Welcome to the Progressive South! We are a nonprofit media platform for progressive voices and values in the Southern U.S. We aim to provide news about goings-on in these states and amplify the important work of people and organizations across the region. You can find more information at the “About” tab, and check out our always-growing list of useful links at “Resources.” Our first project is our podcast:
A weekly program featuring a regional news roundup and interviews with people doing good work across the South. Plus, a little arts and culture. Available here as well as on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Subscribe, like and share!
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Headlights Ep. 32: Inroads in Tennessee?
All eyes were on Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District last week, where Republicans held onto what has been a safe GOP seat in a special election — but Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn cut the Republican margin of victory from 22 points in 2024 to under 9 points. We talk with Tennessee-based political writer and strategist…
More From Headlights
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Headlights Ep. 31: A Beer With Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower has seen Texas politics from the ground up for more than half a century. From editing the progressive Texas Observer to serving as the state’s unlikely Commissioner of Agriculture to writing syndicated columns and books, he has been both a participant and a savvy and often funny observer. And he’s still at it!
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Headlights Ep. 30: Boyce Upholt’s Southlands
Wilderness and untamed landscapes loom large in the South’s sense of itself. Southern history and folklore are full of tales of mountains and rivers, swamps and bayous. A new magazine called Southlands aims to explore the Southern outdoors, both literally and literarily. This week Jesse talks to Southlands publisher Boyce Upholt about our relationship to…
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Headlights Ep. 29: Signs at the Ballot Box
Democratic candidates romped in Virginia last week, and scored some significant wins in Mississippi and Georgia as well. What does that mean to politics in the rest of the South? It’s complicated! That’s why we asked Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson, one of the “Tennessee Three,” to join us for some analysis and thoughts about…
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Headlights Ep. 28: SNAP in the South
What does it take to run an effective progressive political campaign in the South? This week, Jesse talks to political consultant Eva Posner of Evinco Strategies, who specializes in exactly that. She focuses on candidates from working-class and marginalized communities, and also helps train campaign managers and staffers — helping to build progressive political infrastructure…
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Headlights Ep. 27: Looking for Progress in Texas
What are the prospects for progress in Texas? Who better to ask than Progress Texas? This week Jesse talks to Chris Mosser, a veteran broadcaster who reports for the nonprofit media platform. They talk Lone Star politics, including this year’s redistricting fight and names to watch in next year’s elections.
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Headlights Ep. 26: Tennessee’s Gun Deaths
A new report shines light on gun deaths in Tennessee. It shows that the state has high levels of both gun homicides and suicides — and they have risen as conservative legislators have rolled back gun safety laws. We dig into the data with its lead researcher, Beth Joslin Roth, and state Senator Heidi Campbell.
About The Progressive South
The Progressive South is a nonprofit media platform for progressive voices and values in the Southern U.S. We want to help inform and connect people across the South doing good work and fighting good fights. We are based in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the headwaters of the Tennessee River.