Episode 375: The Places We Have Real Power with Melissa Walker

Summary

Forever35 Podcast

Episode 375: The Places We Have Real Power with Melissa Walker
Release Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu
Guest: Melissa Walker (The States Project)

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Overview of Episode Theme

In this episode, Doree and Elise welcome back Melissa Walker—author, political strategist, and leader at the States Project—to discuss where individuals can reclaim and exert real power in American democracy, particularly through state legislatures. Along with practical organizing advice, Melissa shares hopeful perspectives on how local action can reverberate nationally. The conversation also weaves in the hosts’ characteristic warmth, humor, and real-life anecdotes about self-care, family routines, and personal intentions.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Catching Up: Libraries, Decluttering, & Family Life

Timestamps: 01:13–11:26

• Doree shares highlights from her parents’ visit, including discovering the Beverly Hills Library
  • “Fun fact… if you are a resident of California, you can get a library card in any city.” (04:26, Doree)
• Elise gets nostalgic upon finding her grandfather’s 1980s St. Louis County Library card
• The hosts discuss the joys and occasional absurdity of decluttering family spaces
  • Elise’s husband Rob brings humor to Facebook Marketplace ads (“…when else can I write advertising without bosses telling me to fix it or edit it or tone it down or whatever?” – 09:02, Elise)

2. Melissa Walker on Self-Care

Timestamps: 16:08–17:56

• Melissa’s current self-care: a luxurious weighted, lilac-scented sleep mask gifted by her 10-year-old daughter
  • “It’s just this like homemade one from a BO in Brooklyn… it rests on my eyes. It’s a nice little weight. It has a lovely lilac scent and I find it very relaxing.” (16:47, Melissa)

3. Power of Protest and Civic Action

Timestamps: 18:03–21:13

• Acknowledging the recent mass “No Kings” demonstrations across the U.S.—the largest single-day protests in American history
  • Melissa remarks on the “joy and togetherness” in the crowds and stresses the necessity of unafraid assembly as a democratic value
    • “It is a key element of democracy that we have to keep alive.” (19:05, Melissa)
    • “It all sounds kind of like a soft skill… but us all coming together to be out there protesting is very important to keep that fear at bay…” (19:23, Melissa)
• Elise raises skepticism about whether national opposition is strong or effective, cueing up a deeper discussion of where lasting power can be claimed

4. Why State Legislatures Matter Most

Timestamps: 21:13–24:05

• Melissa reframes the power landscape:
  • State legislatures function as 50 “mini congresses” with major influence over daily life (education, healthcare, environment, civil rights)
  • Media and public attention defaults to Congress/Presidency, but real and fast change often happens at the state level
• Example wins:
  • Holding the Pennsylvania House by 63 votes, flipping 14 seats in Wisconsin, and breaking a North Carolina supermajority by 228 votes
    • “This is real governing power…” (23:13, Melissa)

5. 2025 Elections: The Make-or-Break Role of Virginia

Timestamps: 24:05–27:43

• Virginia's House of Delegates election on November 4th is the immediate focus for the States Project and the Forever35 Giving Circle
• With current Democratic one-seat margins in both chambers, the outcome can:
  • Maintain a wall against the right-wing governor’s agenda (especially re: abortion access)
  • Set up a potential “trifecta” (Governor, House, Senate)—unlocking more progressive policies and resilient inter-state alliances
    • “If we lose… the message… is that there is no political gravity for the Trump administration, that there is no electoral consequence for what they are doing.” (25:28, Melissa)
    • “But if we… deepen [the majority] by a couple seats… we really could show that there is momentum on our side and give us great, great, great movement going into the midterms.” (26:58, Melissa)

6. Strategic Giving and Grassroots Action: How Listeners Can Make a Difference

Timestamps: 27:43–31:01

• Where do donor dollars go?
  • 100% to targeted candidates/districts in key states—never siphoned off by mailing lists or overhead
• Door Knocking Challenge (Melissa’s Favorite Tactic)
  • Candidates compete in direct voter contacts for additional funding; incentivizes real-time, localized persuasion (28:20–29:01)
  • Proven to “move the needle” in close-seat districts
• Ad Testing & Local Press Support
  • Ensures campaign messaging resonates with local voters and candidates get visibility in small markets
• Difference between candidate door-knocking (persuasion) and volunteer canvassing (mobilizing voter turnout)

7. The Supreme Court, Redistricting, and the Fight for Voting Rights

Timestamps: 34:59–40:09

• Melissa explains the cycle: state legislatures draft laws that rise to the Supreme Court
  • E.g., the Mississippi law that overturned Roe v. Wade; upcoming Louisiana case that may gut the Voting Rights Act
• Redistricting Wars: States with right-wing legislatures potentially reshaping the House “before a single ballot is cast”
  • “If you care about the Supreme Court, you should care about state legislatures because… many [cases]… come out of state legislatures.” (36:01, Melissa)
  • California (Prop 50) and other blue states are taking defensive action; listeners urged to “see where the power is” beneath the headlines

8. Hope, Career Change, and the Personal Side of Activism

Timestamps: 40:09–44:56

• Melissa’s personal path: From YA author and magazine editor to political strategist began out of “passion-slash-horror” following the 2016 election—proof that nontraditional careers can have big impact in activism
  • “One of my transferable skills… was taking complex things and telling a story about them in simpler ways… bringing that same, like, author presenting in a library attitude actually can be very helpful…” (43:39, Melissa)
• Encouraging words for others considering mid-career pivots

