In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Christina Bohannan, who’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 1st congressional district against Mariannette Miller-Meeks, one of the Republican Party's biggest under-performers. Christina is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.

Miller-Meeks won the district by just six votes in 2020, and she lagged the top of the ticket by 11 points in 2024. Christina ran for Congress in 2022 in a previous iteration of the district and went back for a rematch against Miller-Meeks in 2024. Christina lost that race by just 798 votes, the second-closest race in the country.

In her 2024 congressional campaign, Bohannan made a point to meet constituents in rural areas where voters had not seen or heard from Democrats in years. She was also able to differentiate herself by opposing Democratic policies that were not popular among voters like student loan debt cancellation and calling on President Biden to drop out of the race. This helped her achieve the strongest over-performance of any other Democratic challenger in the country, outperforming Harris by 8.2% and running 11.3 points ahead of a generic Democrat in her district.

All of this has put her in a great position to flip this crucial seat for her rematch against Miller-Meeks in 2026.

Iowa-1 has a Cook PVI of R+ 4, and Trump won the district by 8 points in 2024. The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 cycle.

Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.

In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Dr. Jasmeet Bains, who’s running for Congress in California's 22nd congressional district against Republican David Valadeo. Dr. Bains is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.

Dr. Bains is a frontline physician and California State Assembly member. The first South Asian woman elected to the Assembly, Dr. Bains has been a fearless, independent voice and vote, bucking special interests to protect the Central Valley’s economy and healthcare access.

California’s 22nd congressional district sits in the Central Valley, anchored in Bakersfield and stretching north toward the Fresno suburbs. It is a heavily working-class district shaped by agriculture, energy, and logistics, where voters are primarily driven by the cost of living, water access, fuel prices, and job stability.

Following new maps adopted after Proposition 50 in 2025, CA-22 has been significantly reshaped, altering its political landscape ahead of the 2026 cycle. CA-22 now has a PVI of D+1, and Trump won the district by 1.8 points in 2024. The district is on the DCCC’s Red to Blue list for the 2026 cycle.

Here on the Winner, Winner podcast by Welcome, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome we work to strengthen a centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.

In this episode, Lauren Harper Pope is in conversation with Shannon Bird, who’s running for Congress in Colorado’s 8th congressional district against Republican Gabe Evans. Shannon is part of Welcome’s Win the Middle slate for the 2026 cycle.

Shannon served in the Colorado State House for seven years and has been a pragmatic voice and leader for Democrats in the state. As a results-oriented legislator with an independent streak, Shannon has built a record of challenging the status quo to deliver tangible outcomes for her constituents.

In the state legislature, Shannon focused on issues that resonate across party lines: protecting Colorado jobs, improving public safety, and expanding economic opportunity. She has consistently shown a willingness to take politically difficult votes when they align with the needs of her district, reinforcing her credibility with moderate and unaffiliated voters.

Colorado’s 8th congressional district is the near definition of a swing seat and is likely to play a decisive role in determining the control of the U.S. House in 2026.

Located just north of Denver, the district includes many of the region’s northern suburbs. CO-08 has a Cook PVI of even and is currently rated as a toss-up, and Trump won the district by 2 points in 2024.

The district is on the DCCC’s Districts in Play list, a possible precursor to being added to its prized Red to Blue list.

On the Winner, Winner podcast, we speak with the Democratic Party candidates who prove they can win the middle, beat Republicans on Trump turf, and recalibrate the party to the median voter. Here at Welcome, we work to strengthen the centrist faction that wins and governs responsibly. We support centrist Democrats running in Trump districts through WelcomePAC.