This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.com
Evan is a former campaign fundraiser and political strategist for Democrats. She just published her first book, Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative, which really blew me away. She’s also a writer and podcaster on Substack.
The episode was recorded on October 13, 2026, and aired on October 16. Timestamps for the main sections:
* 02:18: Evan’s upbringing in a poor, tumultuous family and trailer park
* 21:44: Her illness that led her to fight for Obama and his ACA
* 33:43: When she started to turn against Democrats
* 57:51: Getting canceled for being a “fragile white woman”
* 111:55: The death of her veteran brother and a woke disdain for patriotism
* 123:21: Her vote for Trump as a reactionary protest
For two audio clips — on her lifelong illness that drove her to campaign for Obama, and the woke dominance of Dem donors — head to our YouTube page.
More topics covered: how unions helped Evan’s family; the many marriages of her parents; going to 10 different schools; instability with money and healthcare; becoming a first-gen college grad; progressive activism; Bernie and AOC; the colorblind message of Obama; Hillary’s shift to identity politics; the smug elitism of Dem operatives; nepotism; weaponizing “oppression”; the Dem suspicion of straight men; Evan’s “masculine” approach to fundraising; the woke pipeline of the Ivy League; Kaepernick’s knee; oikophobia; immigration and the border; the ICE overreach; the silence of scared liberals; and how Dems haven’t gotten the message after 2024.
Browse the Dishcast archive for episodes you might enjoy. Coming up: Chris Caldwell on the right in the US and Europe, Michael Barone on the midterms, Francis Fukuyama on his memoir, Hamish McKenzie on Substack and journalism, Cynthia Burack on gender studies, Cyrus Habib on leaving politics to become a priest, Catherine Conybeare on Augustine, and Nancy Sherman on Aristotle.