9. Strategic Giving: No More Donor’s Remorse

Timestamps: 44:56–46:03

• Donors to the Forever 35/States Project Giving Circles are not added to intrusive campaign lists (“you won’t get contacted by campaigns or candidates after giving to the community Giving Circle”—44:56, Melissa)
• “Friends don’t let friends give non-strategic political donations… my dollars really, really, really matter here.” (45:19, Melissa)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you care about the Supreme Court, you should care about state legislatures because… many [cases]… come out of state legislatures.” (36:01, Melissa)
• “There are places where we as individuals can do something… That is the hopeful part.” (40:23, Melissa)
• “It all seems very natural, even though it doesn’t make sense. And actually, I was just updating my resume, and it doesn’t make any sense… But I actually remind myself of that when we’re hiring at the States Project… You never know, you know?” (42:44, Melissa)
• “Friends don’t let friends give non-strategic political donations.” (45:19, Melissa)

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Segment Timestamps

• Family & Library Catch-Up: 01:13–11:26
• Melissa’s Self-Care & Introduction: 16:08–17:56
• Protests & Power of Assembly: 18:03–21:13
• State Legislature Focus: 21:13–24:05
• Virginia’s Pivotal Election: 24:05–27:43
• Strategic Giving, Door Knocking, & Mobilization: 27:43–31:01
• Supreme Court, Redistricting & National Stakes: 34:59–40:09
• Hope, Career Change, & Storytelling in Activism: 40:09–44:56
• Final Push for Strategic Donating: 44:56–46:03

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Tone & Style

Conversational, candid, and encouraging—with a blend of humor and urgency. The hosts’ rapport creates a safe, welcoming space, while Melissa Walker provides deeply strategic and hopeful wisdom without minimizing the challenges. The episode is both practical and inspirational, motivating listeners to channel anxiety into focused, local action.

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Key Takeaways for Listeners

• State legislatures are where everyday people can exert real power—often far more than in national politics.
• Giving strategically and supporting ground-level, local campaigns can have outsized impact.
• Hope is found in community and collective action, not doomscrolling or despair.
• Career shifts (even wild ones) are possible and can make real change.
• Self-care, joy, and activism can and should coexist.

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Links Mentioned

• Forever 35 Giving Circle
• States Project

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Summary prepared for Forever35 Podcast Episode 375
For listeners who want the essence—without missing the heart and humor—of this essential guide to reclaiming power in uncertain times.

Transcript

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Melissa Walker]

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[Doria Shafrier]

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[Elise Hu]

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[Doria Shafrier]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu and we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Doria Shafrier]

And today we have a a guest who has been on before. Melissa Walker holds a special place in our hearts because of where she works and what she does and how important it is for our democracy. She works for the States Project which helps flip state legislatures and which so many of you have contributed to to help flip those state legislatures. So we are so grateful to you. And yeah, we get to get to talk to her later in the show.

[Elise Hu]

Election Day is right around the corner for those of y' all who have, you know, off year or off cycle elections, odd year elections like the state of Virginia, which has a big one coming up on November 4th. We here in California are voting on Prop 50 on November 4th and I got my ballot in the mail but I have yet to actually fill it out. So same early voting is going on. Mail in voting is going on for as long as we have the right to vote, we should exercise that right. So Melissa Walker will talk a lot in our interview coming up later in the show about the importance of what's going on at the states and kind of what the national playing field is looking like. So really looking forward to that. But first we'll catch up. We'll catch up a little. Yeah, I had a big weekend. This will be a weekend ago by the time this airs. But I had one of the girls who dances was dancing. She did a big show on Saturday which neither of her parents made it to because we had another daughter who was at an away game in soccer. And then the older daughter had volleyball. Ish. I mean, she can't really play yet because she has that sprained ankle. Yes. But she's trying to practice and learn approaches without jumping. So like no dynamic exercises. And then she was doing some kid fluencing with other kids who are on like Dhar Mann and welcome Thundermans. Thundermans is a show, I think on Nickelodeon or something. There's a bunch of people, cast members from something to do with the Thundermans who are all at this fun run or actually a peer to peer walk that Skechers puts on. And they have a bunch of kid celebrities go to. And so Ava went to that. So it was kind of a crazy, crazy weekend. And then you had your parents in town.

[Doria Shafrier]

I did, I did.

[Elise Hu]

Highlights from that.

[Melissa Walker]

Highlights.

[Doria Shafrier]

Low lights highlights.

[Elise Hu]

We.

[Doria Shafrier]

Oh, actually, yeah, we took. So I think I've mentioned one of Henry's favorite restaurants here in Los Angeles is Nate and Al's, the old. The old deli in Beverly Hills. And I took Henry and my parents there. And my parents loved it, of course.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Doria Shafrier]

And then we went to the Beverly Hills library, which I had never been to. I had heard that it was great and it was great as advertised.

[Elise Hu]

Wow.

[Doria Shafrier]

And fun fact, for those of you who live in California, you might not be aware that if you are a resident of California, you can get a library card in any city.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, didn't know that. So I could go to San Francisco or Modesto or Bakersfield, Fresno. I'm just naming California towns and get myself.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah, you just have to have proof of residency in California. And then I think because you're not a resident of the town, if you want to renew it, you have to go in person. But it's good for two years and then you have access to everything at these other libraries. So it's like a fun, you know, fun, fun perk of living in California. So I got a Beverly Hills library card. Henry got a Beverly Hills library card. He found a Dogman book that he hadn't read yet. He's very into Dogman these days. We read, we read some of it at the library and then he checked it out. He's very excited about that.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Doria Shafrier]

And I was like, oh, this would be a good place to like do work. Because, you know, Beverly Hills also has all those municipal parking Lots that give you two free hours of parking, working.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, wow.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah, I know.

