Holly Harris, from McConnell Operative to Bipartisan Criminal Justice Crusader

Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Holly Harris, founder & president of The Network, has one of the most unique careers in politics. Starting as a local TV news reporter in Lexington, KY…becoming a GOP political operative for names like Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul, James Comer…then trading in her partisan spurs as part of the coalition to reform the U.S. criminal justice system - including helping pass the landmark First Step Act. In this conversation, Holly talks her one-of-a-kind path in politics, lessons learned from Mitch McConnell, what drew her to the criminal justice reform effort, how a bipartisan coalition formed to make big changes, and how she’s taking those same lessons to tackle other big problems facing America.

IN THIS EPISODE

Holly grows up in conservative, small town Kentucky…

The story of Holly as a “baby reporter” on local TV news in Lexington…

Holly’s tips on how campaigns can get their story on local news…

How Holly made the transition to working in politics…

What Holly learned working around Senator Mitch McConnell…

Holly on the two things you have to win to “win McConnell”…

Holly’s connections to the increasingly high-profile Kentucky Congressmen James Comer…

What led Holly to take a leadership role in the criminal justice reform movement…

What went into passing the landmark federal criminal justice reform First Step Act…

Holly weighs in on how criminal justice reform advocates should engage in times of rising crime…

The tools used to build a bipartisan coalition on a tough issue…

Holly on the importance of expecting and embracing failure…

How Holly juggles life in politics as a single parent…

AND…100:1 disparities, ACLU, Julie Raque Adams, Laura and John Arnold, beta tapes, Matt Bevin, Len Bias, Cory Booker, Boston Celtics, bucket lists, bypassing security, Center for American Progress, Matthew Charles, the Cincinnati Bengals, Jack Conway, Tom Cotton, Cut 50, Sheryl Delozier, Kirsten Dunst, Dick Durbin, E-Town, Easy Street, John Bel Edwards, Julie Emerson, The Equal Act, evidence-based policies, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Charles Grassley, Trey Grayson, Jordan Harris, Whitney Hignite, industrial hemp, Jessica Jackson, Lebron James, the Justice Cabinet, Kim Kardashian, Lincoln Day Dinners, Paul Patton, the Human Popsicle, Rand Paul, prodigal daughters, RINOs, Ronald Reagan, the Reform Alliance, Steve Robertson, Rolling Stone, Diane Sawyer, Jeff Sessions, strategic political giving, system-impacted individuals, taking bullets, throwing spaghetti, Donald Trump, University of Kentucky, Harris VonLuehrte, WKYT & more!