

🇺🇸 The national picture: what this election says about American sentiment on Trump and beyond

🏛️ The House: a seat-by-seat look at the defense and pickup lists

🏅 The Senate: Katie and Stephen what gives them hope and worries them as the Dems try to flip 4 Republican held Senate seats.

🔮 What the results would mean for the 2028 Democratic and Republican primaries

Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
#AustralianPoliticsPodcast #AusPol #AustralianPolitics #LaborParty #ALP #AustralianLabor #ProgressivePolitics #SocialDemocracy #Podcast #USMidterms2026 #USPolitics #DemocraticParty #RepublicanParty #Trump #KatieParsons #AbdulElSayed #MichiganSenate #MaineSenate #OhioSenate #TexasSenate #JamesTallarico #KenPaxton #RoyCooper #NorthCarolina #Iowa #Alaska #Gerrymandering #HispanicVoters #2028PresidentialRace #AOC #JDVance
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

David Feeney and Jessie McCrone join host Stephen Donnelly for a packed episode covering the attack on Helen Haines, federal politics, and a sobering look at where Victorian Labor stands with five weeks to go.

They cover:
🕯️The attack on Helen Haines and what it means for the culture of Australian politics.
🌡️ A federal check-in: why David is bullish on Labor federally, and what Jessie would be doing right now if she was in the federal government.
Ⓜ️ The Victorian election campaign is underway and the polls don’t paint a great picture for Labor's reelection prospects.

Plus all your favourite categories and nominations.
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
#AustralianPoliticsPodcast #AusPol #AustralianPolitics #LaborParty #ALP #AustralianLabor #ProgressivePolitics #SocialDemocracy #Podcast #CurrentAffairs #VictorianElection #VictorianLabor #BenCarroll #JessWilson #OneNation #PaulineHanson #HelenHaines #Indi #PoliticalViolence #FeeneyFiles #DavidFeeney #JessieMcCrone #NewsPoll #RoyalCommission #DanielAndrews #FederalLabor #AnthonyAlbanese #Greens #AndyBurnham #CPAC #AngusTaylor #SocialMediaRegulation #HousingPolicy
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

This episode of Socially Democratic covers the politics of energy transition — why renewables are not just good for the planet, but smart economics and a political winner heading into the Victorian state election and beyond.
Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Jono La Nauze, CEO of Environment Victoria, and David McElrea, CEO of the Smart Energy Council.
They cover:
🍃 How renewables went from 15% to 45% of Australia’s electricity at half the cost of coal and gas. 
☀️ How One Nation voters are being misled about renewables, and what the polling actually shows. 
⛽ Why the Coalition’s Victorian energy policy is an act of economic self-harm. 
✊ The community organising story behind Victoria’s fracking ban. 
Mentioned in the Show:
Environment Victoria: https://environmentvictoria.org.au/campaign/2026-victorian-election/
Smart Energy Council: https://smartenergy.org.au
Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
#AustralianPoliticsPodcast #AusPol #AustralianPolitics #LaborParty #ALP #AustralianLabor #ProgressivePolitics #SocialDemocracy #Podcast #CurrentAffairs #EnergyTransition #RenewableEnergy #ClimateChange #CostOfLiving #VictorianElection #EnvironmentVictoria #SmartEnergyCouncil #JonoLaNauze #DavidMcElrea #OneNation #SolarEnergy #Batteries #EV #FrackingVictoria #SECVictoria #OffshoreWind #JessWilson #NuclearEnergy #JayWeatherill #CommunityOrganising
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

On Monday afternoon, independent federal member for Indi, Helen Haines, was struck by a vehicle outside her office in Wangaratta. She was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she remains in a critical condition.

Whatever the circumstances, Monday’s events in Wangaratta have shone a spotlight on something that that many of us have been watching with growing concern - threats against elected representatives are rising, offices are being attacked, and violent language is more common in the political discourse.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Labor member for Macnamara, Josh Burns MP, for a conversation about Helen Haines, political violence, and the state of our democracy.

We wish Helen Haines a full and speedy recovery.

Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.

#AustralianPoliticsPodcast #AusPol #AustralianPolitics #LaborParty #ALP #AustralianLabor #ProgressivePolitics #SocialDemocracy #Podcast #CurrentAffairs #HelenHaines #Indi #Wangaratta #PoliticalViolence #JoshBurns #Macnamara #Democracy #ASIO #ThreatsAgainstMPs #WomenInPolitics #OnlineAbuse #Misogyny #NACC #AustralianDemocracy #PoliticalDiscourse
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the October Mailbag, and with the Victorian state election just weeks away, this one’s a cracker.
Former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and two-time election-winning Labor leader Michael Gunner joins the ever-reliable Lissie Ratcliff and host Stephen Donnelly to answer your questions.
Three big threads this month: the Nationals and whether they have any idea how to fight One Nation on their own turf. How to hand over power in a Westminster system without handing your party a disaster. And whether minority governments are really as bad as Australian political culture insists they are.
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Minderoo is the home of THRIVE BY FIVE, a movement built on the power of families and community in Australia’s early years. Find out more at 
https://www.thrivebyfive.org.au/ or follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
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Mentioned in the Show:
Andy Burnham’s Labor Conference speech 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyjTT_55Gi0
The Beartown trilogy by Fredrik Backman: 
https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781405930208/9781405930208
'No, labourism is not liberalism' by Liam Byrne: 
https://byrnel.substack.com/p/no-labourism-is-not-liberalism
Music League app: 
https://apps.apple.com/au/app/music-league/id1589815321
Kaitlyn Does Politics: 
https://www.instagram.com/kaitlyndoespolitics/
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Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.
#AustralianPoliticsPodcast #AusPol #AustralianPolitics #LaborParty #ALP #AustralianLabor #ProgressivePolitics #SocialDemocracy #Podcast #CurrentAffairs #VictorianElection #OneNation #PaulineHanson #NationalParty #MattCanavan #MinorityGovernment #LeadershipTransition #AnthonyAlbanese #BenCarroll #JessWilson #MichaelGunner #LissieRatcliff #Mailbag #AndyBurnham #USMidterms #Greens #Liberals #Coalition
Support the show
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.
Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic
If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.
Follow Us on Socials:
Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)
LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)
X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)
The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au