Incumbent Mayor of Providence Brett Smiley on April 8, 2025.
(John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Last week, we spoke with campaign manager Ben Shanahan about David Morales’s winning strategy in his successful campaign for Providence mayor. Today, we have a very different conversation with Jenn Steinfeld, David’s field director, about how they built the grassroots operation that knocked proportionately more doors than Zohran Mamdani’s, without burning anyone out. It turns out campaigns really can run field the right way and win. Let’s do it more often!
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Jonathan Smucker
Jonathan Smucker is cofounder and executive director of Popular Comms, a cofounder of Pennsylvania Stands Up, and the author of Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals. He has worked for over 25 years as a political organizer, campaigner, and strategist, and has trained thousands of organizers and social movement participants.
Matt DaSilva
Matt DaSilva is a co-host of the Fighting Fascism podcast.
Aaron Regunberg
Aaron Regunberg is a climate lawyer, a contributing editor at The New Republic, and a former Rhode Island state representative.
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