James Talarico

So I would say my two simple rules for political connection, because that's what we're really talking about, is how do you connect with people?

And politics is connection all the way down.

The way that I think about political connections, the two rules I have are be yourself and tell the truth.

I think if you do those two things, you can stand out and get attention.

I think especially young people, my fellow millennials, but also Gen Z, they're looking for moral authenticity in this moment.

And that's going to look different, right?

For me, given who I am and how I was raised in my life, faith is at the center.

And I'm honest about that.

Even when it...

bothers people in my own party, which it does a lot.

I can't tell you how many emails or messages I get with people telling me to stop all the religious talk because it makes them uncomfortable.

And I get that.

And I try to be as sensitive as I can be to the religious trauma in this country.

And I understand where people are coming from when they feel that way.

But it is who I am.

I can't be anybody else.

And so I think showing up as the person you are and then

Saying something real, saying something honest about the world, that is refreshing to people in this moment.

And so I think when I look at all the videos that get all these views and all this engagement, the videos that do that the most are when I'm being myself and saying something true.

I don't know if you and I are saying different things, though, because isn't that telling the truth?