Welcome to Our Table

I grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina. My mom had me as a teenager, and my grandparents helped raise me. Neither of them made it to high school. But my house was always filled with lots of love and support, and my family instilled in me a work ethic that carried me to places they never imagined were possible.

The first time I came back home from college, my grandfather said, “Now Jaime, I don’t want to hear any of that fancy talk. I just want you to make it plain. That’s how we talk at our dinner table.”

That stuck with me over the years as I made my way through Yale undergrad and Georgetown law, through Capitol Hill and the South Carolina Democratic Party, and most recently when I served as Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

People just want you to make it plain. They don’t want to hear confusing jargon, and they damn sure don’t want to hear spin. That’s how you find common ground and build trust.

I’ve been around politics a long time, and I feel like the Democratic Party has lost our ability to make it plain. We get so caught up in trying to consider every response and every outcome that we lose sight of what we’re actually trying to say, which is simple: we’re going to make your lives better.

To make matters worse, we spend a lot of time letting others tell our story. If we’re not relying on the press, we’re often reacting and feeding into a false narrative created by MAGA extremists. Our message gets muddled, and our story is lost.

I had all this in mind when I thought about launching a new podcast. The fact is that the world doesn’t need a new podcast. We have plenty of great (and not so great) options out there. But the world needs to hear the unfiltered voice of the Democratic Party.

That’s why I’m launching At Our Table With Jaime Harrison, a new podcast where we invite elected officials, candidates, and activists to sit down and have honest, straightforward conversations.

The idea is simple: bring people to the table and get past the slogans, the carefully rehearsed talking points, and the social media threads. Just real talk. It's a show filled with the same conversations you have with your family around the dinner table.

Contrary to what some folks believe, the left doesn’t actually have a vehicle that lets Democrats—especially those outside the Beltway—speak plainly and directly to the people. Sure, we have cable news hits, quick social clips, and viral tweets. But those are snippets, sound bites designed to fit a format, not reveal the person behind the words.

The right has entire networks and media ecosystems designed to carry their messages directly to their audiences. Meanwhile, our side has largely relied on traditional media, hoping for fair coverage and enough airtime to get a few key points across.

It’s time to change that.

We deserve to hear what our leaders believe without a middleman. We deserve to hear how they wrestle with tough decisions, what keeps them up at night, and what gives them hope.

At Our Table isn’t about catching anyone in a “gotcha” moment or crafting the perfect viral clip. It’s about giving space for real stories, struggles, and visions to surface. And it’s about you having a chance to hear your leaders talk the way they would if they were sitting across the table from you at home.

The topics will revolve around what defines the Democratic Party today.

Too often, we let other people—especially our opponents—define us. They say we’re out of touch with everyday folks. Last time I checked, Americans want affordable healthcare, better schools, and living wages. We believe in the freedom to make decisions about your own body, your own vote, and your own future.

The truth is, Democratic values are American values.

But we have to get back to talking about these values openly and proudly—not just in carefully worded policy memos or expensive TV ads, but in plain, everyday language.

At Our Table is a space to explore what it means to be a Democrat today. It’s a space to push beyond party labels and talk about the soul of our politics.

Why do we fight for unions? Why does voting rights legislation matter so much? What’s really at stake when extremist politicians try to roll back basic freedoms?

These are the questions that deserve honest, thorough answers—not bite-sized platitudes.

And the other key element of At Our Table is family talk. In my family, that means we can fight like hell, but we are still a family at the end of the day. We always have each other’s backs.

I don’t expect this podcast to be a bunch of Democrats agreeing with each other on every single issue. Our diversity of thought is one of our greatest strengths. But we do need to be clear about our moral compass and the shared values that guide us. I want this podcast to help illuminate those values and remind folks that we’re not just fighting for Democrats. We’re fighting for Americans.

If At Our Table is done right, you’re going to learn about folks and where they stand. We’re not going to hit you over the head with what you should be thinking. We’re going to help you learn more about people. You’re going to get a sense of whose values align with yours, and you’re going to meet some people with a different perspective and see where they’re coming from.

I want you to hear what makes leaders tick. I want you to see where they hesitate, where they’re fired up, where they get emotional. I want you to be able to judge for yourself who’s authentic and who’s just performing.

Whether it’s a governor talking about gun violence, a member of Congress explaining why they took a tough vote, or an activist fighting for clean water in their community—you’ll hear them unfiltered.

My goal isn’t to push you left, right, or center. My goal is to pull back the curtain.

When we understand each other better, we make better decisions at the ballot box and in our everyday lives. We become stronger citizens and a stronger country.

That’s what you get At Our Table.

Come take a seat!