The Confluence Cast

The Currency of Connection: Jacquie Mahan and The Awesome Company

Most entrepreneurs will tell you their business started with a plan. Jacquie Mahan will tell you hers started with a hunch, a deep affection for the autism community, and what she admits was an almost irresponsible amount of self-confidence. Jacquie is the founder of The Awesome Company, a Grove City-based custom screen-printing business that employs autistic adults and is about to turn 10. Her path to running it is a slightly chaotic one that includes an art gallery in the Short North, a brief and miserable stint as a stay-at-home mom, a Pilates studio, an in-progress EMBA through Brown and IE University, and a small herd of animals on what she lovingly calls a “fake farm” — including two pigs named Doc and Marty. Shownotes * The Awesome Company [https://www.theawesomecompany.com/] Full transcript on page 2. The post The Currency of Connection: Jacquie Mahan and The Awesome Company [https://theconfluencecast.com/the-currency-of-connection-jacquie-mahan-and-the-awesome-company/] appeared first on The Confluence Cast [https://theconfluencecast.com].

Candidate Representative Allison Russo

This is the second of two conversations I recorded with the Democratic candidates for Ohio Secretary of State. If you caught the first one with Dr. Bryan Hambley, welcome back. If not, it’s worth going back to — but this one stands on its own. Today I’m sitting down with State Representative Allison Russo. Russo has been in the Ohio House since 2019, when she flipped a Republican-held seat as a first-time candidate and went on to serve as House Minority Leader — the top Democrat in the chamber. Before politics, she spent more than two decades in public health policy, and she grew up in rural Mississippi, raised by a single mom who worked her way into a union carpentry apprenticeship. We talk about what it’s like to lead a caucus under a supermajority, how she thinks about the role of Secretary of State, what 2026 looks like for Ohio Democrats, and why she believes primaries are actually good for the party. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend going back to the overview episode, where I lay out both candidates and the key fault lines in this race. And if you missed it, the full conversation with Dr. Bryan Hambley is already available. Shownotes * Allison Russo’s campaign website [https://allisonrusso.com/] Full transcript on page 2. The post Candidate Representative Allison Russo [https://theconfluencecast.com/candidate-representative-allison-russo/] appeared first on The Confluence Cast [https://theconfluencecast.com].

Candidate Dr. Bryan Hambley

The 2026 statewide races are officially underway in Ohio, and I sat down with both Democratic candidates for Secretary of State. Today you’re hearing the first of those two conversations. Dr. Bryan Hambley is a leukemia physician at the University of Cincinnati and a political newcomer. He grew up on a small family farm, got pulled into electoral politics through the 2024 anti-gerrymandering campaign, and entered the Secretary of State’s race about eight months before his primary opponent. He’s been running a grassroots campaign — no corporate PAC money, over 320 house parties across the state, and nearly a million dollars raised. We talk about gerrymandering, voting rights, what he’d do with the non-elections side of the office, and why he thinks a political outsider is what this moment calls for. If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to check out the overview episode where I lay out both candidates and the key dynamics of this primary. And stay tuned for the full conversation with Representative Russo, which is coming tomorrow. Shownotes * Candidate overview episode [https://theconfluencecast.com/the-ohio-democratic-primary-for-secretary-of-state/] * Hambley for Ohio [https://www.hambleyforohio.com/] Full transcript on page 2. The post Candidate Dr. Bryan Hambley [https://theconfluencecast.com/candidate-dr-bryan-hambley/] appeared first on The Confluence Cast [https://theconfluencecast.com].

The Ohio Democratic Primary for Secretary of State

With petitions filed and the 2026 statewide races now officially underway, a lot of the attention is on the governor’s race — and understandably so — but there’s a primary happening further down the ballot that deserves a real look: the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State. This is an office that most voters don’t spend much time thinking about, but it touches on some of the most consequential questions in Ohio politics right now — who draws the maps, how elections are run, who gets to vote, and who oversees campaign finance. For the past seven years, the office has been held by a Republican Secretary of State who drew significant criticism for his handling of ballot language, his role in redistricting fights, and his decision to withdraw Ohio from the ERIC voter data-sharing system. Democrats now have a real opportunity to win this seat — and two very different candidates are making the case for why they should be the one to do it. I sat down with both of them. Today, I’ll give a high-level overview of the candidates as a preview for their interviews. Shownotes * Ohio Secretary of State [https://www.ohiosos.gov/] * Dr. Bryan Hambley [https://www.hambleyforohio.com/] * Representative Allison Russo [https://allisonrusso.com/] Full transcript on page 2. The post The Ohio Democratic Primary for Secretary of State [https://theconfluencecast.com/the-ohio-democratic-primary-for-secretary-of-state/] appeared first on The Confluence Cast [https://theconfluencecast.com].

Who’s Running for Ohio Governor?

With petitions filed and the 2026 statewide races officially underway, Ohio’s political landscape is beginning to take shape. The governor’s race is already drawing national attention, with former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton emerging as the sole Democratic candidate and Vivek Ramaswamy entering the Republican primary with endorsements from both Donald Trump and the Ohio Republican Party. But beyond the top-line names, there are deeper dynamics at play—primary challenges, party infrastructure, grassroots pushback, fundraising strategy, and the broader question of whether this election cycle presents a real opportunity for Ohio Democrats. To help us unpack it all, I sat down with David DeWitt, editor-in-chief of the Ohio Capital Journal. We walk through who’s running, what the Republican primary could mean for the general election, why Democrats cleared the field for Acton, and how historical midterm patterns might shape the outcome. We also zoom out to look at the other statewide races—Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor—and why those offices matter more than many voters realize, especially when it comes to redistricting, ballot access, and how Ohio’s laws are defended in court. Shownotes * Ohio Capital Journal [https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] * Amy Acton [https://actonforgovernor.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] (D) * Vivek Ramaswamy [https://vivekforohio.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] (R) * Casey Putsch [https://putschforohio.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] (R) * Heather Hill [https://heatherhillohio.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] (R) * Renea Turner [https://ballotpedia.org/Renea_Turner] (R) * Donald Kissick [https://donkissick.com/?utm_source=theconfluencecast&utm_medium=podcast] (L) Transcript on page 2. The post Who’s Running for Ohio Governor? [https://theconfluencecast.com/whos-running-for-ohio-governor/] appeared first on The Confluence Cast [https://theconfluencecast.com].