Over the past years we’ve lived through some alarming assaults on our democracy at every level, from local school boards to the highest court in the land. Over the course of this season of You and Me Both, Hillary’s taking a hard look at the state of our democracy from several vantage points, with the help of experts and leaders doing incredible work on the ground.

Today, we start our series with an examination of our democracy at the state and local level. First, Hillary speaks with Ohio-based political strategist David Pepper, author of Laboratories of Autocracy: A Wake-Up Call from Behind the Lines, about how our democracy loses when we don’t participate locally and play a “long game.” Then she speaks to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, based in Houston, Texas, who is making positive change for all the people in her county.

Bios:

David Pepper began his career working in Russia in the early 1990s, helping to fortify economic reforms during that country’s fledgling attempt at democracy. Back in the United States, he’s served on the Cincinnati City Council and as Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

In 2017, at age 27, Colombia-born Texas-raised Lina Hidalgo was elected Harris County Judge, beating a three-time incumbent and becoming the first woman, and first Latina, to hold that office. Harris County, which includes Houston, is the third largest county in the nation. Together with four County Commissioners, Judge Hidalgo oversees a $4.3 billion budget that helps fund key county services and institutions.

You can read a full transcript HERE.