Jenny Beth talks to Jessica Anderson, who heads Sentinel Action Fund, the Super PAC associated with Heritage. Learn how conservatives are planning and working to secure and win elections in 2024, and how important it is to get true conservatives elected in November.
Jenny Beth talks to Jessica Anderson, who heads Sentinel Action Fund, the Super PAC associated with Heritage. Learn how conservatives are planning and working to secure and win elections in 2024, and how important it is to get true conservatives elected in November.
Twitter/X: @JessAnderson2 | @JennyBethM
Website: https://www.sentinelactionfund.com/
Jessica Anderson (00:00):
We secure the election, we win the election, and now we roll out and we are boots on the ground ready to go. The battle plans are already in place,
Narrator (00:10):
Keeping our republic is on the line, and it requires Patriots with great passion, dedication, and eternal vigilance to preserve our freedoms. Jenny Beth Martin is the co-founder of Tea Party Patriots. She's an author, a filmmaker, and one of time magazine's most influential people in the world. But the title she's most proud of is Mom To Her Boy, girl Twins. She has been at the forefront fighting to protect America's core principles for more than a decade. Welcome to the Jenny Beth Show.
Jenny Beth Martin (00:41):
Jessica Anderson is a rising star in the conservative movement. In 2017, she made the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Law and Policy. She currently serves as the president of the Sentinel Action Fund, where she is focused on winning elections in 2024. Prior to that, she served as the executive director of Heritage Action and in the Office of Budget and Management for the Trump administration. Jessica, thank you so much for joining me today. You are doing something new this year and in 2024 than what you've done previously. You're working with a super PAC now. What all is going on with that super Pac?
Jessica Anderson (01:18):
Well, thanks Jenny Beth for having me and taking time to talk about everything that's going into the 2024 cycle. And so I've worked in the grassroots for well over a decade now since the Tea Party days of 2010 and have just loved the momentum and the spirit that the grassroots brings to policymaking here in Washington. And having led heritage action and a really wonderful force of activists there on policy accountability, I always just felt that the other hand needed additional work, which is how do we actually get good people in the first place elected with the goal that maybe we don't have to hold them as accountable when they get to DC because they're the right people for the right moment that our country is facing in the first place. So what I'm doing now is working exclusively on getting conservative candidates elected to the Senate and to the house with the goal of growing the majority in the house and taking back the Republican majority in the Senate.
(02:20):
But to do this, we have to have the right people. We can't have folks that are saying one thing on the trail and they get here and do something else. So it's a process that is putting a really big priority on vetting these candidates, making sure that they understand the issues that the grassroots care about, that they can actually lead when they get here, that they're not just going to be a wallflower in the room and sitting back bench in these committee hearings, that they'll be aggressive and that they'll represent us. And that starts early. Everyone thinks of the election cycle as a year, but to have a good election year, you really to actually start it the year before. And so I made the transition earlier this year from Heritage Action to then now running the Sentinel Action Fund, which carries that name of the Sentinel Nation forward, bringing the grassroots directly into the election space.
(03:16):
And we're focused on everything from candidate recruitment and vetting to the tactics that are needed for a broad election year plus infrastructure to win. So that's going to include absentee ballots. It's going to include driving voters through early vote, ground game, door to door voter registration, mail, text message, digital. We have to do it all as you know Jenny Beth because the establishment does it all and a lot of times they miss some of the really important priorities that are in place for us as grassroots activists. So I'm thrilled. The transition's been great. The support has been overwhelming. I think people look at the elections, you even look at what happened this year in this year's midterms, we're tired of losing. And part of that is because we just continue to do the same thing over and over again. And what Sentinel Action Fund is doing, it's bringing to the table a whole new breath of grassroots drive strategy and infrastructure around these elections. Were basically the shadow RNCI like to say.
Jenny Beth Martin (04:18):
Well that's good. We need a shadow RNC that is focused on conservatism and not just focused on getting ours in office. That's right. Getting ours in office is important. I'm not saying that it's not because having a majority allows you to decide what comes to the floor. Yeah. So that is important, but I also want to make sure that what actually comes to the
Jessica Anderson (04:42):
Floors is
Jenny Beth Martin (04:42):
Steeped in conservative
Jessica Anderson (04:43):
Values. That's right. And a majority for a majority's sake is actually not better for us. Why the uni
Jenny Beth Martin (04:50):
Party or
Jessica Anderson (04:50):
The establishment? That's right. Then it's just one big mind meld here. So you really have to think about politics of, okay, well what are the policies that we want forward and who's the right person to champion them? Then can they get elected? Not who can we get elected and let's teach 'em the policy, start with the policy and draw that thread directly through the electoral process. And so I'm hopeful as we scale in a major way for 2024 for the Senate Battlegrounds, for the House Battlegrounds, that will be really helpful and get some big Ws, win big league as much as as this country needs.
