← Andy Beshear Podcast
Andy Beshear Podcast
Chris Pappas for Senate, A Converstion with College Students, and a New Year
00:50:00
Welcome to 2026 – we’re kicking off a brand-new series, Primed for 2026, with Congressman Chris Pappas of New Hampshire. In this episode, Pappas reflects on the experiences that shaped his leadership — from growing up in Manchester to helping run his family’s iconic Puritan Backroom Restaurant, where chicken fingers were famously invented. He shares how his small-business background influences his approach to governing, and why working families remain at the center of his priorities.
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- [00:01]
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- [00:30]
Enrique Calderon
Foreign.
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Andy Bashir
You're listening to the Andy Beshear Podcast. This episode is our first of our new series, primed for 2026. Now, we always talk about this podcast as a conversation. And so today we've got some college students and some young professionals to both react to Congressman Pappas's interview, but also to talk about what they're feeling going into 2026, what they're worried about, what they're hopeful for, what they think about our current state of politics. So to our first group, no pressure. We just need your help in trying to solve the world's problems. Kicking off something special, a brand new series we're calling primed for 2026. Over the next several episodes, we'll be sitting down with some of the most important political races of 2026. This series isn't about endorsements or predictions. It's about giving you a chance to hear directly from the people who want to lead. We'll talk about their motivations, their ideas, and the issues they believe will define our future. So whether you're deeply involved in politics or just trying to stay informed by, prime for 2026 aims to bring clarity, conversation, and a little bit of Kentucky common sense to the national stage. Today we're getting started with Chris Pappas. He is a U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district, a seat he held since January of 2019. Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, he is a proud product of Manchester Public Schools. Beyond politics, Chris is deeply rooted in his hometown community. He he is running for the U.S. senate. Representative, thanks for being on the podcast. Good to be with you.
- [02:28]
Chris Pappas
Governor. Thanks very much for the opportunity.
- [02:30]
Andy Bashir
Oh, excited about it. And you are a sitting representative, but making that leap and running for the U.S. senate. Tell us the why. Why do you think that this new role is one in which you can do even more for your state and for the country?
- [02:49]
Chris Pappas
Well, look, I love my state as you do. Right. I am committed to the communities of New Hampshire and the people of a place that I've always called home. And so I do have this connection to place and at a moment like this where there's so much coming in from this administration, there's so many challenges for our families and small businesses with respect to the economy. I just want to find a bigger way that I can advocate for people who need some common sense leadership right now and focus on how we can get things done and stand up to those forces that I think are getting us so far off track. So when this seat became open, when Senator Shaheen decided not to run for reelection, I thought long and hard about this, spent time crisscrossing the state and talking with folks, not just in my congressional district, but the other one too. And I found that folks are just feeling like even Trump voters, that this isn't what they voted for in the last election, that there's got to be a better way to approach politics, to improve the way that our systems can deliver when it comes to a fair economy and costs and affordability, that we got to get government and politicians out of the way when they're creating roadblocks for people to be able to live their lives, to earn their shot at the American dream and to succeed. I'm just today I was at a small business and talking with the business owner who is scrambling to be able to navigate these tariffs and find a way to serve his customers. He paid $400,000 extra in tariffs over the last year because of the products that he imports from allies and partner nations around the world to be able to serve his customers through a small business. So he can't grow, he's not hiring. And this is having a dramatic impact on the economy right here in New Hampshire. So we got to, instead of these self inflicted wounds, instead of these manufactured crisis crises that we see too often in Washington, we got to focus on people. And so that's what I want to do in the US Senate, focus on getting to work for the people of New Hampshire, delivering. And ultimately that's the test of our political system. Can we translate the will of the people into meaningful progress? And I believe we still can. Even in a divided nation. We can bring people together around policies that are going to give them access to health care, make sure that we're building more housing and that it's truly affordable, create more opportunities for childcare in folks communities and defend personal freedoms and make sure that our democracy can stand the test of time. That's an important gut check moment that we all have to consider during this Trump administration.
- [05:20]
Andy Bashir
Now, you mentioned the impact of Trump's tariffs on New Hampshire's economy. But in my last trip through New Hampshire, I also heard of the impact of his comments and insults towards Canada and the impact that that's having on your tourism.
- [05:38]
Chris Pappas
Yeah, you're absolutely right. We are so close with Canada. I mean, we border Quebec. There are so many families that trace their lineage to Canada. We've got close partnerships with, with Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. And that trading relationship has been disrupted as a result of these tariffs. Not only has it made things more expensive here, including for retailers and domestic manufacturers that are making things and employing people here in the United States, but for those businesses that sell products north of the border, including our timber industry, our logging companies, they're seeing that business dry up. So it's really a weight on our economy right now. I was at the beach in Hampton this summer talking with small businesses up and down the boardwalk and they were all saying the same thing. The Canadian visitors didn't come. And so that's the impact of this trade war. Not only are our businesses losing out and things are becoming more expensive, but our tourism industry, which is an important sector here in the state of New Hampshire, we've got all four seasons. We welcome visitors all throughout the year, but the folks from Quebec and other parts of Canada aren't coming in the same numbers. And it's really dragging down our hospitality businesses, our retailers and those that rely on those visitors. So it's, it's, it's such a calamity for our economy right now. I mean, this 19th century economic strategy that the President is employing going well beyond what he's constitutionally able to do, by the way, in this position. And we'll see how the Supreme Court weighs in. But this is not helping New Hampshire families and communities. It's making things a lot worse. People just don't get it. And the uncertainty that's come about as a result is just impossible for folks to navigate and read.
