February 15, 2026 Update
Published on February 21, 2026 by The True Representation Movement
Here's the latest from the TRM front:
1. Announcing our very first candidate!
1. Announcing our very first candidate!
TRM is proud to announce a major milestone in our movement’s growth: Joseph Oddo is officially running for the U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, the seat currently held by Jim Clyburn and encompassing communities in and around Columbia and North Charleston.
Oddo’s candidacy gives TRM its first real-world platform to spread our mission and vision: A democracy where representatives are not mere instruments of their parties and special interests, but who instead follow the informed will of their constituents. By entering this district — one of the most historically entrenched in the country — TRM is taking its first bold step from ideas into visible political action.
This campaign is our opportunity to introduce millions to a new model of democratic power, and together we will make sure the message is heard.
Stay tuned for some calls to action seeking your help and support.
In the meantime, for more, go to Joe Oddo's website: https://bettercandidates.org/
2. The Episdemos Platform
We are happy to announce that the Episdemos platform was covered by The Solonian Democracy Institute in its latest Digital Democracy Report.
You can read the report's findings here: https://www.solonian-institute.com/_files/ugd/c17d13_8db2c53b815f4a35b8e00317c0ce168f.pdf
For more on the mobile app and the platform, please visit: https://www.episdemos.com/
3. The Podcast
Newly published episodes of the TRM podcast:
- Season 5: Episodes 3 and 4: On FINC - A Platform for Democracy - Travis Misurell
- Season 5: Episodes 1 and 2: Running for DC Ward #1 - Rashida Brown
- Season 4 - Episodes 11 and 12: On Citizen Power - Mila Atmos
- Season 4 - Episodes 9 and 10: Demystifying Democracy: The Pine State Experiment - Emerson & Van Horn
Please note that the TRM podcast is part of The Democracy Group network. For more, please go here.
Note also that The TRM podcast is available on all the major platforms, including Spotify, Apple, Castbox, Rephonic, and Amazon.
4. Writings
Newly published:
- "It’s The Democracy, Stupid!" - The Fulcrum - Jan. 13, 2026
- "Our NIMBY Democracy" -- The Humanist - January 12, 2026
- "The Five Myths That Cripple American Democracy" - Yakima Herald Republic - Jan. 7, 2026
- "Mamdani’s Choice" - The Fulcrum - Dec. 17, 2025
- "Boomer Noise Making and Gen Z’s Refusal to Sing Along" - The Mercury - Dec. 17. 2025
- "The unfolding democratic insurgency" - GazetteXTra - Nov. 29, 2025
- "All in This American Family" - The Fulcrum - Nov. 28. 2025
- "Why did we trade ‘Working Class Hero’ for ‘Imagine’?" - The Seattle Times - Nov. 22, 2025
- "Structural Activism: Doing Good by Changing the System" - Nov. 20, 2025 - The Humanist
- "When the Lights Go Out — and When They Never Do" - The Fulcrum - October 27, 2025
- "From Nixon to Trump: How Scandals Reshape Power, Not Justice" - The Fulcrum - October 11, 2025
For previous writings, please go here.
5. How you can help
- Encourage people to run on the TRM platform. If you are running for office or know someone who may be interested, send an email to [email protected]
- The best way to introduce people to TRM is via this TRM Deep Dive episode. You can also point them to www.jointrm.com
- Download the Episdemos App and try it out
- Help us spread the word. And if you are on social media, please follow us via: X/Twitter and Facebook
For previous updates, please go here.
And as always, thank you for your support.