[Elise Hu]

That's like living in luxury.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah. So I'm like. Okay. I'm, like, seeing how this could, like, be a thing for me now.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Doria Shafrier]

So.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yeah.

[Doria Shafrier]

So that was. That was a fun thing that we did with my parents that I probably wouldn't have done if they hadn't been here. You know what I mean?

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

That's what I do like about guests, because it forces me out of my comfort zone. I always go to this. I tend to go to the same bars and restaurants and places that I like and. And comfortable and that I'm used to. Unless somebody's in town. If somebody's visiting, then I might, like, go and do something that's a little bit more unusual for me or something like a special. A more special experience, like the Beverly Hills Library. I'm glad you brought up library cards, because we've been doing this great reorg of the back house, the Hugh hideaway that has kind of a living area, a double bed, and then a separate area with a twin bed, and that's kind of where the kitchen is and everything. But there's not a lot of storage, and so we really have to cull. And Rob brought in a bunch of his stuff. And as I mentioned in a previous casual chat, a lot of his life has been devoted to creative work. And so there's just the evidence of that work. There's notebooks, there's printouts. There's actual books. There's hard drives and hard drives and hard drives that can now probably all be combined to one giant. Giant 200 terabyte drive or something. But 15 years ago, they. You know, the drives were much smaller, the storage space was much smaller. So anyway, so there's just a bunch of stuff, and. And my parents have things stored in the hideaway, too, because my parents have rented out their Orange county place. And I was trying to, like, consolidate boxes this morning. You know, some boxes that still had space. I was trying to engineer them more tightly. And out Falls a St. Louis county public Library card that was basically like an index card that was laminated from the year 1980 for my grandfather. Yeah, my grandfather who died in 1985.

[Melissa Walker]

What?

[Elise Hu]

It was his library card. Yeah. It's so sweet. I think I want to put it on the Patreon.

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

And there's, like, handwritten. And I guess you had to. I don't know why this is the case, but there was a handwritten. Like, there was a field that was Filled out in handwriting that said Dierburg's credit card. Dierburg's is a grocery store in St. Louis. And I don't know if you had to sort of like have collateral for your library card that was in the form of a credit card or something.

[Doria Shafrier]

Oh, interesting.

[Elise Hu]

I don't know why, but it was just like, so touching to find that. Yeah, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. Maybe I can do a little, like, memory box display or something of some old stuff of his. But it was nice. It's so funny that as we are recording Rob, who is still trying to Facebook Marketplace things and oh my God. And get organized. He just texted, do you want any of my dumbbells? I'm keeping the 25s, but I have smaller.

[Doria Shafrier]

Oh, now he's trying to Facebook Marketplace you. He's trying to buy nothing you.

[Elise Hu]

But wait a second.

[Doria Shafrier]

Now it will still be in our shared space.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, my God, it's so funny. His Facebook Marketplace posts, he's been having so much fun with because he is an advertising writer, right? And so he's writing like, really funny copy. Oh, my God. That's his hilarious Facebook Marketplace post. Because he said, like, a, you know, a, it's fun, but B, when else can I write advertising without bosses telling me to fix it or edit it or tone it down or whatever? And he's like, I can do whatever I want. I can write whatever ad copy I want for these. And so he has had so much fun. He's put like a dozen items up on Facebook Marketplace and there have been so many people who have just responded with lol, like, not. Not to buy the item.

[Doria Shafrier]

That's so funny.

[Elise Hu]

But just to say it's funny. And then one person said, hey, I saw this and I liked the write up so much that I went to all your other items to like, read how you wrote about them. So it's like, it's not the same thing as a Cannes lion or any sort of advertising award, but, like, he's bringing some joy to some random people on Facebook Marketplace who are now looking at more of his stuff. So that's so funny. It's really funny. And they don't archive, so there's no way to see them again, you know? Cause I like, clicked on something that he wrote for the Ikea Billy bookcases, and I couldn't see it because it's like you sell it and then it's done. So it's like truly ephemeral.

[Doria Shafrier]

Like a Japanese tea Ceremony.

[Elise Hu]

Mm. It's just a little moment in time.

[Doria Shafrier]

That's really cool. Well, I hope he's selling a lot of stuff.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, I think so. Except that. Except for the dumbbells.

[Doria Shafrier]

You know what's so funny about that is, like, do you remember there was this brief moment during lockdown when, like, you couldn't get dumbbells or pelotons?

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Doria Shafrier]

Like, I remember trying to get some from Target, and I had to do the thing where, like, I signed up for them to notify me when they were available. Like, I had to buy them. Like, the second they dropped, it was like getting a drop for dumbbells.

[Elise Hu]

So are you saying we should save them for the next large global pandemic? Yes, exactly. Next time we're locked in for whatever crisis we're in.