Jenny Beth Martin (05:27):
And what are the things you're looking at when you vet candidates?
Jessica Anderson (05:30):
So the first thing we always talk about are their basic policy instincts. And a lot of times you can actually learn that from someone if you ask them where are you not a conservative? And how a candidate answers that question is usually very interesting because it'll be things like, well, I'm conservative everywhere except for abortion.
Jenny Beth Martin (05:54):
That's not conservative.
Jessica Anderson (05:55):
Exactly. Or I'm conservative everywhere except for school choice, which is one I heard the other day. So you actually begin to see through the mask really quickly if you ask a question like that first, and then you can start drilling down because being a conservative means you care about everything from faith and family to fiscal responsibility to a strong national defense, to understanding the fight against the left today, the fight against the left today is very different than 200 years ago, but the principles are the same. The tactics have changed, they should change. They need to keep changing, but the principles are the same. So I kind like to unpack that when we're talking about the issues and I find that that sort of question brings to the surface the truth about that candidate a lot quicker. And then we talk a little bit about their fundraising viability.
(06:48):
Can they raise money? How's that going? And then I ask them, well, how many door knockers do you have committed? Because we know that you can't actually win unless you have a robust grassroots ground game around the candidate. And that's in addition to any of the outside work that we at Sentinel Action Fund may or may not do. Other organizations may or may not do, but the candidate themselves got to understand they have to do the hard work. They have to be willing to go and knock on doors and go to rallies and show up. It's not just TV hits and sending mailers and emails. You got to be in people's communities. And so if you ask how many people do you have on your volunteer lists, what's your staffing look like? You then really start to understand, okay, this is a legitimate candidate. They are serious, they're committed, they're with us on the issues.
(07:37):
They get that they've got to work. Alright, now let's figure out how we can go in and help them. And this next cycle there, there's some good candidates that are out there. They're going to have some tough primaries that are out there. We will not get engaged, we will not engage on the primary side. We will be there afterwards with the hopes that the best conservative wins. And then we'll make an assessment then on endorsements. So expect to see endorsements from the Sentinel Action Fund really summertime of next year of 2024. But the infrastructure is in place regardless and it helps the whole ballot. So even though our endorsements may just be for the House and Senate, it's going to help the school board race, the local county races, the State House and state Senate races. It helps all the way down the ballot. And that's what I think we as a movement have finally built. And it's a machine that actually is working and can work. It just needs that extra layer now of the independent expenditures back to actually good candidates. And then we've got kind of all the sauce that's working in the right way for these elections.
Jenny Beth Martin (08:45):
I think that is really important. Endorsing in primaries is important. And our organization, our super PAC Tea pretty Patriots Citizens Fund has endorsed in primaries in the past in 2022, we did not do that. And I don't know, we haven't decided yet on 2024, but part of the reason we didn't in 2022 is that we needed everyone to understand that our focus in the last election cycle was election integrity. And we didn't want them to be angry at us going into the general election because of something that happened in the primary. Whether the candidate won or lost no matter what, we had to be back working on securing the elections in 2022. And when you're dealing with a grassroots, sometimes holding off in the endorsement really helps, especially when they're just angry. Since November, 2020, they've been very,
Jessica Anderson (09:42):
Very angry. Can you blame it?
Jenny Beth Martin (09:44):
I understands completely
Jessica Anderson (09:48):
On the election integrity front. I think that's such a good point that every single one of us needs to just continue to talk about because 2024 is a real test to all of these state laws that have changed since 2020. And there is everything from states and finally embracing voter ID to cleaning up their absentee ballots, to having more secure locations for drop boxes and signature match and all of those improvements that have been done over the last three years. I mean, we saw a little bit in the midterms where I think you saw way less and you saw way less fraud being captured. It doesn't mean that fraud didn't exist. It's always going to exist. And we just need to know that we need to prepare for it. We need to have the stringent laws in place and we need to overcome the margin or the likelihood that fraud is going to exist. Which is why I think the election integrity component coupled with a strong turnout project is going to make sure that we're over that hump because the left is always going to cheat. I mean, there's just no way we can be in a situation where we think the left is not going to cheat. They're always going to cheat. We got to hold 'em accountable for it. We got to sue them and we have to have the laws in place,
Jenny Beth Martin (11:03):
The laws to try to prevent it in the first place. And that's very important. The way I've been thinking about 2024 since November, 2022. Well, it's three words, but two main words, secure and win, which is secure and we have to win. Love that. And if you want to focus on election security and integrity, go do that If you want to focus on getting out the vote. So we win do that. If you're a super activist who wants to do both, we need you. But it takes both components. That's right. But the end goal isn't just a secure elections. It is ultimately to win.
