Politics is Personal with Leslie + Cole
Politics is Personal is a weekly video and audio podcast hosted by former Colorado legislators Leslie Herod and Cole Wist. Built on a real friendship forged through years of legislative work, the show brings together a Black queer Democrat from Denver and a straight white former Republican from rural Colorado to have the kinds of honest, complicated conversations that feel increasingly rare in American politics.
Rooted in the “Colorado Way,” the podcast offers a grounded, relatable approach to national conversations. Designed for the “exhausted majority,” Politics is Personal invites listeners back into political dialogue with curiosity, respect, and the belief that real conversation is still possible.
Politics is Personal with Leslie + Cole
EP 6: Knicks, Trans Ballots, and Water Regulation | Politics is Personal with Leslie + Cole
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This week on Politics is Personal, Leslie Herod and Cole Wist cover everything from basketball to ballot measures to one of Colorado's most precious resources: water.
The episode kicks off with a conversation about the New York Knicks, sports fandom, and why major cultural moments often become part of our political conversations. Then Leslie and Cole dive into the debate surrounding transgender-related ballot initiatives in Colorado, exploring the arguments, concerns, and values driving the discussion from different perspectives.
Finally, they unpack Colorado's ongoing water challenges—from conservation and growth to the difficult decisions facing communities across the West. What happens when politics, population growth, agriculture, and climate pressures all compete for the same resource?
As always, Politics is Personal isn't about winning arguments. It's about having the conversations many people are having around their own dinner tables—with curiosity, respect, and a willingness to listen.