I don’t remember the exact moment I met Ofirah Yheskel. But within a few weeks, I’d followed her and Beto O’Rourke into campaign stops at taquerias, BBQ joints, and a very rowdy OU Sooners bar in Norman, Oklahoma.
It’s been a few years since that day. But Ofirah remains one of the Democratic Party’s best advocates for a go-everywhere, talk-to-everyone communications strategy. As head of external affairs at the Democratic Governors Association, she advises some of the party’s brightest stars on how to tell the story of the roads they’re paving, the jobs they’re creating, and the role they’re playing as a backstop against the Trump Administration.
That perspective comes from years as a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
I’m excited to share her thoughts on why more Democratic elected officials should call into ESPN radio, audit local pizza joints, and show up in places where voters don’t expect to see them.
This is ON BACKGROUND:
5 short questions. 5 quick responses on what’s working, what isn’t, and what comes next, featuring the wisdom of Ofirah Yheskel, Director of External Affairs at the Democratic Governors Association.
Ofirah, what are you doing differently than you were 5 years ago?
The information landscape has become so much more fractured and personalized to each individual in our intended audience, which is an interesting challenge and one I try to see as an opportunity as well. It used to be enough to be building strong relationships with as many reporters and outlets as you could. Now, we’re doing that AND trying to figure out how to engage creators who, with the consolidation we’ve seen of local news, have become trusted sources of information for people at a time when our collective attention is being pulled in more directions than ever before. In my role at the DGA, it also sometimes means that I’m the person on the other side of the Substack Live or podcast interview, and let me tell you, I really empathize with candidates running today who have to try to find their sea legs on so many different mediums at one time.
What Dem governor is communicating with voters in a way that more folks around the country should be paying attention to?
Just stating for the record that we have many incredible communicators among this class of Democratic governors. Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania (and his team) do an excellent job of both generating their own interesting content and also finding opportunities that are a great fit for him. Any time he pops up on ESPN, that’s a great example - he’s a genuine sports fan coming on to talk who just happens to be the governor and that’s when you’re really hitting the mark in my opinion. I hold out hope that one day we’ll have a Democratic governor who is as into Bravo as I am and we’ll achieve my dream of booking them on Watch What Happens Live.
What’s something interesting you’re seeing from a Democrat who doesn’t occupy a governor’s mansion?
Rob Sand in Iowa is literally going everywhere. He’s in the middle of doing 100 town halls across the state right now (it’s actually his second time on a 100-town hall tour since launching this campaign for gov), he goes on hunting podcasts, he reviews and “audits pizza” online. You can get a sense of who he is and what he’s about pretty quickly. That’s actually easier said than done a lot of the time, so I give him a lot of credit.
What do you want to shout from the rooftops to your peers?
Look, it will shock no one that I think Democratic governors are who we should be looking to for the roadmap of where to go next. I get why there’s focus on what’s going on in DC, but Democratic governors are the backstop against all of the BS we see coming out of the Trump Administration, not to mention they’re actually getting shit done for the folks in their states, whether those folks voted for them or not. And good governing is good politics. Governor Katie Hobbs in Arizona is a great example of this. She’s expanded free school lunch, she’s canceling medical debt, she’s bringing in jobs and expanding affordable housing. All of that makes a real difference in your everyday life when costs are higher than ever.
Who else do you recommend we hear from?
Turns out CJ and I both ask ourselves “what would Lauren Hitt do?” a fair amount, so I will point you in her very thoughtful direction.
Thanks for your time, Ofirah.
Interested in more insights from the people writing the new playbook for Democratic communications?
good one