[Doria Shafrier]

Right. You should be save the dumbbells toilet paper and dumbbells for the next pandemic. Well, Elise, should we introduce our guests? Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

We are just so jazzed to have Melissa Walker back on the show today. She grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She's the author of eight young adult novels, including the Violet on the Runway series and the Small Town Sinners series. And in the nonfiction world, she was a magazine editor and writer who worked from the comfort of coffee shops in Brooklyn. She continues to live in Brooklyn with her husband and her two daughters. But in 2016, which she will talk about, she pivoted to her role now in political organizing and political strategizing for the States Project, which is an organization very near and dear to forever 35. We have been raising money for the state's project in various ways. Currently, our Giving Circle is supported by recurring donors, but during election years, we often have really targeted campaigns because Virginia's election is so important, and it's coming up just within days now, we are going to direct the funds that are currently coming in for our Forever 35 giving circle to Virginia to try and maintain power in the Virginia legislature and win the governor's office. But also, we just have a small challenge. It's not a big challenge that we'd like to reach. We've set a goal of $15,000 to reach for the Virginia Legislature and this upcoming election. We're not far from it. We're not far from our goal. So, listeners, please contribute to our Giving Circle to try and keep Virginia's legislature in the hands of Democrats. You can give to our Giving Circle from the link in our show notes and on our website. Really hope that we are able to make this goal. $15,000 and really hope that we are able to make this goal. We can't do it without y'. All.

[Doria Shafrier]

All right. And before we get to Melissa, just a reminder that you can Visit our website forever35podcast.com. We have links there to everything we mentioned on the show, including our giving circle. And you can follow us on Instagram @forever35 podcast. Our Patreon is at patreon.com forever35. We have our weekly casual chats there that, you know, we got a. We get a little spicier on those, I would say.

[Melissa Walker]

Sure do.

[Doria Shafrier]

On the main event.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, I get a little ranty.

[Melissa Walker]

Ye. Mm.

[Doria Shafrier]

Elise gets on. Gets on soap boxes occasionally. And we also do monthly pop culture recommendation episodes. We have ad free episodes. There's a lot happening on our Patreon. So that's at patreon.com forever35 our favorite products are at Shopmy US. Forever35. Our newsletter is at forever35podcast.com newsletter and please call or text us at 781-591-0390 and email us at forever35podcastmail.com and we will be right back with Melissa.

[Elise Hu]

We'll be right back. Hey, this is Jonathan Fields, host of the Good Life Project podcast. Boost Mobile reminds me of what I love when someone reimagines what's possible, offering reliable nationwide coverage backed by a 30 day money back guarantee. While other carriers spend millions on flashy super bowl ads, Boost Mobile puts those dollars towards what matters more. Delivering reliable nationwide coverage at prices that make you wonder why we've been paying so much for just $25 a month. You get unlimited service that will never go up in price, not next year, not ever. And they're so confident you'll love it, they back it with a 30 day money back guarantee, no questions asked. Want to see if Boost Mobile is right for you? Visit your nearest Boost mobile store or boostmobile.com customers who cancel within 30 days of activation will have Boost service fees refunded, activation fees if applicable, and phone payments will not be refunded.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Doria Shafrier]

Melissa welcome back to Forever 35. It is so nice to see you.

[Melissa Walker]

Thanks for having me back.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Doria Shafrier]

You know, because you've been on the show so many times, I feel like it. It's maybe redundant to ask you about a self care practice that you have. But.

[Melissa Walker]

But what is a self care.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah, but is it, what is a self care practice that you have? I mean, there's a lot happening right now in the world for sure.

[Melissa Walker]

I, I need more and more self care all the time. I will say my youngest daughter, who's 10, bought me for my birthday over an eye mask that was like a kind of expensive one. It's just, it's just really heavy sleep.

[Elise Hu]

Sleeping eyes.

[Melissa Walker]

Exactly. A sleeping eye mask. And it's like one of those things that you would never buy for yourself because it's like you're not gonna spend like 60 bucks on it or whatever she did, but she really wanted it. My husband was like, oh, mom wouldn't spend that much. And she was like, but that's exactly why we need to get it for her. And I thought that was perfect. And I love it. It's like totally worth it. It's just this like homemade one from a BO in Brooklyn. So it's not like some big thing that people can order. Yeah, it is just. It rests on my eyes. It's a nice little weight. It has a lovely lilac scent and I find it very relaxing.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah, what a thoughtful gift.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, I thought so too.

[Doria Shafrier]

I mean, I am someone who sleeps with an eye mask every night. So I'm intrigued by this high end eye mask.

[Melissa Walker]

I can send it to you all so you can maybe tell people what it is. It's, it's. But it's like sort of. It has a heart shape. So it's like an upset down heart when it's over my eyes. And it's just this very soft cotton and there's something about the way that it's weighted that is like perfect for me, it's just instant nap, you know.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, lovely. So it's so nice you wear an eye mask for naps. Do you also wear them at night?

[Melissa Walker]

I don't usually wear them at night and I'm not usually sleeping so late in the morning, unfortunately, that I need one. Although I wish for those days when the sun was up and I was not. Maybe I'll go back to them sometime. But it's not my life right now.

[Elise Hu]

Well, let's just jump in to the current climate right now and the energy from this past weekend. We're talking to you just after the big no kings demonstrations that happened all over the country. I think they are the largest single day demonstrations in US history. How does all of this action out in the streets translate to, to governance or translate to the polls? Because lots of cute signs, right? Lots of really hilarious signs and inflatable frogs and Trump reacting with this AI video, which is. I feel like I'm constantly living in America. Every day is like being on some sort of acid trip because somebody was like, did you see how the President responded?

