Welcome back to "The Hot Dish," where we serve up the latest political insights with a side of grassroots wisdom. In today's episode, host Heidi Heitkamp welcomes Iowa State Representative J.D. Scholten, who shares his insights from the campaign trail. We'll dive into the critical issues that drove his unexpected victory in a Trump district.

First, the hosts touch on the challenges facing rural communities, including healthcare crises and the fast-paced messaging tactics of conservative media and the importance of engaging younger voters for a vibrant political future.

Heidi offers personal news about becoming a grandmother and reflects on the Democratic Party's evolving connection with working-class America.

Don’t forget, we want to hear from you—drop us an email at podcast@onecountryproject.org.

 One Country Project is a growing movement dedicated to providing honest analysis and serious conversation about issues affecting rural and small-town communities. The fact is mainstream platforms are becoming less reliable. So One Country is expanding to new channels. We're starting with Substack, where we share articles, essays, videos, and the Hot Dish podcast. We're joining journalists and experts from places like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN to help you make sense of things in these challenging times. Go to onecountryproject.substack.com to learn more. That's onecountryproject.substack.com.