Jessica Anderson (11:39):
That's right. That's right. And I think voters in particular, grassroots voters, conservatives, we need to feel comfortable coming back to the ballot box. We need to know that our vote is going to be kept secure. And that's why I think getting the out more about what are the improvements that were made in your state, where has the law changed? Should you change how you vote yourself? So if you're worried about absentee, then utilize early voting. If you're worried about election day because of whatever, or you yourself want to volunteer as a poll worker or watcher, then utilize early voting. And I think that sort of operational shift that we're seeing from the grassroots of realizing that we need to take the bull by the horns when it comes to our own operations and couple that with election integrity and security is a huge sea change that we're going to see for 24.
Jenny Beth Martin (12:31):
Yeah, I think so. And your group, well, your former group, heritage Action, and then the work of the whole
Jessica Anderson (12:40):
Coalition,
Jenny Beth Martin (12:41):
The coalition Conservative Partnership and State Election Integrity Network, A FPI, just, the list goes on and on and on because of all of that and the fact that none of us are letting go of what we did in 2022, I think we are much better prepared going into November, 2024. And I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and I'm not saying you don't need to volunteer, I'm just saying we're in a better place in 2024 than we were in 2020.
Jessica Anderson (13:09):
And it only works if we stay vigilant. That's right. That's the thing here. We have to view election integrity, just the way you would view paying your taxes. It's something that you have to stay on year over year over year. And I think our grassroots get that. I really do. And I think it's been incredibly encouraging to see so many people volunteer so much of their time to do early vote poll watching and working and to get trained by the state and to sit in these classes and then to give your time and be there all day is just amazing. And the more we have patriots in the room with their eyes and ears, with their legal expertise or just their common sense expertise, that's only going to make things better for our side.
Jenny Beth Martin (13:53):
That is right. And one of the things that I am noticing this year in 2023 is that people who had not been engaged before 2020, or perhaps they had been engaged and they were just volunteering a lot of these people who got really concerned about election security, not a lot. There are only a few positions, but I'm noticing that some of those people have done so much and built such incredible relationships with their local party and with the people who work the elections,
Jessica Anderson (14:27):
The election boards,
Jenny Beth Martin (14:28):
They are actually now being appointed to the election boards, which
Jessica Anderson (14:31):
Is exactly what we want. Yes. This is exactly what conservatives have always wanted, which is we want to be in the room, we want to seat at the table, we want these positions and we want to be in leadership. I mean, that is the key to knowing the issues, growing our skills, and then going out and actually leading in our communities.
Jenny Beth Martin (14:52):
Right now, someone who is from the left could be trolling the podcast welcome, and then they'll be like, welcome. We're not
Jessica Anderson (14:58):
Crazy. They'll
Jenny Beth Martin (14:59):
Be like, well, oh, they just said they're putting people on the election boards. But the election boards truly have, I think that they work the best when they are partisan on both sides so that you have people who are looking out for each side, the Democrat side and the republican side. And I know there are other parties, but I'm just pointing out then in DeKalb County, Georgia in 2022 when there were problems in the primary, it was a Democrat primary that had the issues and they had to get the buy-in from the Republicans on the election board to be able to correct the problem. And Republicans were willing to do that. And the election boards wind up being partisan and they need to be bipartisan.
Jessica Anderson (15:44):
Yeah, I mean I completely agree with you. And Democrats put their people in these positions too. And so we're not doing something that hasn't already been done for 30 years. If anything, conservatives are just now understanding how important these positions were. I mean, we've been busy raising families and sending our kids to school and growing our business and then boom, this entire election operation on the left has stood up outside of the DNC. Well, where have we been? So now I think are fully shifting and taking what we've learned from the policy accountability project that we've had. Our organizations have worked on that since 2010 and now really bringing that sort of keen eye and strategy in planning and infrastructure into the election space, which is good.
Jenny Beth Martin (16:31):
Okay. Now what other kind of strategic thinking should we be conservatives and especially grassroots, be thinking about what have we learned from 2010 to now that you think we need to be paying attention to going into the future?
Jessica Anderson (16:46):
So when it comes to elections, the biggest thing that we have, the deficit is the relational organizing side of this. And we do this well on policy. We grab our friends and we say, we're going to go to this march or we're going to go to this meeting, this town hall. But for whatever reason, we have this mental mind block when it comes to elections. And I think a lot of this comes down to just what it's like to be a conservative, which is we're very private, independent minded. And so the left is not like that. They operate in kind of a mob mentality and they've never taken politics out of their bloodstream of their life. It's part of their DNA, it's part of the rights and protests and all that. It's just part of the left's DNA. Well,
Jenny Beth Martin (17:39):
They want collectivism. That's right.