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah, a couple things. I mean, I think the more and more people who get involved and actually get out in the streets, the better. And that's, you know, for a few reasons. One of the biggest is that we are not afraid to get out in the streets. I think it's really important that people feel like they can gather peacefully, that people feel like they can protest. It is a key element of democracy that we have to keep alive. My daughter, my 14 year old daughter was here and she went out to the protest in Brooklyn and I was in D.C. actually for the weekend and I was out in D.C. and she kept texting me, mom, is it safe there? And I said, yes, honey, it's beautiful. There's people dressed up as monarch butterflies saying these are the only monarchs we need. There's, you know, the dinosaurs and the rainbow unicorns and someone was dressed up in a suit that looked like the Epstein files. I mean, it was just like a fun protest full of joy and togetherness and, you know, people not being afraid. I think that element is really important. You know, it all sounds kind of like a soft skill, like, oh, why is everybody, everybody's out in the streets like making jokes. And this is not a, this is not a joking matter. And that's true. But us all coming together to be out there protesting is very important to keep that fear at bay and to let folks see, like there are people who are going to get out there and it's not just a handful. A lot of us are going to be out there. Right.

[Elise Hu]

And it's not organized by like some sort of left wing, made up left wing organizations that, that we were warned about last week.

[Melissa Walker]

Absolutely. It's Americans and I saw so many American flags and it was just like, you know, we're doing this because we love this country and that's really important too.

[Elise Hu]

So this goes back to my original question though. There's a lot of disappointment with the democratic opposition or just opposition to the governance that we're under right now. So, and, and whether there is strong opposition being mounted at all and where that is and so, so how does this translate to trying to win back power?

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah. So I know y' all know that I am always looking at power through the lens of state legislatures, which are, you know, these 50 mini congresses throughout our country that most people don't think much about. And they certainly weren't part of the electoral news last year. In November. In November, we all were very focused on the national contest. And that's where the media is focused and national. I mean, both the presidency and Congress. But there's so much that happens outside of D.C. that is really important for the way people live their lives and the way just the everyday is experienced. Because state governments really decide education funding, environmental policy, health care, civil rights. They have their own budgets, they have their own laws. And so state by state by state, people are experiencing different realities. And there were some really great wins last year. You know, the States Project helped hold a Pennsylvania House that we had flipped in 2022 by 63 votes. We held that while the Republicans swept. Pennsylvania took everything from the presidential level down to the auditor general in statewide races, but we held that majority. And that's because that majority had done great things like passing free breakfast and lunch for public school children, things that people feel in their lives. And so when you get down to that level, it brings me a lot of hope. We were able to flip 14 seats in Wisconsin, 10 in the state assembly and four in the state Senate. We were able to flip a seat in North Carolina that broke the right wing supermajority there, flipped it by 228 votes. And that break made sure that the new governor, Josh Stein, who's a Democrat, has veto power now in North Carolina. So this is real governing power. 1 and it wasn't in the news, but it was something that we were focused on and that our giving circles are focused on. And it really matters in people's lives. So what I will say is, you know, whenever I see people marching or big groups especially, that have gotten like their whole book club together or their whole neighborhood crew together, and I want to say, like, do this and like, find a place where you can really plug in and move the needle. And for me, that has been my giving circle and helping other people form giving circles to focus on state legislative power because it is huge foundational, and it is often cheaper to change the balance of power in an entire state chamber than it is to win a single congressional seat, because congressional races cost millions and millions of dollars. So what people can do together with their networks at the state level is immense. And it Means a lot for governing power across the country.

[Doria Shafrier]

So you talked about, you just alluded to a couple of state legislatures, but I was hoping you could give just kind of like a lay of the land of where things are with the states project. What are the priority states for you right now and how are things going?

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah, so there are a few states that have odd year elections. So we have an election coming up on November 4th in Virginia and that is really where we are most immediately focused. So Virginia is a state actually that the Forever 35 giving circle was involved in. In 2023, y' all win a majority in the House of Delegates, which we won by one seat, 975 votes. And that one seat majority, along with a one seat majority in the state Senate has meant that there's been a wall in front of a right wing Governor Glenn Youngkin's agenda. So Virginia is the last state in the south to not have a new abortion ban post Dobbs decision. And it's just been a place where we've been able to really stop the right wing plans. And this year we have a chance to create a new trifecta. Trifecta meaning control of the Governor's mansion and control of the state House and the state Senate. So if we're able to hold that one seat majority in Virginia this year, and there's a governor's race as well, Abigail Spanberger is running for the Democrats. If she wins, Virginia will be a trifecta. And trifecta states are incredibly powerful at not only being able to pass laws that can improve their own citizens lives, but also at protecting against what's coming down from the federal level and working with other states with Democratic trifectas to create things like we've seen states band together to say we're going to have vaccines no matter what the federal government does. We've seen states band together on health care, various things like that. So Virginia could become another one of those states. And one of the big reasons why it's really important nationally is that there's really three possible outcomes in Virginia this fall. One is that we lose the election, we lose the majority in the House of Delegates that we only hold by one seat. So it's certainly possible. But if we lose, the message that that will send throughout the country is that there is no political gravity for the Trump administration, that there is no electoral consequence for what they are doing. The Democrats are still losing. And it's really important that that message not an incredibly dangerous message for Trump and for the right wing folks. At the federal level to find out that, wow, they just had a whole election and they didn't and they lost. That is dangerous. The second scenario is that we hold onto the election by one seat, and that would be great. We hold onto that majority. We still have governing power, and that would be a win, but it would kind of not really give us much momentum. It would be a little bit status quo. But if we are able to hold that majority and potentially deepen it by a couple seats, maybe even three or four, we really could show that there is momentum on our side and give us great, great, great movement going into the midterms. This is really the first election of the midterms this year because it is going to set the tone for how the media talks about whether we Democrats can win or lose. And Virginia is really the first test of that. It's the swing state that is up this year.