- [07:19]
Andy Bashir
And the, the same comments have really impacted Kentucky bourbon, which Canadians have stopped drinking. And I think that's bad for both Kentucky and Canadians. But you mentioned the small business and, and not enough conversation goes into small business. On the policy making side, more jobs are created through small businesses every year than the big businesses as governors try to recruit and are often parts of federal legislation. But you can actually talk the talk because you own and operate a small business. Tell our listeners about it.
- [07:56]
Chris Pappas
Well, it's part of what anchors my public service. And when you've run a small business, it's often hard for you to really appreciate where the business stops and where the Community starts. I mean, you are just very much a part of the community. And that's the way that our four generation family restaurant business is here in the city of Manchester, New Hampshire. My great grandfather started it with his cousin when he came over from Greece in the early 1900s. We're still open today. We've got about 230 employees. So it's a very identifiable, large independent restaurant in the state of New Hampshire, and people have connections to it. But when you've been in that role, which is what I was doing up until I got elected to the house in 2018, running a small business day to day, every day brings challenges. Every day, any number of things can go wrong. There's so much that you're just trying to get accomplished by serving people who come in through the doors, meeting payroll, dealing with vendors. You know, there were a lot of 65, 70 hour weeks that I was working, a lot of early mornings and late nights. Every day is an all hands on deck moment. And I think it gave me an appreciation, especially as we entered the pandemic period of just, you know, the way that public policy, the way that the federal government can intersect with small business and either help or hurt, depending on how programs are designed. So early on, I was an advocate for the kind of Main street relief that we needed to get our economy reopened. But you know, our, our economy here in New Hampshire is really driven by our small Main street businesses. They really define the character of our state. And we don't have a lot of big industries in New Hampshire, but our small employers hold a lot of weight in the way that our economy functions here. And they all have unique and diverse needs. And so right now, the uncertainty that's being created is just impossible for them to navigate. But we've got to focus on how we develop workforce, how we have tax policy that makes sense for small businesses, how we continue to work to secure and strengthen supply chains, how we make sure that businesses can have access to capital. All those issues are really important to the Main street business sector here in New Hampshire. I've lived that. It's something that I bring to the table.
- [10:01]
Caroline
So.
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Andy Bashir
So that's impressive. And I will tell you what's really impressive is the claim that your family restaurant invented chicken fingers. And when I heard this, I thought, oh, there's no way. But the Internet says it's true.
- [10:16]
Chris Pappas
Well, then there you go. I mean, that's all you need, right? And you know, I don't know if Colonel Sanders is still around to consult, but we, we were A pioneer with respect to fried chicken tenders, at least according to media and journalists that have looked into this thing. And we sell a lot of them. And so that's what our restaurant is known for.
- [10:38]
Andy Bashir
So we always like for our listeners to get to know someone and maybe hear that story they haven't otherwise told. You're running a restaurant and a small business. You've got to be ready for the unpredictable. What's one crazy story from the restaurant that you never thought you'd maybe go through with? You said, okay, I'll be a part of the family business.
- [11:01]
Chris Pappas
Yeah, there were so many. I mean, I started working there and busting tables and washing dishes when I was 14. And often every day, you know, we'll say to each other, we really should write a book about this. Like, people wouldn't believe the kinds of things that go on. I think about some of the incidents we've had in our parking lot with cars, literally like cars driving through the walls of the building. We have an event space, and it was a few years ago, I was on duty as the general manager and a car went right through the exterior wall and wound up in the middle of this function. Thankfully, no one was hurt. So that's just one of the things that can happen any day. There are so many things that can go wrong, and that's why it's a tough business, because there are just a lot of pressures. There's a lot that can transpire at any given day. And you really got to figure out at the end of the day, like how you just create a customer focused operation, support your team members, put out a good product and make people happy. And, you know, there's a real good transition between serving customers in that sort of an environment and what I do in Congress because I put the voters front and center. It's all about trying to meet people where they are, listen to people. And so I learned a lot through that experience. But yeah, was definitely throwing a lot of curveballs throughout the years. We could, we could definitely do a whole series on, on sort of restaurant nightmares and crazy things that have happened at our place and other establishments like ours.
- [12:27]
Andy Bashir
So when you go to a restaurant, can you just enjoy the experience or are you evaluating each piece?
- [12:35]
Chris Pappas
Yeah, no, it's. It's hard not to be a critic and kind of be hyper focused on all the details. But I think that people who have worked in restaurants, whether you've worn the sort of. Or had the kind of responsibilities I have, or you've been a server or a bartender, I think you tend to cut the establishment a lot more slack. You know, if. If things are a little bit delayed, you understand that things can happen back in the kitchen. Right. And so I think I'm a lot more maybe forgiving than some other patrons might be when situations arise, because it's hard work. And the people that work in restaurants, the people that work for tips, they work incredibly hard. And, you know, so I. I just think you always got to show some gratitude and gratefulness for the service and experience you get, even when things maybe turn out a little bit different than you would have hoped.
