The PoliticsGirl Podcast

Episode: "What is the Future of the Democratic Party? With Indivisible’s Ezra Levin"

Host: Leigh McGowan (PoliticsGirl)
Guest: Ezra Levin (Co-founder and Executive Director, Indivisible)
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features an impassioned discussion about the Democratic Party’s response (and perceived failure) during a recent government shutdown, the resulting grassroots anger, and what it will take to reshape the party for the existential challenges posed by the Trump regime’s authoritarianism. Ezra Levin argues that relying on old-guard Democratic leadership is insufficient and calls for an energized wave of “fighters” to challenge the status quo through primary races. The conversation aims to galvanize listeners to personal and collective action—especially through primary engagement—to rebuild a Democratic Party capable of safeguarding American democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Government Shutdown: Recent History and Fallout

• Background:
  Democrats, after a wave of electoral victories, initially held firm during a record government shutdown triggered by Republican obstruction on healthcare protection.
• Fallout:
  Seven Senate Democrats and one Independent abruptly folded, voting to reopen government without securing Affordable Care Act subsidies or meaningful concessions.
• Response:
  • Leigh McGowan: “It was a capitulation that most of us were wholly unprepared for, and it pissed a lot of people off." (02:04)
  • Ezra Levin: "They didn't cut a bad deal. They got nothing, Lee. They got nothing." (04:21)

2. Why Did the Democrats Fold?

• Ezra’s Analysis:
  • Democrats had the public on their side and nationwide protests (“no Kings rallies”), making the surrender particularly galling.
  • Indivisible polled its members: "98.76% of indivisible members said, 'keep up the fucking fight, keep fighting back.'" (05:28)
  • Ezra and Indivisible decided: “We are done trying to convince these guys… It is time to demand a better party, and the time to do that is in the primaries.” (05:37)

3. The State of Democratic Leadership

• Crisis in Leadership:
  Both Leigh and Ezra identify Senate leadership—especially Chuck Schumer—as out of touch, too willing to compromise, and unresponsive to grassroots momentum.
  • Ezra Levin: “We cannot push back against an authoritarian regime with a divided, fractured, and cowardly opposition." (06:31)
• The “Fighter vs. Folder” Paradigm:
  • Leigh McGowan: “It's about whether you're a fighter or a folder. And I thought that was a really good way of putting it.” (11:03)

4. What Needs to Change Within the Democratic Party

• Leadership Dynamics:
  • The issue isn’t just individuals like Schumer, but a broader Senate Democratic caucus unwilling to break with old behaviors.
  • Ezra Levin: "We need to have a broader orientation towards the party and rebuilding into a fighting machine that can win." (22:40)
• The Role of Primaries:
  • Focus on safe blue districts and Senate seats to push for more combative representatives without risking general election losses.
  • Ezra Levin: “I'm talking somewhere between 10 and 20 primaries… Enough to shake things up in Washington.” (24:49)

5. The Indivisible Plan for 2026

• Strategic Targeting:
  • Indivisible supports primary challenges in select races, informed by local group input, to build a coalition of fighters nationwide.
  • “If you're waiting for some big national organization or some big donor network to change the Democratic Party, I have bad news for you. It's not going to change… We, all of us, we have to do the work to demand that party.” (25:28)
• Focus on Action:
  • Engage through donating, organizing, and volunteering—not just symbolic support.
  • Ezra Levin: "Primaries are healthy. We should not treat them as some kind of scary thing... If we want to have a strong party, we got to engage at every step in the process." (44:44)

6. The Broader Stakes: Democracy and Authoritarianism

• Grassroots Engagement:
  • Now is a rare opportunity to reforge a party capable of fighting back and inspiring voters.
  • Leigh McGowan: “Civil and human rights are on the line... We need leaders that will meet this moment.” (26:57)
• Party Identity:
  • Diversity and a “big tent” are strengths, as is a coalition approach.
  • Quoting Olivia Juliana: “There’s no one right way to be a Democrat. The strength of our party is that we’re a coalition and not a cult.” (30:46)
  • Ezra Levin: “The through line that I saw in all of those elections was we're not going along with this regime. We're going to fight back.” (37:53)

7. Accountability for Democratic Senators

• Senators who broke ranks on the shutdown were either retiring or not up for re-election, insulating themselves from voter blowback.
  • Ezra Levin: “That is quite intentional.” (40:44)
• Push for those who are up for re-election (e.g., Mark Warner, John Hickenlooper, Jack Reed, Chris Coons) to go on record supporting change in leadership.

