Today we're heading west – to the Rocky Mountains, to be specific – because Colorado is one of the most fascinating political stories of our Primed for 2026 series. Gov. Jared Polis is term-limited and can't run again, which means for the first time in eight years, Colorado Democrats get to decide who their next leader is going to be. In a state where Republicans haven't won a governor's race since Bill Owens was reelected back in 2002, whoever wins that Democratic primary is almost certainly going to be the next governor. So the stakes? They're high.

Two candidates have emerged as the clear frontrunners: U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser. These are two serious, accomplished Democrats – and they've been going at it. They've been trading barbs at candidate forums, in fundraising emails, and on social media, each making the case that they're the one who can best fight for Colorado families and stand up to Washington.

In this week's Statement of the Case, Tyler Hack of the Christopher Street Project shares with Andy how it feels as a trans young person to go up against the full force of the Trump administration. Andy says it best: All children are children of God and nobody likes a bully.

And finally, Andy is back with John to talk his recent visit to JD Vance's hometown, Trump's cruel tweets and the latest on March Madness. Plus, an open invite to Wan'Dale Robinson to join the pod!

Let's get started.

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He grew up conservative in Grand Junction, Colorado. He did his own research. And somewhere along the way, he became one of the most compelling young voices in American politics.

This week, Governor Andy Beshear sits down with Dean Withers, the Gen Z content creator, debate champion, and civic advocate who went from viral Jubilee appearances to millions of followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, to the stage at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Dean brings sharp wit and nuance to some of the toughest conversations in America: racial justice, climate policy, voting rights, and education reform. And he does it in a media landscape that almost always rewards the loudest voice in the room over the most thoughtful one.

Governor Beshear and Dean dig into his journey, how a kid from a conservative town changed his mind through his own research, what it was like to have the people around him react to that change, and how he ended up debating Ben Shapiro and Charlie Kirk in front of millions before most people his age had figured out their first apartment.

They talk about social media; the good, the bad, and the algorithm that rewards outrage over substance — and how Dean navigates that tension every single day while still trying to move the needle. They talk about what Gen Z actually wants from politics and whether this generation feels heard by the institutions that are supposed to serve them. And they get into the harder questions: whether Dean sees himself eventually running for office, his favorite way to escape and his not-so-secret talent.

Young people are telling us the one word they feel when they turn on the news is exhausted. Dean Withers has built his entire career inside that exhaustion – and somehow found a way to stay hopeful anyway. This conversation is about how.

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With incumbent Governor Brian Kemp term-limited and unable to seek re-election, Georgia Democrats are taking a serious run at the Governor’s office.

Andy sits down with the leading candidates vying for the Democratic nomination: former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond and former Georgia State Senator Jason Esteves. These are the kind of honest, substantive conversations Georgia voters deserve heading into the May 19th primary.

They dig into the issues hitting Georgians hardest right now: the cost of living, access to health care, the future of public education, and what it takes to build an economy that works for working families, not just those at the top. They talk about what makes this moment different, how each of them would govern a state that has become a true battleground, and why they believe they're the one who can finally end the Democratic Party's long drought in the Georgia governor's race.

Andy knows firsthand what it takes to win and govern in a red-leaning state with blue values, flipping Kentucky's governor's office and keeping it through record economic growth, a global pandemic, and some of the toughest political headwinds in the country. He's not here to pick a winner. He's here to have the real conversation Georgia voters need before they head to the polls.

Because who leads Georgia next doesn't just matter for Georgians, it matters for the direction of the entire country.

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