- [13:26]
Andy Bashir
So on this podcast, we're pretty pragmatic.
- [13:28]
Enrique Calderon
We're.
- [13:28]
Andy Bashir
We're talking with Democrats and Republicans about getting things done. You've got one of the most bipartisan records in Congress. Tell us about your approach.
- [13:40]
Chris Pappas
Well, I think it's an approach that people in New Hampshire use at the local and state level, where you still can know each other. You roll up your sleeves, you can create conversations and figure out how you meet in the middle and get things done. We still have town meeting in most of our communities every spring in New Hampshire, where they decide whether or not to buy that new fire truck or whether they're going to pave that section of roadway or how much money they're going to give to the schools, voters show up and vote on all those line items. And so it's that experience that I grew up in, where I think that, you know, New Hampshire, you know, wants folks to be able to work together and solve problems. And so I think that you can stand firm on what you believe in. You don't have to compromise on your core values, but you always should look for ways to make people's lives better. And so whether that's helping New Hampshire veterans, whether it's finding ways for small businesses to get the support they deserve. Right now, we're working on the health care issue. I'm working with a coalition of 35 House members, Republicans and Democrats, to try to unlock this logjam around how we get something done for folks to maintain their health care coverage at the end of the year, if we are able to extend these ACA subsidies for a year, even with some minor modifications, that would be a huge win for tens of thousands of families that I represent here in the state of New Hampshire that would have the peace of mind and get the support they need through health care. So those are the things that I think about. There are real lives at stake in the work that we're doing in Washington. Too many people view it as a zero sum game where it's about your team beating the other team or trying to drag things out so that you can make the case in the next election. I'll always take a solution where you're able to help people and move the ball forward over an ability to make a political argument in a campaign. And I just think that that's what most people here in New Hampshire expect. We've got a lot of independent voters in this state. People are somewhere in the middle. They don't feel a strong association with one party or the other. And so that gives us a lot of support back home to be able to operate in this way where you're trying to find solutions and bridge the divide. I just think we need much more than Washington if we're going to address the challenges that people are living right now. Health care, housing, child care, high costs. We need to put good ideas on the table.
- [16:00]
Andy Bashir
You're listening to the Andy Beshear Podcast. Our guests this week, Representative Chris Pappas, who is running for the U.S. senate. Representative, if you're let's say you're elected and both the House and let's say the Senate go Democratic, what's the very first thing that Congress ought to do once everybody's sworn in?
- [16:23]
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- [17:09]
Chris Pappas
Well, we ought to take up legislation to make sure that we're making life less expensive for folks that I meet each and every day. So that means a program to be able to invest in the kind of construction of affordable housing that we need in this country. Expanding existing federal programs, making it easier for people for first time home Buyers to be able to put down a down payment and to buy a home. Making sure that we're addressing the issue of health care. And we're working hard to be able to get some legislation through right now that can solve this issue at the end of the year. But we got to find ways to make sure that people aren't dropping their coverage because it's doubling, tripling, or quadrupling and that they have access to care that they need in their communities. We got to work on energy costs. We have among the highest energy prices in the country here. And there's a lot we can do as a government to make it easier to bring more production online, including the kind of clean energy projects that this administration seems to so dead set against, that we know can help power homes and businesses right here in my state. We've got to work on the child care issue as well. It's unaffordable, out of reach for far too many families. So I think it's an affordability agenda that means that we're focused on the needs of middle class and working families and pushing all the sort of political rhetoric to the side and actually focusing on the kinds of results that we need. I really hope that we can see that kind of majority come together in the Congress right now. This is one of the most unproductive sessions that we have ever seen in the United States Congress. I mean, the fact that Marjorie Taylor Greene is now resigning from Congress because she thinks things are far too crazy in Washington is a real tell about just how unproductive and silly this session of Congress has begun. There are so many folks in the House and Senate that are content to just give away their agency to this president and this administration. They don't even want to show up at work and do their jobs. We were shut down for a month and a half in the House and the speaker kept us away. So we need a co equal branch of government, a House and Senate that will step up to the plate on behalf of the American people. And the first order of business has got to be affordability and getting this economy going for everyone.
- [19:21]
Andy Bashir
How upside down are we if Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie are suddenly the reasonable ones doing their jobs?
- [19:30]
Chris Pappas
Yeah. I mean, hey, look, we'll try to figure out how we can work with, with anyone, including them. And we were able to successfully get that discharge petition signed on, releasing the Epstein files. It seems like the only way we can get things done in the House is to do a discharge petition. We've got one going on health care Right now we've got one that's producing a bill soon on defending collective bargaining rights for federal workers. We did one at the end of the last year on making sure that we're passing that Social Security fairness legislation, which helps a lot of retirees. That seems to be the only way we can get something meaningful done. But look, we got to look for those opportunities. And, you know, I think the sort of extremism that's embodied by far too many, many members of Congress, it's, it's performative. It's about politics as a performance as opposed to a means to an end. And I just hope this next election will give us an ability to get some serious folks in the room that really want to legislate.