[Elise Hu]

If people do contribute, where are their dollars going? Because I am still getting all of these texts from, I guess, wherever they sell your lists. You know, like, once you donate, I think I contributed to Kamala in 2024. And then once your name and your phone number is on a list, you're getting, like, today I got a text about saving the rainforest, which I care about. But, like, these are a lot of texts, and we're being asked to give. There's a lot of folks who gave a lot in 2024 only to see this trifecta of Republican governance at the national level. So where does the money go and will it do anything?

[Melissa Walker]

So I should say first of all that the dollars through giving circles, 100% of the amount raised goes out the door to the state that's designated. So I know y' all are focused on Virginia, which is awesome, and that will be where the amount that you raise goes. Our tactics in Virginia include a couple of things. My very favorite to talk about is we are running a candidate door knocking challenge in Virginia. So we know which districts are the most likely tipping point seats, meaning the seats that are the most important for power, the most competitive. And those folks have been a part of our door knocking challenge for a few months now. The door knocking challenge asks candidates to turn in their personal door knocking numbers to the state's project every week. And at the end of every month, the top four door knockers get additional campaign contributions. It really incentivizes getting out on the doors and meeting voters rather than being in your office dialing out of state for dollars, which is, of course, another part of campaigning. But we want to make sure that candidates are on the doors, meeting voters, especially in these purple districts, that we're going to win or lose by a thousand votes, 500 votes. In 2017, it came down to a single vote in a Virginia district for power in the Virginia House. So we want to make sure that they contact as many folks as possible. And the people involved in the door knocking challenge generally knock on thousands and thousands more doors than folks who are not. And that's the type of thing that can really move the needle because when you are on the doors talking about the traffic pattern down the street and the local softball field, that is what cuts through Fox News on in the background or a negative mailer that someone might get later and says, no, no, my neighbor was here, they're running for the this state House seat and they're great. So the door knocking challenge is a big part of our direct to candidate giving. We also run ad testing to make sure that the ads that they're running, which the majority of their budget goes to, of course, television and digital, we want to make sure that those are getting tested with local folks before they run so that we know that the messaging is the messaging that's resonant in their district, not just in all of Virginia, because these districts are small and northern Virginia is very different from Southern Virginia. The other piece is we have a local press project. So we make sure that the caucus, the Virginia House Dems have help with a couple of consultants whose job it is to make sure that the candidates get local press for their campaigns. So small town newspapers, local morning shows on the radio, anything that can up their name recognition because these are down ballot candidates and a lot of folks will not have heard their names. So we want to make sure we get them out there as much as possible possible.

[Doria Shafrier]

Could you just elaborate a little bit on why door knocking in particular is so powerful? And also, you know, you spoke to candidates doing door knocking, but for just, you know, regular people who want to help out with a campaign who might be like intimidated by the idea of door knocking. Can you talk a little bit about why it's important for regular people to, to do it as well and how to kind of get started?

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah, absolutely. So door knocking for the candidates is a really good way to do persuasion. So it is the way to talk to people about, you know, again, those local issues that they might care about and really do that convincing on like I am a person, not a party and I'm right in front of you. I will say that the where volunteers come in and where, where they are excellent is for the get out the vote vote effort, right? To make sure that people have voting plans, that they know where their polling places are, that they're going to bring a neighbor with them, that they know when early voting starts. Really just dissemination of that information is often what people need to get over the hump on, like knowing when and where they need to vote. So that's why I think that person to person connection is a great addition to a mailer that they're getting or an ad that they're seeing on tv. And the other thing is, I mean, you all know this like the world feels so polarized right now and it feels so isolated. And having a face to face conversation can actually be kind of extraordinary right now. And when people are knocking on doors, that's exactly what they're doing. And they're doing it kindly and openly. And you know, you may not get that reaction from every door that you knock on, but you will get enough to keep you going. I've done it and it's incredibly heartening to be face to face.

[Doria Shafrier]

So we're just going to take a short break and we will be right back.

[Elise Hu]

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[Melissa Walker]

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[Elise Hu]

Okay, so as Melissa mentioned, Forever 35 we have a giving circle that has recurring donors and recurring donations coming in. That money's been in kind of general right now, but we are happy to direct it to Virginia for the November 4th election. November 4th is election day across the country for any odd year elections. In California we have Prop 50 on the ballot which is to redistrict as a response to Texas redistricting. This mid century gerrymandering that's happening in Texas, California is temporarily going to respond to that. But in the bigger picture, I'm very concerned about the Supreme Court because it is set to maybe gut Voting Rights act protections for good. Can you update on, update us and just give folks the context of what's happening in the high court and what that means for all of us?