Jessica Anderson (17:41):
It's kind of this collectivism mob mentality that's based on a political focus. Whereas on the right, like I said, we've been focused on our families, on our businesses, on schools, and we've kind of put politics aside and policy issues happen. It happens naturally, right? You're at the table, you talk about how much your dinner costs, you talk about what's on the television, you talk about culture. All of that's very natural. So where we're catching up is that infusion of bringing politics back into the day-to-Day, and actually taking that next step relationally. So just as we would talk to our neighbors, for instance, about the need to support Israel, or we would talk to our neighbors about the books that our kids are reading because they're in school together. And if we're concerned about that, let's talk to our neighbors about do they have a plan to vote?
(18:31):
Can I collect your absentee ballot if you're planning to send one in, I'm a ballot harvester. I'm able to do third party ballot collection. It's legal in my state, by the way. It's legal in every battleground state. Surprise surprise for Georgia, not Georgia except for Georgia. Well, Georgia, yeah, Georgia still counts as a battleground. I don't think. It may not ever go back to not being a battleground for a while. We'll see. But when you think of the Michigans and the Wisconsins and the Ohios where it's legal, we need to be doing it. We need to continue to call for the changes in the law there, but where it's legal, we need to be doing it. And so the relational organizing side of this allows us to take the same sort of battle rhythm that we use to talk about the policy issues with our friends and families and our communities, our sphere of influence, and now use it for electoral reasons.
(19:19):
So bringing your friends to vote early, collecting absentee ballots where it's legal, having an election day plan, what's your plan to vote? And then talking to them about who they're voting for. I mean, the thing that I think is so interesting when I talk about this with folks, even with my own family, is they don't even realize that voter file and whether or not you voted or not, it's all public information. So we are going to be able to put that back in the hands of sentinels, of grassroots activists, of Tea Party Patriots, of basically anyone that wants it and be able to say, okay, based on your list of friends, here's voted in early voting here, who hasn't yet? Here's how to go talk to them, how to remind them, bring them with you. Bring that relational aspect back to voting. And I think there's some challenges for us on the right, because we think of election day as this beautiful historical constitutional moment.
(20:14):
We may think that it should be a national holiday, and I love that I'm all for that. But there are so many voters that don't think like that need the extra time that early voting affords, or they understand that they want to be able to be a volunteer on election day, and so they need to do early vote and bank that vote earlier, secure that vote earlier. So I think just shifting our mindset to be comfortable widening the aperture of when we vote and how we vote, I think is one. And then two, bringing in that relational organizing that we're so good at. We do this on the policy issues, let's do it on the elections. And that's the biggest I lesson I learned. And I'm curious your thoughts too from the Ossoff race in Georgia because that is what he perfected. And we can learn a lot from that. We can build the technology and the data, but we already have the people that are doing it. So we're a step ahead. We just need to connect the dots so it's more natural in kind of our day-to-day,
Jenny Beth Martin (21:15):
Right? And that's what we've been working on so much with Tea Party, Patriots Citizens Fund, and we've partnered with Turning Point on developing technology for it. Love that. And if all goes well, it's going to work. And I used to program computers, so I know there'll be some bugs here and there that we still have. We're still working out. But that relational aspect is the most important part that I see that has been missing on the right. And it still was missing in the special elections this year in 2023. I don't think that,
Jessica Anderson (21:55):
I don't It was anywhere.
Jenny Beth Martin (21:56):
No, I don't think that it was. And part of that, so I like you and we've talked about this, I researched what Ossoff's campaign did and the fact of the matter is they were very proud of their work, Jessica, they put so much stuff online and they should have been proud because what they did was very innovative. It wasn't rocket science, but it was really a smart way to connect the dots like you just said. And so I've learned from it, and they did that in 2020 between the general election and the runoff. Then in 2022, by the time the general election rolled around in 2022, there were four different software companies on the left offering relational organizing and on the right zero, I don't even think we understood what they had done in 2022 until about September and there was no time to build anything. So we're trying to fill that gap and then it will be a matter of people using it and the volunteers who care so much already. That's right. Pulling together and going, okay, well if we want to win, we've got to be smart about it. And I call it modernizing, getting out the vote.
Jessica Anderson (23:09):
I love that. And it's going to take everyone helping. This is not a one organization, one single effort. I mean, this is an all hands on deck effort. I mean, you look at what the left has built out and they have hundreds of little pop-up organizations and technology groups and they triage data and they funnel things from one place to the next. And we have seven groups. So we need to quadruple our bandwidth and our infrastructure and I think be willing, as Tea Party Patriots and Sentinel Action Fund have proven, be willing to work together and know that everyone's going to pull their part and flooding the market, it's just like flooding the zone. I mean, everyone's going to pick the thing that makes the most sense for them, but then you got to do it. And that's really what's going to be a sea change.
