Podcast
Crashing The Political Party
Hosted by Please Repeat Podcasts · EN
Crashing the Political Party is a podcast for curious but busy people who feel let down by the current political system and are looking for something different. Each episode features conversations with, or about, alternative political candidates, topics, and ideas you won’t hear about on mainstream news. If you're ready to explore fresh voices and real options beyond the usual talking heads and cable news shouting matches, this podcast is for you.
30episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Brian Reisinger, The Impact of the Iran Conflict on American Farmers
3w ago00:29:29Tap to summarizeIn the Season 5 premiere of our special "Hidden in Plain Sight" episodes, AJ sits down with farmer, author, and rural policy expert Brian Reisinger to unpack how the conflict with Iran is quietly reshaping American agriculture. They dig into the ripple effects most people never see: rising diesel and fertilizer costs, the squeeze on crop yields, and why higher grocery prices don’t necessarily mean higher income for farmers. The conversation also explores what government programs can and can’t do, how farmers are adjusting their plans in real time, what everyday consumers can do to support farms while keeping their own costs down, and more!
Transcribe →Ty Pinkins, Independent Mississippi Senate Candidate
4w ago00:31:28Tap to summarizeFor this episode, we head down to Mississippi to talk with independent senate candidate Ty Pinkins. Ty and AJ talk about Ty's background, leaving the Democratic Party to run as an Independent, what Ty tells voters about supporting an independent over the major parties, policy priorities for Ty's campaign, how Ty's military service and being a father influence how he'd govern, book recommendations, and food!
Transcribe →Research Note #1
Apr 10Tap to summarizeIn our first Research Note mini-episode, AJ walks through one of his academic publications which tests the theory that alternative candidates would perform better in America under ranked choice voting than the current widely used electoral system. He answers questions about why that might be the case, how he and his coauthors went about studying this, what they found, why even small improvements can matter, and possible future extensions of the work.
Transcribe →Lindsay Church, Independent for IL-4
Apr 300:44:22Tap to summarizeAJ is back with another conversation featuring an alternative candidate in the IL-4 race, sitting down with independent Lindsay Church. They get into the decision to run outside the two-party system, military service, perspectives on U.S. involvement in the Middle East, and how being trans shaped the path to candidacy. The conversation also covers key policy priorities, political violence, testifying before Congress, and why IL-4 voters should take a closer look at the campaign. Plus: book recommendations and a mid-interview power outage that they tried their best to act like didn't happen.
Transcribe →Patreon Exclusive: Five Minute Briefing
Mar 2700:16:58Tap to summarizeThis week we're pulling back the curtain a bit and showing you a selection of our Patreon-exclusive show Five Minute Briefing, where Dr. AJ Simmons takes 5 minutes to highlight a news story we weren't able to cover on our regular show. This selection is from the first 3 shows. If you want more Five Minute Briefings and more join us at our Patreon!
Transcribe →Ed Hershey, Illinois Congressional Candidate of the Working Class Party
Mar 2000:22:18Tap to summarizeAJ and Ed talk about his background, who the party is, policy priorities, why the 4th congressional district is drawing so many alternative candidates, lessons learned in Ed's previous campaigns for office, how being a teacher and union organizer will shape his governing style should he win, what success might look like beyond election results, and book recommendations.
Transcribe →The American Solidarity Party, with Chairman Jack Ternan
Mar 1300:30:25Tap to summarizeFor episode 5 of season 5, AJ is joined by Jack Ternan, chairman of the American Solidarity Party. AJ and Jack talk about who the ASP is, what sets them apart from the Democrats and Republicans, what Christian democracy means, some of the major policy positions of the party, the party's stance on the US and Israel attack on Iran, Jack's goals as chairman, party goals in 2026, how Jack came to be part of the ASP, voter skepticism towards a Christian party, and book recommendations.
Transcribe →Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Chicago Alderman, and Independent for IL-4
Mar 6Tap to summarizeIn this episode, AJ talks with Chicago Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez about his independent campaign for 4th congressional district in Illinois, why he's running as an independent, challenges he's faced going that route, his policy priorities, vying for voter attention in a five way race, what his governing experience in Chicago has taught him, what his children have taught him about governing, books that have influenced him, and more!If you like what you hear please rate, review and subscribe!Join on us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/cppshowAnd for more updates check out our website: https://www.crashingpod.com/
Transcribe →Discussing the Brand New Independence Party with Party Chair Rich Whitney
Feb 2700:38:07Tap to summarizeIn episode three of season five, AJ sits down with Rich Whitney, chair of the recently formed Independence Party. They talk about who the party is, what some of their policy priorities are, what it looks like to start a new party, issues around collecting voter signatures, lessons learned from Rich's prior experiences in alternative politics, convincing voters to support a new party, and more!
Transcribe →Todd Achilles, Independent for Senate of Idaho
Feb 2000:22:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode, AJ talks with Todd Achilles, a former state representative turned independent candidate for the U.S. senate election there. They talk about Todd's background, why he's running as an independent as opposed to one of the major or alternative parties, his policy priorities, what he hopes to achieve in the senate, and how he might try to work with both Democrats and Republicans to get things done.
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