[Melissa Walker]

I will say that the Supreme Court is this kind of, of big, just this big picture entity that I think feels really untouchable for people. Right? It's like, how can we influence the Supreme Court? We don't have any impact on it. It's people who are appointed for life and it doesn't have anything to do with voters. And that's true. But I think that something to think about is that if you care about the Supreme Court, you should care about state legislatures because the Supreme Court doesn't write laws. They rule on law, many of which come out of state legislatures. Right. It was a Mississippi law that took down Roe and if that one hadn't done it, there were 16 other states that queued up abortion bans right after Kavanaugh was confirmed with the explicit purpose of rising up to the Supreme Court to challenge Roe. That came from state legislatures. And it is a Louisiana legislature that is about to take down the Voting Rights Act. These laws are coming from state legislatures. We ignore them at our peril. And yet too many continue to not look at these 50 mini congresses across the country. They are the ones who are creating these kitchen table issue laws and also laws that have power over the federal level, like what we're seeing out of Louisiana, where they want to not have to draw the maps in a way that helps their entire population have a voice, but instead silence the voices of black voters and draw the lines in a way that gives more congressional seats, states to the Republicans. And this is what we're seeing in the redistricting fight as well. These are state legislatures. This is Trump talking to a Texas legislature. He's not talking to Ted Cruz about that. He is talking to the legislature in Texas because they are the ones drawing the district lines and in Missouri and in Florida and, and, and this is where this is happening and it's where we really have to focus. You know, it's, we're working so hard on redistricting and California is a great example with Prop 50. I mean, if the state legislatures that are getting pressure right now from the Trump administration do what he's demanding of them, which means gerrymandering, congressional maps in Missouri and Ohio and Indiana and Nebraska and possibly even Florida, those combined with the five new seats they've already redrawn in Texas, could add a total of 12 new congressional seats for Republicans before a single ballot is cast in the midterms. It is an absolute silencing of voters. So we are working very hard to ensure that Congress can remain competitive at all. There has to be action like California is taking on mid decade redistricting. And everywhere that we have the Runway and the power to do that is a necessity to neutralize the power grabs that are happening. So state legislatures again, gotta win Virginia this year, gotta make sure we keep that majority because this is, this is at play in Virginia, you know, gotta, in 2026, look at Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania and Arizona and North Carolina and, and, and, and because in order to have fair national maps, this is gonna be the game right now. And it's wild and scary, but again, focusing on things unseen nodes of power is what we do at the state's project. So knowing that, for example, that North Carolina super majority break that was so consequential for governing power in the state was a single House district that we won by 228 votes. But we needed to see where that was and zero in on it with the help of a bunch of giving circles that chose North Carolina last year. And that's going to happen again in our target states coming up in 2026. And that's what's happening in Virginia. So I just want to say that when the news gets overwhelming, look, try to look for where the power is, where is this starting and is there a place that I can plug in that's a little lower down under the media headlines? That is where we can have real power.

[Elise Hu]

Hopeful it's hopeful and then rewarding. I think it's gratifying to know that there are some nodes or some places where we as individuals can do something.

[Melissa Walker]

Absolutely. It's been my therapy for, like, nine years. You all know I left writing young adult novels for this because I couldn't stand to sit by, and I have stayed because I have seen how much we can do. So that is the hopeful part.

[Doria Shafrier]

I was actually gonna ask.

[Melissa Walker]

Do you.

[Doria Shafrier]

Ever think you might go back to writing young adult novels?

[Melissa Walker]

I did have a little bit of a reduced schedule earlier this year so that I could do some writing, and I wrote a really bad draft of something, so I don't know if that's going anywhere.

[Doria Shafrier]

We love a bad draft.

[Melissa Walker]

I love a bad draft too. That was my whole goal. I was like, I don't know if I can do anything but finishing a bad draft. I mean, open the champagne. So I did that. And I do really miss writing, so I do hope to make some more time for it in the coming years.

[Doria Shafrier]

I'm so glad to hear that.

[Melissa Walker]

Thanks.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yay. Well, Melissa, I feel like you and I. Did we meet online or just through, like, being in New York or. Because I feel like I have known you for a very long time, and then you sort of reappeared in my life in this totally different guise. So it's very cool, because Elise and I were actually just talking about, like, second acts and changing careers, and, like, you had a big career change. And I feel like we've asked you about this before, but as it is a topic that comes up repeatedly, could you talk just a little bit about doing, like, a total career shift in your. Were. Were you in your mid-30s, late 30s? When did this happen?

[Melissa Walker]

I was in my late 30s. Okay. I was in my late 30s in 2016 when Trump won. And then I was like, oh, my God. Gosh, I don't know if I can sit down and write another young adult novel right now. So I would say that the pivot really started from a place of, like, great passion slash horror. And, you know, I felt compelled to fill my time with something that I would make an impact on, what I saw as, like, a threat to the country. And so I made it my business to try to find the very best place to plug in. And that's really how I got here. But it all seems very natural, even though it doesn't make sense. And actually, I was just updating my resume, and it doesn't make any sense. I was like, who would ever give me a job based on this resume, it's wild. It's like, oh, I was a teen magazine editor for a long time and then I became a young adult author, and now I'm a political strategist. Trust me.

[Elise Hu]

So.

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah, it's, it doesn't make sense. But I actually remind myself of that when we're, like, when we're hiring at the States Project, like, sometimes we'll get a wild resume and I'm like, no, let's talk to him. You know, like, it's just. You never know, you know? And I think one of the things, one of my, the, the transferable skills that I didn't know I was going to use so much was that I was used to taking complex things and telling a story about them in more simple ways.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Melissa Walker]

And I was used to speaking to groups of students. And to be honest, when you're talking about state legislatures, everyone's a little bit of a student because it's not something most people know about. Right. So bringing that same, like, author presenting in a library attitude actually can be very helpful, I think, for the storytelling aspect of politics.