(23:57):
And you're totally right. Jenny Beth, the 2023 midterm elections proved that there is a lot more work that still needs to be done. So if you put aside the issue of abortion and how that was handled in some states versus others, if you just put that aside for a moment and you just look about what we're talking about, the sheer tactical operations, the only state that I'm aware of that actually had a absentee ballot early vote initiative is Virginia, Kentucky didn't have one, Mississippi did not have one. Obviously the outcome for the governor is positive there. Virginia though there's a really interesting, I think, case study that we could make of the commonwealth because this is a blue state. This is a state that Biden won by 10 points. So Glenn Youngin burst onto the scene, to his credit, got a lot of national attention, but this is still a true blue state.
(24:57):
The demographics of the state have not changed. Like I said, it's a Biden plus 10. So the model of what was accomplished in Virginia of actually encouraging and investing in people to vote early or to get on the permanent absentee list, none of that, no excuse. Absentee wasn't even in place until 2020 because of Covid. Well, now it's still in place. It hasn't been rolled back. So how do conservatives in the state actually interact with that? Do we ignore it? Do we build a strategy around it? Do we try to get our voters to use it? And we were part Sentinel Action Fund through our partner organization called Right Vote. We were part of a small test case in Virginia 20 races, seven in the Senate and 13 in the house at the state side of starting to test this. What is the best way to bring low propensity?
(25:51):
So those voters that have voted one or two of the last four elections into the early vote space with the goal that they vote early and then that saves us money, they dropped from the list and then we're not continuing to try to turn them out. So this is not an effort for solid conservative voters that we know are going to show up. This is not a habitual voter effort. This is truly can we get those low propensity voters to be there. And I was pulling the numbers and we've really been wrestling with it because the last time Virginia had an election that looks like this one was in 2019, so it was actually before no excuse for absentee was lifted, but it still had early vote. And then there were only 150,000 voters in that election that voted early. That's it. GO and Dem really small universe for this 2023 election.
(26:49):
It's just under a million. It's about 850,000. And so that is a huge sea change of voters that are coming forward and saying that they'll vote during the early vote. Now imagine if you added in the relational organizing aspect and you added in a full frontal grassroots ground game, export this program into a battleground state like we have for the Senate battlegrounds this next year or into a red state that we're trying to lock up and secure. You would have totally different results. This is what Virginia showed me is that it could have been a lot worse had a program like this not been in place, but the margin of victory is still only at 1%. So this is not a mandate on either side. It is truly a height. These races are truly very, very tight even though it's a blue state. So people are coming our way, parental rights, education crime, I think all of that is helping, but it's not like people are changing their party registration.
(27:52):
It's not like they're coming into the Republican zone and leaving the Democrat party behind. So there's a lot I think that we can learn from these elections. I think a lot of ink is going to be spelled on the issue of abortion. I think that the pathway there is very, very clear on what I would be doing. But as far as the tactical side and what Sentinel Action Fund and Tea Party Patriots action and others can really harness, it's on this kind of operational learnings for the A BEV program and just fully embracing any way to vote and as early as possible.
Jenny Beth Martin (28:30):
That makes sense when you see what you would do with abortion.
Jessica Anderson (28:35):
Oh, well, I think you have to be clear at the very beginning and at Ocelot that you're pro-life and this whole argument about, well, let's be more pragmatic or whatever word you want to argue, the left is not being pragmatic. They're not compromising on their pro-abortion policies. Why should we? So I know that there's these concerns out there. Well, you got to get in office so then you can protect more babies. Okay, I've heard that before. I've heard that for a long time. But I think there's two things that I would just offer to the conversation. First is that, and this kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier, but first is that there is a structural problem for how the right talks about abortion. It is a side issue. It is a third leg. It is not embedded in our DNA and that's a mistake because conservatives should be pro-life through and through period.
(29:38):
When you look at the left, it's a fundamental right and everything is adjacent from that flows from that. And so they don't offer a compromise because there's not a compromise to a core principle. And so the structure of how the left talks about abortion is entirely different than how we approach pro-life issues. It's a single issue. Even just in that setup, you can see and feel the difference. So we need to have a full embrace, I think, on the right of being pro-life and not putting it in this corner of being a sidebar single issue subset of voters. So I think that's one, we just have misalignment. But then I think two, the conservative movement for a lot of really good reasons has been conditioned to think that our main goal was to overturn Roe v. Wade. There is an enthusiasm gap and we need to be comfortable I think recognizing that because the enthusiasm gap is for the average American on the right, the average conservative voter, well, we won.
(30:45):
There's no more work to be done. Roe v Wade is overturned and that's just not true. Yes, we're so grateful that Roe v Wade is overturned. We should celebrate that. We should praise God for that, but we should recognize that jobs turn this decision to the states. And Ohio, unfortunately from this last year is the seventh state now that has enshrined the right to an abortion. Again, there's that language, the right to an abortion into their constitution. And so we're going to see more states try to do that because the job to protect life is not over. It's not over with ro. And those two things I think we need to accept, acknowledge, grapple with. And then now we need strategies around it for how candidates can more compassionately talk about the wraparound care of a mother. I mean, I've been in the pro-life community since I was a little girl.