8. The Essential Ingredient: People Power

• Leigh McGowan: “No elected position should be a given. You represent the people or you lose your position as a representative of the people.” (48:01)
• Ezra Levin: “The thing that will move them is people pressure. That's the only thing that has moved them over the course of the last year.” (44:31)
• Call to Action:
  • Get involved directly in primaries or “adopt” races in other states; support candidates pushing for change.
  • Ezra Levin: “I want people doing stuff, not just clicking links, not just sending in money, but doing real things to help us build the party we need. That's how we're gonna win.” (47:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ezra Levin:

  • “They didn't settle for half a loaf. That's not what they did… They got nothing.” (04:21)
  • “If we want a better Democratic Party, we, all of us, we have to do the work to demand that party.” (25:28)
  • “We should not treat [primaries] as some kind of scary thing... If we want to have a strong party, we got to engage at every step in the process.” (44:44)
  • “They do not respond to strongly worded letters… They respond to power.” (28:58)

• Leigh McGowan:

  • “It was a capitulation that most of us were wholly unprepared for, and it pissed a lot of people off.” (02:04)
  • “Civil and human rights are on the line... We need leaders that will meet this moment.” (26:57)
  • “No elected position should be a given. You represent the people or you lose your position.” (48:01)

• On Diversity of the Party:

  • Olivia Juliana (quoted by Leigh): “Our diversity isn’t a liability... It's literally the reason that we'll win… There’s no one right way to be a Democrat. The strength of our party is that we’re a coalition and not a cult.” (30:46)

Key Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• [00:00] Ezra opens with the challenge: “If you're waiting for some big national organization...”
• [03:41] Ezra: “We were winning it… and then the Senate Democrats surrendered…”
• [04:21] Why the Democratic surrender was a total collapse.
• [06:31] The need for a unified and courageous opposition.
• [11:07] "Fighter vs. folder" framing of 2026 primaries.
• [12:49] Example: Candidates in Michigan and Minnesota.
• [13:55] Planning for when the regime tries to steal future elections.
• [24:38] Scope of Indivisible’s planned primary involvement (“10 to 20 primaries”).
• [28:58] On the regime: “They do not respond to strongly worded letters… They respond to power.”
• [30:46] The strength found in the Democratic Party’s coalition.
• [37:53] Ezra: The common thread of recent Democratic wins is oppositional energy, not uniform policy.
• [40:44] Senators dodged accountability because only those not facing voters broke ranks.
• [44:31] “The thing that will move them is people pressure.”
• [46:45] Ezra’s call to action: Direct participation in primaries.
• [48:18] Ezra: Regime’s escalation reflects real fear of people power.

Conclusion & Action Steps

• The Moment:
  Listeners are urged to see the 2026 primaries as an inflection point for demanding a Democratic Party that is willing to fight, not fold, in defense of democracy.
• How to Act:
  Participate in, donate to, or organize around primaries—especially for Senate and House races in safe blue seats. Indivisible2026.org is provided as a resource.
• The Stakes:
  Only by leveraging people power can the opposition to authoritarianism mount a real, unified pushback—and the primaries are the next battleground.

For Further Information or To Get Involved:

• Indivisible’s Primary Engagement: indivisible2026.org

In Leigh’s words:
“We need a party that can not only win elections, but leaders who will shake things up once they get there. The game has changed, and we need players who understand the new rules.” (49:13)

This summary captures the core arguments, strategies, and emotional energy of the episode, highlighting both the policy debates and the call to action for grassroots engagement in reshaping the Democratic Party in a historic moment.