- [20:28]
Andy Bashir
Yeah, I guess credit where, credit where credit's due. Pam Bondi won't do her job, but Marjorie Taylor Greene has enough self respect to do hers. Should you win, you'll be one of the youngest US Senators. And politics is wild. It's the only profession where you and I are both considered young. But do you think it's important to have that next generation of leaders, especially on the Democratic side?
- [20:54]
Chris Pappas
Without a doubt. This has to be an election where we have new voices in the conversation and where we're able to realize the sort of generational passing of the torch that voters are really hungry for right now. You know, I'll give Senator Shaheen a lot of credit in New Hampshire. She is at the top of her game right now. She's ranking on foreign relations, literally defending democracy around the world. She's always in the room when there are bipartisan conversations happening. And she, she could stay and be successful for a long time, but she felt like this was an important moment to pass the torch, and I want to be ready to accept it. And I think that there are a lot of other really compelling, authentic voices across the country who are seeking office this year for House, for Senate, for governor, for so many other critical offices that are going to help us show the path forward. You know, I think so many Democrats are really hung up on the fact that we don't have a president right now. We don't have one national leader to go to for messaging. But that gives us an opportunity to write the next chapter of the Democratic Party. And it's not just going to come out of Washington. It certainly won't come out of Washington. It's going to be built from the ground up. And so the sort of conversations were happening in New Hampshire, the conversations that are happening district by district, state by state, this is how we're going to reshape the Democratic Party for the future. And it has to involve new voices and a new generation who are seeking office. So this is a time to put our best foot forward and put the best, best, most compelling voices out there. And I certainly hope to earn the confidence of the people of New Hampshire in our effort here. We're running against two former United States senators, you know, people who represent the failed ideas of the past. Both John Sununu and Scott Brown have served in the Senate. They were both defeated by voters. Of course, Scott Brown was from a different state when. When he was first turned out of office, then was not elected by New Hampshire in 2014 when Senator Shaheen ran against him. But look, we got to look ahead. People don't want to just relitigate all the past grievances that people might have or look to failed ideas from the past. They want to know what you're going to do for them, how we can, as a country, rise to the occasion. And I think it's going to take new voices to be able to get us there.
- [23:08]
Andy Bashir
So I love your enthusiasm, but right now, you work in a very toxic place. One of. By which I mean Congress. One of the reasons we started this podcast are people telling us how difficult it is from a mental health standpoint to deal with the news that comes out of Washington and feels like it hits you over and over and over. What do you do to stay in a positive place and continue to show up right now in a town that's, it seems and feels so negative?
- [23:43]
Chris Pappas
Oh, it's. It's real hard. And. And, you know, I've served through a lot of different events over the last four terms. You know, two impeachments, two shutdowns. We had, obviously, the events of the insurrection on January 6, the pandemic. But this period right here, this year has been the most challenging because it's just so hard to give people a read on what's going on in their government and how we can best respond and what sort of citizens can do to stand up and fight back. So for me, what's recharged my batteries has just been just to be at home, to be a congressman in the state of New Hampshire, out there with people, because when you're with folks, you understand that we're not that far apart. Even if we disagree or have different party labels, they remind you, you know, why you do this in the first place. And so the time we've spent on the road, just connecting with folks, talking about issues like healthcare, talking with small businesses. That's what keeps me going and, you know, makes me focus on, on the fights that we've got to win on behalf of the people in New Hampshire and Washington. But beyond that, personally, I mean, I, you know, like to run every day. I find that's really cathartic and helps sort of focus my energies. I've got a great, supportive husband. Well, outside, generally, I will say these days we've had a few cold days, and usually I run through the winter in New Hampshire, but, you know, yesterday I ran on the treadmill and this morning I did too. So, you know, I will wait till the streets clear up a little bit more. But, but, you know, DC's flat. By the way. I, I like, I like being back home running in New Hampshire because we got hills here.
- [25:22]
Andy Bashir
Running in New Hampshire has a very rocky training montage feel.
- [25:27]
Chris Pappas
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah. There are a lot of really serious trail runners out there. I stick to the streets more.
- [25:35]
Andy Bashir
So you said you have a very supportive husband.
- [25:40]
Chris Pappas
Yeah, we've been married for almost three years now and. And yeah, we're really happy and we're lucky to have supportive families. And yeah, you know, the time that I get to spend with family is, is really important to me. Most of my family lives in the Greater Manchester area in New Hampshire, so we just had a great Thanksgiving together at our house. We'll be together for Christmas, and we're really lucky to have found each other.
- [26:07]
Andy Bashir
Which does your husband find more difficult, Congress or the restaurant industry?
- [26:15]
Chris Pappas
Well, so I met him once. I had stepped back from my day to day responsibilities at the restaurant, so he really never saw me full tilt at the restaurant. He enjoys going there. He loves the chicken tenders and the mudslides. So. Yeah, but. But he's never known the other end of that deal, which is he probably sees me more these days as a congressman and a candidate for U.S. senate than he would if I was working full time at the restaurant.