(31:35):
My mom, many people know this about me, but I've talked about it before. My mom ran pregnancy resource centers in Florida and now runs them in the Commonwealth of Virginia. And so I grew up going to a pregnancy resource centers walking for life. We just had our big Walk for life in Virginia two weeks ago, just earlier this month. That was a huge success of people coming out. So it's been part of my DNA. And one thing I've learned from my mom that I think is missed is the support for women is so robust in and can be even more robust in the women's healthcare pregnancy resource center network. It's not just, well, here's a flyer on adoption. Go out the door. No, I'm going to give STD testing. Do you have a job? Does the father have a job? Let's get you a job.
(32:28):
Let's get you a skill, let's get you an ultrasound. Let's spring for that four D ultrasound so you can see what it looks like. You need to help with rent. Great. Here's the money to help your rent. You need to get out of your situation. Here's the money to get out of your situation. Pregnancy resource centers are not just this. It's not just a daycare. That's not what it is. It's a full wraparound care for women's health and that has to include the father and it has to include making a plan for how you're going to bring this baby into life and then keep that baby alive. And many people choose adoption, which is beautiful. Others then realize that with this help, they can succeed as a family or as a new family unit. And so it's a long way of saying I don't think the compassionate care necessarily comes to the forefront of the conversation a lot, and that needs to come forward in this post RO era.
(33:21):
We need to talk about it more holistically about this wraparound care for the mother, for the family. And I think the more we do that we actually show that we are a movement that values a culture of life and that then drives the narrative. That's our structural strength. And then that from there flows the policies that are appropriate in the state, at the federal level. So that's how I'm thinking about it and would encourage people to use this opportunity not to fall into these buckets of, okay, well I'm never talking about abortion or I'm always going to talk about abortion. Really to just go back to the structural nature of the issues.
Jenny Beth Martin (34:00):
I think that makes a lot of sense. And when I was hearing our organization doesn't take on the life issue, but we all have to be able to talk about the life issue. When you were just saying that thought of something, the way that the left is talking about it, it's the right to abortion or the right to healthcare. And we talk about pro-life, but there is a right to life and we don't talk about the right to life. And if you're talking about the right to life versus a right to abortion or the right to healthcare, at least you're at this point now talking about something that is a fundamental foundational principle. And then you move from there. That's right. And we are, even when you call it, it feels
Jessica Anderson (34:49):
Like over here, like a little side issue. Yeah, yeah,
Jenny Beth Martin (34:52):
I know. And it isn't as fundamental as saying, you have a right to do this. That's right. Instead of having changes to the law, that set said said, the weeks of pregnancy in which you could have an abortion, it should be changes to the law that are just enshrining the light to
Jessica Anderson (35:13):
Life,
Jenny Beth Martin (35:13):
To life and reaffirming the right to life. And then in 2016, not 2020, but in 2016 during one of the debates with Trump and Hillary, I remember him coming out and he was asked a question about abortion, and he just took it like a by the horns love it, and talked about what happens in late term abortion and said, this is wrong. And Hillary, you're for this and you're willing to kill babies. And I'm not okay with it. I'm paraphrasing the way that he said that. But he didn't get up there and shy away from it when he was asked, which is what you're saying, you have to be willing to talk about it when you shy away from it. We're
Jessica Anderson (35:59):
Already talking about it. Voters are already talking about it. So elected officials need to talk about it too. How are we going to expect you to lead if you're not talking about the issues we're already talking about? I was thinking of this, this is a little tangential, but I was thinking about the left to put so much of an emphasis on sex ed. And in my day, my mom signed me out of that. I never went to sex ed, but now it's just part of everything. Sex ed is everywhere. Why is the abortion procedure not part of the sex ed curriculum? If it's so part of their everything, why are they not showing the actual screenshots and visualization of the abortion procedure? Well,
Jenny Beth Martin (36:40):
And they show visualization of everything else and every other, they should show manner. Yeah,
Jessica Anderson (36:46):
They should show this. And it should be clear what the procedure is. It's not a clump of cells and it should be part of any sex ed class that the left is going to shove down the rights and normal Americans, everyday Americans throats. This needs to be a part of it.
Jenny Beth Martin (37:03):
That's a really good point. And then something else that I think when you were just talking about what your mom does and with pregnancy resource centers, I think it's very important the solution to an unwanted pregnancy, the way that the left frames, it is a little tiny bit of money and medical procedure and you're out for a day and you're done. And so it's an inconvenience and some money for a day versus a lifetime of not knowing how you're going to make ends meet and what you're going to do and how you're going to finish your college degree or graduate from high school or whatever it might be, or be mid-career and whatever the decisions are that lead to that, if we're not showing that we can help support throughout not just the nine months, but getting them on their feet so that they can go be able to take care of themselves aren't not where they're not mentally, where the people are who are making that decision. And it's a political issue and it's a heart and mind issue. And if we're not addressing all of it, we're not going to win on the issue.