[Doria Shafrier]

When you get my resume, I hope you look at it and you're like, she has transferable skills.

[Melissa Walker]

Yes, that is exactly what I would think.

[Doria Shafrier]

Okay, noted. Elise, you're laughing, but I'm very serious.

[Elise Hu]

I mean, I, I support this wholeheartedly. I hope it happens. We will link to our Forever 35 giving circle from our show notes and from the website, those of y' all who have recurring donations. Because Virginia is such a key battleground right now and it's coming up soon, November 4th, we're going to turn over our recurring donations and dedicate them to Virginia. I hope everybody is on board with that. And for those of y' all who haven't contributed yet, please do. Melissa, any last word for our listeners out there?

[Melissa Walker]

Yeah. I will just say that to your point earlier, you won't get contacted by campaigns or candidates after giving to the community Giving Circle because you are giving to the States Project, not to individual campaigns who will then share information. And we don't share information. And I will tell you, our kind of theme at the Giving Circles program is friends don't let friends give non strategic political donations. And so I have really combined my donations into a big donation for my Giving Circle every year. And then I just don't feel guilty about deleting whoever's running against the most fearsome senator. Yeah, it's just like, because it's a drop in the bucket and many, many times those races are unwinnable and even if they're not, they're like $60 million races and my dollars are not going to matter, but they really, really, really matter here. So hopefully folks can do that and then don't worry about it. Just watch the giving circle Watch. Virginia. I'm hoping, you know, we can give you all a great update on November 5th.

[Elise Hu]

Fantastic. Melissa Walker, thank you so much for coming back on Forever 35. It's always such a delight to have you and to help you sort of put our minds at ease knowing that you're out there. The States project is out there. There are so many individual Americans and groups that are out there fighting the good fight.

[Melissa Walker]

Absolutely. Thanks for having me.

[Doria Shafrier]

Thank you, Melissa.

[Melissa Walker]

And thanks for being with us.

[Doria Shafrier]

I always love talking to Melissa.

[Melissa Walker]

She's so great.

[Doria Shafrier]

She's just so great.

[Elise Hu]

I like that sleep mask idea too. I cannot sleep with anything on my face though. The only time. Yeah, the only time I can sleep with something over my eyes is if I have like a giant hood on on an airplane and I'm sleeping on a flight. Otherwise I don't want anything. Yeah.

[Doria Shafrier]

Elise, how did your unstructured family time go last week?

[Elise Hu]

It happened. It happened only in, like bits. I had unstructured one on one time with the girls. You know, like, I had a lot of time just driving around with Ava with her making fun of me. Everything I said, she would like, find a way to mock and it brought her great joy. So awesome.

[Melissa Walker]

Great. Good for her.

[Elise Hu]

We had so unstructured family time there. But. But I really cannot wait to get to a break in which we're not traveling, which I think is going to be Thanksgiving break, and just hang out. They have too many activities, especially during this stretch of fall, so.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yeah. And you have three kids, correct? Need I remind you? Yes. Did you know, because I have three children, I momentarily forgot.

[Elise Hu]

I, like, momentarily forgot. Thanks. Thanks. Yeah. So. So still working towards that goal. And then this week, because I'm gonna be on a plane, some long flights. Cause I'm going to Jacksonville this week. My intention is to stretch. I'm trying to take those extra moments that I have in the day and then the tightness that I feel and check in with my body as Cadence Debuss taught us. And just like besides noticing, hey, my hamstring hurts.

[Melissa Walker]

Hurts.

[Elise Hu]

I should also stretch the leg, like stretch the hamstring. So just trying to take some moments to stretch out my body, especially since it's going to be in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time, is my intention. What about you. Your intention last week was around my parental visit.

[Doria Shafrier]

Yes. Which was lovely. There was a lot of unstructured family time.

[Elise Hu]

Good.

[Doria Shafrier]

And then this week just, you know, by the time this airs, I will have already gone to nationals. But as we are recording it, nationals is still in the future. So, you know, I think this was something that I said when we were going to sectionals, which is like, I just want to enjoy the fact that I am there. I mean, yes, the vast majority of recreational USTA tennis players play for years and never ever go to nationals. And I've been playing for less than two years and I'm going to nationals. And I just want to, like, appreciate that and enjoy it and just sort of like soak it all in.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, it's such a great accomplishment and something to be proud of in this stage in life because there's really. There's. There are not very many non work achievements. Right. Like, if you get an achievement, it tends to be like a job promotion or an award in journalism, there's like journalism awards or podcasting awards or whatever. But this is like an achievement that you should really enjoy and celebrate for something, for doing something that you love recreationally. Right. It's like your hobby. And then y' all have been able to really excel. So congratulations, we are rooting for you.

[Doria Shafrier]

Thanks everyone for listening. Forever 35 is hosted and produced by me, Doria Shafrier and Elise Hu, and produced and edited by Sam Junio. Sammy Reed is our project manager and our network partners Acast, and we will talk to you soon. Take care.

[Elise Hu]

Talk to you next time.

[Doria Shafrier]

Bye.

[Melissa Walker]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro? Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never looked so good. You look the same. But with this camera, everything looks better. Especially me.

[Doria Shafrier]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years.

[Elise Hu]

Selfies. Check please with Verizon. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever. Plus a new iPad and Apple One. No trade in needed. Offer ends November 5th with a new line on Unlimited Ultimate Best 5G Sweep Metrics Data United States 2020 25. All rights reserved. Additional terms apply for all offers. See verizon.com for details.

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