- [26:47]
Andy Bashir
So we ask all of our guests what their secret superpower is. That's that thing that you're really good at that maybe nobody else knows. Some people have really useful ones. Amy Klobuchar doesn't need a lot of sleep. Others of us can pack a suitcase. Well, as. What is, what is that thing that you're really good at that maybe people don't know?
- [27:11]
Chris Pappas
Oh, that's a good question. I will say I love doing yard work. I find that, that like shoveling my own driveway, mowing the lawn, like taking care of Things around the house, I find that I really excel at that. And it's also a nice break from kind of the day to day stuff going on, so. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I would say, you know, handy around the house, good at yard work and chores and things like that.
- [27:41]
Andy Bashir
So we had an up and coming country music singer on the podcast that loves mowing so much. He could do the rows to where you could see it when you pass. I mean, is that the type of mowing you're talking about?
- [27:55]
Chris Pappas
No, you know, I'm not, I'm not making patterns on the lawn like it's Fenway park, but I feel like, I feel like it looks nice, you know, once I go through it. I, you know, I. We get a lot of leaves here in my yard and you know, some, some years we can get almost 200 bags of leaves. So my husband never looks forward to the fall, let's put it that way.
- [28:16]
Andy Bashir
Tell us, if somebody is visiting New Hampshire, what would be your recommendations for what they do?
- [28:24]
Chris Pappas
Well, it's really dependent on the time of year that they visit. Fall is, I think, the best season here. Lots of great stuff to do outside. We've got a good winter. Like this is a great start to the ski season actually. We've had some nice cold and, and some snow up in the mountains. But I would say that, you know, we've got it all. We've got lakes, mountains, we've got the ocean. We've got all four seasons. I would say if you like to hike, you know, come in the late summer, early fall as the colors are changing, do some hikes up in the White Mountains. It's the best way to experience New Hampshire.
- [29:00]
Andy Bashir
Let's just say theoretically an office holder from a different state just comes to do a tour of New Hampshire. What's the best advice you'd give for interacting with your constituents?
- [29:14]
Chris Pappas
Well, I mean, it was noted that you visited Governor and we loved that you came to New Hampshire and people are still talking about your visit. By the way, I was with some folks at an event of mine on Saturday and several of them had seen you when you came to New Hampshire. Love the fact that you're a Democrat who can win in a deep red state like Kentucky and think you have a lot to add to the conversation. But look, I think it's just keeping it real and you know, just getting, getting out there and connecting with people very directly. This is not a state that does big media driven campaigns. You're not going to have, you know, if it's the off Season a huge gaggle of reporters following you to events. So it's really just about that personal connection. And you know, I know as a governor, you're representing the communities that you do. You know how to, how to interact at that level and connect at that level. And that's really the secret of New Hampshire. It's, it's just really a grassro state. It's a very intimate political culture. People take it down several pegs. When, when you're a national political figure and you come into this state, they want to be able to kick the tires and, and take the size of, of you and your ideas, take the measure of you and your ideas, invite you into living rooms and coffee shops. So I think it's just embracing that sort of intimate political culture that we have here in New Hampshire. And I think it not only makes for a great conversation and helped shape sort of the national conversation around some of these issues, but I think it, it makes candidates better because the more that candidates are listening and are proximate to people's challenges and lived experiences, the better off we all are as Americans.
- [30:55]
Andy Bashir
Give our listeners the best pitch about why they should get involved in your New Hampshire Senate race and get behind you.
- [31:05]
Chris Pappas
Well, look, this is going to be a battleground Senate race. I mean, New Hampshire is not a blue state. Republicans have a trifecta at the state level. They have a five point registration advantage on Democrats. And we know that national Republicans are pushing John Sununu and recruited him in him into this race and are going to pour a ton of resources in. We can take back the Senate majority this year, but we cannot take back the Senate majority if we lose this Senate seat in New Hampshire. So we expect that this will be a margin of error race for the next year. And this is truly about whether we can reestablish some basic checks and balances in Washington. Focus on the needs of the people of my state and of this country as this economy becomes so unfair and costs are so high. Focus on defending personal freedoms. That's the kind of work that I want to do as a member of the United States Senate. And we're really committed to winning this race. So politics is just a game of inches in New Hampshire. Maggie Hassan, in her first Senate race, won by 10, 17 votes back in 2016. So we're feeling like we could see a margin that's just that tight given how heavily the Republicans are expected to play here. And so we hope people will tune into our race and support us along the way. We really need it how can our.
- [32:19]
Andy Bashir
Listeners follow you and your race?
- [32:24]
Chris Pappas
So you can go to Chris Pappas.org and check us out there. We're certainly on all the social media channels, and, you know, we're going to be very active out there on the campaign trail. It's really encouraging to see the way that people are tuning in now. I think especially in the wake of the elections of about a month ago, where Democrats really ran the table, people see that there is an opportunity to take democracy into our own hands and actually impact the outcomes in the midterm elections. And so we're kind of just wrapping up the preseason right now, about to head into regular season next year for 2026, and, and this race and so many other battleground races for the House and Senate are just crucial for Democrats to win if we're going to actually be able to get this country on the right track for the future, begin to solve problems again, stand up to this administration and their abuses, and focus on putting the American people first. So I'm really excited about it. We'd love to. Love to engage with folks along the way and. And hope people are doing what they can to. To make sure we're building a better America for everyone.