Jessica Anderson (38:18):
Yeah, that's right. And that's why it just comes full circle of just being so excited about the new speaker and the House of Representatives because we have a speaker now that not only does he understand the right to life and supporting a culture of life, but he's willing to legislate like that. And so you look back at the last 13 years of the movement all the way back to 2010, even 2008 with Obama's election, what we were striving for is to have someone in leadership that understood all of our issues was one of us. And that's finally been accomplished with now Speaker Johnson. And it took a long time to get here, probably longer than any of us would've wanted, but we're here. And this gives I think a great momentum into 2024 into the ballot boxes, into those house races because conservatives should be proud to show up and they should be proud to fully embrace this new political agenda where he's actually talking about the issues that we care about.
(39:19):
He's following through and putting the bills actually on the floor in a manner and a timely manner of which we love and want to see. I mean, first out of the gate is the Israel package that how is it funded? Cut the budgets of the IRS agents. Beautiful. Kenny, why didn't we think of that earlier? It's like that's his first big major piece of legislation. Awesome. Working through the spending battles, making sure that HR two stays as the only option for securing the border. We don't need to go backwards. Getting HR two introduced, well written, introduced and passed was a challenge in and of itself. It's done. It's past the house. That is the baseline for any immigration and border security package going forward, period. That's where we start from Now the Senate should take that and build from there. So that is the type of forceful leadership that I think we're seeing from the new speaker, which is just a pleasant sea change in Washington. Now of course, he's going to need support. He's going to need prayer, he'll need accountability because all of the forces that are at work in the swamp are still at work here. He's not immune to them, but this is one of our guys in leadership and we need to be there for him. He's going to be there for us.
Jenny Beth Martin (40:34):
That is exactly right. I don't know if you know this or not, but when Tea Party Patriots started back in 2009, there were four co-founders of Tea Party Patriots, mark Meckler and Amy Kramer and another person who is not really a political or a public figure, so I don't normally talk about him just because he's not a public figure. And then there were a couple other people who are active and helped get the entire movement started. And one of those is Michael Patrick Lee, he who has a Tennessee star in the Star Network. And then another one is Rob Godde, and he started the Cajun Navy down in Louisiana. Love that. But before he did the Cajun Navy, which he still activates people every single time there's a hurricane or a major event. Love that. That's great. He did tea party work in Shreveport, in Boer City? I think so anyway, in Louisiana or I don't remember which part, so I could be just totally messing up the whole entire state. But the point is he lives near Mike Johnson and at his 4th of July event in 2009, Mike Johnson attorney talking about the Constitution spoke at a tea party event on July 4th, 2009. And so after Mike Johnson became the speaker, Rob sent me this screenshot and he's like, look, look, he was our guest speaker. He's one of us. It took us 13 years, 14 years, but now we have people who were there who understood that we actually wanted someone to come talk to us about the Constitution.
Jessica Anderson (42:17):
Yeah, I imagine that. And
Jenny Beth Martin (42:19):
He did that from his speech when he became speaker. And he's thinking of it as he creates law and I think it's really good, but it also shows that we don't get instant. That's right. We don't get instant wins even We're in this society and culture right now where you can touch something on the screen and you see something that you like instantly, but life doesn't always give you what you want right away. And it took a long time to get to him
Jessica Anderson (42:46):
And it's going to hopefully be a long time that he's in place, right? I mean now he's there and he needs to stay there. And so a successful speakership looks like doing the things he said he was going to do, secure the border cut spending, harness the cultural anxiety that we all have and actually make some changes at the federal level. But a lot of it is pushing it back to the state and being a good partner with states, but it's also the electoral side and there's going to be a lot of pressure on him to have those wins and grow the house majority. And I think with the changes that we've been talking about here today, that's going to help. And it's going to be a sea change that some might be uncomfortable with. It means that not all political spending is going to go to television.
(43:35):
That's good. Do we need to have TV ads? Of course you need to have TV ads. The left has TV ads, we should have them. But the left has a robust union network that goes door to door and we have a robust tea party, grassroots sentinel program and nation that's going to go door to door as well. And I think all the operational changes that are coming are only going to help the speaker deliver those critical wins for the house. Show that he's got the political proudness. We know he is a constitutional conservative. We know that he can ask tough questions and committee hearings and that he will seek the Lord above all else. We know those things. And this election I think will be a good showing that he can do this other stuff too that's so important to that leadership role. And then he is going to bust it open.