- [33:28]
Andy Bashir
Well, Chris, you know, I'm with you. Best of luck. Thanks for being on the podcast.
- [33:34]
Chris Pappas
Thanks, Governor, so much. It was a pleasure.
- [33:44]
Andy Bashir
So if you introduce yourself and tell our listeners just a little bit about yourself.
- [33:49]
Caroline
Perfect. Hi, I'm Caroline. I'm 23 years old. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. I graduated college in 2024 and currently work at the Houston Bel Ballet in development and fundraising.
- [34:02]
Martha
Hi, my name is Martha. I grew up in Ethiopia and I'm 18 years old. I'm currently a freshman at U of.
- [34:09]
Enrique Calderon
O. Hi, my name is Enrique Calderon. I am an Ecuadorian American. My family was born and raised in Ecuador, but I was born here. I'm a senior Pre Med at UofL and I'm a medical interpreter at the Backside center in Churchill Downs. So.
- [34:28]
Andy Bashir
So as we enter 2026, are you hopeful? Are you worried? How do you feel moving into this new year?
- [34:38]
Enrique Calderon
I'll go first. Okay. 2026 is kind of. I don't know how to feel about it. I think it's just going more and more radical in terms of the political landscape of the country. So I think wanting to see more bipartisanship in the country is what I'm looking for and what I'm also worried about not getting to.
- [35:04]
Andy Bashir
Worried about both division and extremism.
- [35:07]
Enrique Calderon
Yes. I think extremism first, then division because of that. That is definitely my, my biggest thing.
- [35:14]
Martha
Martha yeah, I agree with Enrique. There's a lot of uncertainty with the political climate and just over overall everything else. And it's just going into it I feel uncertain but also hopeful. Just hope everything will go well.
- [35:27]
Andy Bashir
And yeah, Caroline, what gives you, what gives you hope as opposed to worry? What's something out there that you see that you say, okay, maybe we'll make it?
- [35:37]
Caroline
I think any instance in which you see people come together around a common goal or a common experience, I think definitely being someone who works in the arts, that's something that I have the privilege of seeing a lot and gives.
- [35:49]
Stella Mastropoulo
Me a lot of hope.
- [35:50]
Caroline
Like when I see people make music together or d together or create community in that way, I think that is honestly those moments really keep me going because I feel like going into 2026, it's feeling difficult I think to maintain that sense of hopefulness and like trying to find the pockets of it as.
- [36:09]
Andy Bashir
Much as you can in the modern media environment. Where do you turn to get your news?
- [36:15]
Chris Pappas
What?
- [36:15]
Andy Bashir
Where do you, where do you try to get what you actually think is factual news?
- [36:22]
Enrique Calderon
I guess I'll go first again. I think I get it a lot from social media, even though I know I feel like I'm very wary as to what's more kind of biased and not. But that's definitely where I get my first source of news. And if there's something I'm more interested in, I try to look it up more on Google.
- [36:42]
Andy Bashir
Any particular platform?
- [36:45]
Enrique Calderon
I think the easiest one is Twitter. For me, that one gives video and a lot of articles as well. So that's the one.
- [36:55]
Andy Bashir
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- [37:55]
Caroline
I feel like I get my news on TikTok, which is probably not good to say, but um, yeah, I feel like similar to you. Like I'll see something on TikTok and be like, oh let me go look it up and see if that's actually legit. And I feel like usually from there I try to do something that has like name brand recognition so I'll do like a CNN or something like of that variety.
- [38:16]
Martha
Yeah.
- [38:16]
Caroline
But I think it's also helpful to look at like local newspapers as well like local news sources.
- [38:21]
Andy Bashir
Social media is what maybe grabs your attention, tells you about a topic. Yeah, yeah, let's try to explore further from there.
- [38:28]
Martha
Yeah, yeah, definitely. For me it would also be social media usually on TikTok. Even though it's like I don't know if what I'm seeing is true. Is it, is that exaggerated? Is it AI at the end of the day? So it's like there's always something being pushed and you don't know which side or like you don't know what it's trying to push to you, but you just look into it more if it catches my interest. And like Caroline said, like Instagram or not Instagram, CNN and all those different things.
- [38:55]
Andy Bashir
There's a lot of talk about AI right now, how it could especially impact your all's lives moving forward, what the economy could look like. Do you see it as something positive that could help humanity or do you see it as something negative that's going to bring tough change?
- [39:13]
Caroline
I think I'm pretty against AI. I think it's hard for me. After just going through like the job search and everything, I found myself like tailoring my cover letter and resume to be recognizable to AI. So I was using AI so that AI could recognize AI and I was like, where did the human like connection piece go? Like I think it just feels.
- [39:36]
Chris Pappas
I.
- [39:36]
Caroline
Don'T know, really challenging moving into this next year. Like how it's, yeah, all the environmental impacts of it I think. And then I sort of think a little bit about like the critical thinking piece of things and not like people will rely too heavily on AI and sort of lose some of their ability to think through things critically and kind of form their own opinions. So yeah, for me it's, it's, that's definitely something that concerns me on like a pretty day to day basis. I don't know if you all see.
- [40:05]
Andy Bashir
So 2026 is also going to be a really big year politically. From whether we're going to have a Congress that is its own independent branch and exercises checks and balances to a number of other questions that are out there. What are you looking for in a political candidate in 2026?
- [40:28]
Martha
I would say transparency. Sort of just being out, especially for the youth, because we usually tend to separate ourselves from politics. Kind of like how is it relevant to me in that sense? So kind of connecting with us and telling us and being like doing what you're going to say you're going to do as well as saying what you're going to do up front.
- [40:51]
Andy Bashir
So being. Being real.
- [40:53]
Martha
Yes.
- [40:54]
Andy Bashir
Listening and talking to you about your concerns and actually getting something done.
- [40:59]
Martha
Exactly.
- [41:00]
Caroline
Yeah.
- [41:01]
Andy Bashir
Sounds like a good formula. Let's talk about Congressman Pappas running for the US Senate. You all watched the interview. What did you see that that you liked the most?
- [41:14]
Martha
I liked how he had a little. He had a restaurant and how it kind of connects him with the people in his state and it kind of just humanizes him, but also makes you realize that he's. He understands what people are going through, especially in this economy as well.
- [41:29]
Andy Bashir
That connection to small business, I think, is critical.
- [41:32]
Martha
Yeah.
- [41:34]
Caroline
I really appreciated how clear and concise he was when he spoke. I think when you're looking towards politicians, you're kind of looking to people to tell you, you know, what's going on and what's going to happen in your future. And I think sometimes even just the way that people speak can have a really significant impact in sort of how people are able to feel, whether that calms them down, whether that brings anxiety. And I think I really appreciated that he wasn't speaking down necessarily, but he was very clear and very intentional about the way that he just was speaking.
- [42:09]
Andy Bashir
We just see a lot of cruelty.
- [42:10]
Chris Pappas
We.
- [42:10]
Andy Bashir
We do. And I think people on any side of the aisle ought to be able to. To it. To admit that we also seem to, to. To see out of them the idea that strength is talking down to people or, or pushing people.
- [42:23]
Enrique Calderon
For sure.
- [42:25]
Andy Bashir
Do you think that there's away, whether it's your generation or others, that we recognize that that's not strength. Right. That's me this for sure.
- [42:37]
Enrique Calderon
I mean, with our generation, it's definitely. We're less traditional than past generations. And I feel like it all starts in the household with your family, the way you act, what ethics and etiquette you're, you know, brought into. So for Me, when I see the current president, the way he talks, he carries himself, it really is off putting. And no matter if he's Republican, Democrat, independent, I wouldn't want anybody who's in the presidency or Congress, House, I wouldn't want them acting the way he does.
- [43:17]
Andy Bashir
Thank you all for being on the podcast.
- [43:19]
Martha
Thank you so much for having us.
- [43:21]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
Thank you.
- [43:22]
Andy Bashir
We're back on the Andy Bashir podcast and our new series, prime for 2026. We've got our second group to discuss both Representative Pappas's interview as well as just what's going on in the world and what's on their mind. So if you all would also introduce yourself where you're in school. Anything else you think our listeners need to know about you.
- [43:44]
Ian Dayton
My name is Ian Dayton. I go to Indiana University, Bloomington, and I'm studying finance and accounting and working on my MBA right now. But I'll be in Louisville next summer doing audit for PwC.
- [43:54]
Andy Bashir
All right, shout out.
- [43:55]
Stella Mastropoulo
My name is Stella Mastropoulo. I go to University of Kentucky and I work for the SEC Network up in Lexington.
- [44:02]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
Hi, my name is Yashirabadi. I go to the University of Louisville. I'm studying history and art history and I'm currently involved with the student government there.
- [44:10]
Chris Pappas
Yeah.
- [44:11]
Andy Bashir
So I want to start with the same question we started with the other group, and that's as we enter into 2026. Maybe one thing that has you hopeful and one thing that has you worried, Ian, we'll start with you.
- [44:26]
Ian Dayton
For me, 2026 holds a lot of promises. It'll be a start to something new, I feel, and I'm excited for that. And I'm not sure what new means in this context, but I feel like there's a lot of things changing because of unhappiness that has happened in 2025. And people will transition into something that it's going to require change for people to be happy, and that's what people are going to be looking for. And then what I'm looking, I don't know. And thing I'm fearing about is also that change, it could change for the worse. We have seen a lot of bad things in 2025, and I wouldn't like to see those continue, whether that be tariffs or higher cost of living.
- [45:09]
Chris Pappas
Big issues there.
- [45:09]
Andy Bashir
We're definitely going to talk about tariffs. If you've listened, if you've listened to this podcast, we talk about tariffs every episode because they change every week.
- [45:18]
Enrique Calderon
Yeah.
- [45:18]
Stella Mastropoulo
Still, I would have piggybacking off of that. I think there's definitely a noticeable feel of change coming. I think as long as we do whatever we can to make that a positive change, I think that can be a really good thing looking forward to in 2026. In terms of something I might be dreading a little bit, I'd have to say just the continuation of the long term impacts of the legislation and administration that we have right now.
- [45:50]
Andy Bashir
So is it some of the elections from November that has you a little more hopeful in the idea that maybe people start standing up to this administration?