(44:19):
And I think that's what I'm excited about when I think about life after 2024. I know it's hard to think that far ahead, but we could be in a position where we have the White House House and a Senate, and what are we going to do then when conservatives are back in power and what are our priorities? What are the 10 things that have to get done in that first year? Let's not take a year to figure it out. Let's be ready to go. And there are some really smart people that are part of the larger conservative movement that are thinking about that now, that are writing the executive orders, writing the legislative bills to send to the hill, getting the agency staff in place, getting those Schedule F employees vetted, trained, getting their skills up to date and a big database. And then that way there's a robust administration, basically packet ready to go on day one to hand to the new president and to work in concert with the new house and this newly empowered senate that's just ready to rock and roll and turn this country around.
Jenny Beth Martin (45:17):
That's right. Project 2025. Yep. And I think there's 75 organizations working.
Jessica Anderson (45:22):
Oh, and the list is growing every day. It's truly a movement wide corner to corner effort of people that have been in administrations, they've done the hard work before, they know what's needed and they're out with a vengeance to really get this done and be ready to go on day one.
Jenny Beth Martin (45:41):
And it is exactly what we need because
Jessica Anderson (45:45):
Exactly what we need.
Jenny Beth Martin (45:46):
If we haven't learned anything else four years to control the White House is not a long time. That's right. And you're not guaranteed eight, you only give four. And you need to make sure that every single one of those days every year is that you use it to the maximum you possibly can.
Jessica Anderson (46:04):
That's right. I think I would take your secure and win, which I do love. I think we need to say secure, win and roll out so that way we're ready to go. We secure the election, we win the election, and now we roll out and we are boots on the ground ready to go. The battle plans are already in place and we can show, again, going back to the whole reason conservatives care about politics and we care about winning elections so that we can get these policy changes in place. And so winning is one part of it. How we do it, we've talked about that and then roll out with these plans and actually have them in place to turn the country around.
Jenny Beth Martin (46:43):
Alright, now I want to talk about what is it that if somebody is listening, they want to be involved with your organization, how can they be involved and what are the things they can be looking at to do with the Sentinel Action Fund for 2024?
Jessica Anderson (46:58):
Well, first off, it's an all hands on deck moment, so definitely be thinking about how to get involved. You can join our effort, become a Sentinel Heritage Action is still running the Sentinel Program, soup to nuts with the Monday night call and the strategy sessions. Janae Shrock runs that. You hear her voice. Many of you all know her. I know that. And so stay up to date with the Sentinel Program, Sentinel Nation at Heritage Action through those Monday night calls and the state directors that are in place. So join that, join that effort, keep getting the information from Tea Party Patriots, from any other local group that's bringing in kind of the real story of what's going on at your state capitol and here in Washington. And then when you're ready to start thinking about the election, which I think you need to start doing by about March.
(47:47):
So if you're looking at the calendar year, don't wait for August to start thinking about the election. Start thinking about what you want to do in March. Do you want to be a poll worker or poll watcher? Okay. Do you want to be involved in ballot harvesting third party ballot collection where it's legal? Great. We'd love to have you. Do you want to help us test out some of this technology and the apps that are going to be coming online over the summer? Great. Let us know. We'll put you on the beta team so you can test this with us. We can get all the kinks out. So start thinking about kind of what your role is going to be in March and then let us know our website, sentinel action fund.com. We can also be contacted through any of the state directors, through Heritage Action through you, and we'll have this universe ready to go afoot.
(48:33):
Soldiers ready to pivot for the election. It's really seasoned now, and I know we're nervous talking about it. It's not just election day. There's all of these different ways to vote that we need to be comfortable working in and having sentinels and having activists on the front lines of that will help make sure it's done right, that it's done, secure, that it's done with best practices and it'll bring those more timid, conservative and Republican voters along. So that's the best way to be involved. So think of March. Don't wait for August to make your election plans
Jenny Beth Martin (49:06):
And where can they go to get more information?
Jessica Anderson (49:08):
Sentinel action fund.com. Or you can follow me on Twitter at Jess Anderson too for updates on all of this. And as we roll stuff out in states, everything will be there.
Jenny Beth Martin (49:17):
That is great. Jessica, thank you so much for spending time with me today.
Jessica Anderson (49:20):
Thank you Jenny Beth for having me. It's just been such a pleasure.
Jenny Beth Martin (49:23):
I really appreciate it. This was Jessica Anderson with Sentinel Action Fund and make sure you go check out her website, follow her on Twitter or X and stay up to date. We need you taking action in 2024. We have to be able to win elections and her organization is going to help us do that. I'm Jenny Beth Martin and this is the Jenny Beth Show.
Narrator (49:45):
The Jenny Beth Show is hosted by Jenny Beth Martin, produced by Kevin Mohan and directed by Luke Livingston. The Jenny Beth Show is a production of Tea Party Patriots action. For more information, visit tea party patriots.org.
Jenny Beth Martin (50:05):
If you like this episode, let me know by hitting the light button or leaving a comment or a five star review. And if you want to be the first to know every time we drop a new episode, be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications for whichever platform you're listening on. If you do these simple things, it will help the podcast grow and I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much.