- [45:58]
Stella Mastropoulo
Absolutely. I think we talked a lot about it in one of my classes. And getting everyone in on the same discussion of how kind of transformative November kind of felt like the beginning of a new era definitely makes me really excited for 2026 now.
- [46:13]
Andy Bashir
Were you excited on those two governors races? Two women elected, two very good candidates that are going to be very good governors.
- [46:21]
Stella Mastropoulo
Governors, absolutely. Yeah.
- [46:23]
Andy Bashir
Yes.
- [46:24]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
Well, I think I'm excited that there's more conversation going about and I think that conversation is filled with ideas of change, as the other two people have said here today. And I'm excited that this conversation is taking place and I only see it continuing in 2026. But I think I'm a little fearful of what this conversation may be. I do not want this conversation to be something that's divisive and tears us apart even more than where we are right now. And I'm hopeful that it won't. So, yeah, that's about it.
- [46:54]
Andy Bashir
I didn't know this conversation would go there, but if you throw out tariff, I've got to talk. Here comes. I want your thoughts on, on tariffs and I want to want to put it kind of in two pots. You know, number one, costs things already cost too much and do you see that impact on your daily life? And number two, chaos. Just one day it's, it's across the board and the next day it's industry specific. The next day it's company specific. The next day it's product specific. The next day it's because our current president doesn't like a prosecution going on in a different state. And the next day it's because he doesn't like a commercial. The Canadian, a Canadian province ran during the World Series.
- [47:38]
Ian Dayton
For me, when it comes to tariffs, I see it as like learning about game theory in some of my classes. It's a reactive game theory strategy where if we raise tariffs, they're going to raise tariffs and eventually no one wins in this game.
- [47:54]
Andy Bashir
Who loses?
- [47:55]
Ian Dayton
Who loses? The consumers. Consumers lose. Anyone who's buying Something is losing. And it wouldn't be the people who aren't buying things, the people at the top making these decisions. But it's going to be eventually us that suffer, we the people that do suffer. And if we are approaching it from, oh, I'm going to tariff you more than you tariff me because I want to hurt you, rather than, let's find something that works better to lower cost for everyone while also like increasing gdp, what have you. We need to define something that's mutually agree, agreeable for both countries, whatever country it is. But we have to find something that that's, that's good for both, because if we continue to hurt each other and just dig the knife and eat even more, it'll just.
- [48:43]
Andy Bashir
How do you think that candidates like Congressman Pappas should be communicating about results in a way that people will actually believe that they're real? If you vote for this person, your life will get better and. Or he will try as hard as he can to make your life better.
- [49:00]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
That I think, initiative, showing initiative in your government and showing that you will do these things by reaching out to people or walking to people or doing a lot of these things that show that you're one with your community kind of elevates the idea that you're willing to work with community because you are a part of that community. So it's important to do both, I think, where you have a face and you have a policy, respectively.
- [49:27]
Stella Mastropoulo
Yep, I'd agreed with both of those. I think, honestly, it just comes back to the people. And I think the closer of a relationship these representatives have with their people, the more that they're able to, to see the results that they worked for and how it's actually affecting the people that they're representing. So whether it's someone enacting a policy and then going out and talking to someone in their community and they say, I was able to afford my grocery bills or I was able to get money off of my medication, something like that, then that representative is able to continue with their work, knowing exactly how it's getting back to the people that they're representing.
- [50:07]
Andy Bashir
So y' all are in the first episode of this prime for 2026 series that we're doing. We're going to be doing it all January, probably most of February. We're going to have folks like Roy Cooper on. We're going to have the major candidates on the Democratic side for Texas Senate on. We're going to have the major candidates for governor of Michigan on the Democratic side, and there's a bunch of them. So as we wrap up, what is your one piece of advice to each of these candidates as they think through? How to deliver their message, but more importantly, how to deliver results.
- [50:46]
Ian Dayton
For me, it's connecting with the people. I know that's been a big theme for today, but connecting with these people, understanding their problems, like I said before, and then relaying those problems, making sure they feel heard. Because if you're not talking about the problems, at least that's starting the conversation and it's not going to go anywhere.
- [51:03]
Stella Mastropoulo
Piggybacking off of that, definitely. Just engaging with your community as much as you can and just meeting as many people in those communities as you can and really making sure you're having genuine conversations, trying to get to the bottom of what it is that will improve those communities.
- [51:18]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
I think rounding yourself is at the utmost valuable thing to do as a politician coming into the races that are coming.
- [51:27]
Andy Bashir
Good advice to all these candidates. Thanks for being on the podcast. Thank you for having us.
- [51:31]
Ian Dayton
Thank you.
- [51:32]
Andy Bashir
That's a wrap on our first episode of Our prime for 2026 series. Tune in next week where we'll have the Democratic candidates for governor of Michigan. That race is going to be a competitive one. People from across the country are going to be watching it. Remember, you can download the Andy Bashir Podcast on all major platforms, but check us out on YouTube at Andy Bashir Podcast. These videos are starting to take off. We look forward to seeing you next week and the week after. Make sure you tell a friend we'll see you later.
- [52:15]
Podcast Announcer / Sponsor Voice
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