Episode 13: Can Republicans Build a Multiracial Populist Coalition in 2024 and Beyond, With Republican Pollster Patrick Ruffini
In 2020, Donald Trump's considerable margin of victory among white working-class voters was expected, but his success in winning a larger share of the Latino and black vote was not. Amy's latest guest, Republican Pollster Patrick Ruffini, argues that Trump's advances with these voters is part of a more significant realignment in our politics. Amy talks to Patrick about his fascinating new book, "Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP." The pair discuss whether Trump will be able to keep this coalition in 2024 and the influence of culture on voting patterns.
Episode 12: Science and (Political) Fiction with Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert of 'For All Mankind'
Amy Walter confesses her love of Apple TV's For All Mankind and the magic of its decade-spanning montages and storytelling to none other than the show's Executive Producers and writers, Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert. As season 4 of the show launches, the trio goes deep into the show's origin; whether we should consider the show science or fiction; taking a closer look at Gary Hart, Al Gore, and Ellen Wilson's journey in FAMK to the highest office in the land; the creative process, electoral maps and fictional news reports featured in the montages; where the show will go as it catches up to our actual reality; grieving the loss of beloved characters; favorite political reads; and much, much more.
Episode 11: Diversity, Diaspora, Density and the Politics of the West, With Mark Z. Barabak
Amy Walter talks with Mark Z. Barabak, a political columnist for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on California and the West. They discuss his new series, "The New West," which explores the forces and factors that led once-reliable Republican states like Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada to turn from red to purple and blue. Amy and Mark also delve into the state of the 'Reid Machine' in Nevada, the importance of Latinos to Democrats' success and how the post-COVID "work from anywhere" economy could play into future voting patterns.
Episode 10: What Voters Want Vs. What They Are Getting with The New York Times’ Astead Herndon
Amy Walter chats with Astead Herndon, a national politics reporter for the New York Times and the host of the "The Run-Up" podcast. Amy and Astead grapple with the fact that while voters are overwhelmingly against a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024, it still appears to be the inevitable outcome. Astead notes that we are "careening towards a rematch very fast." The pair discuss the lack of enthusiasm around Biden. Astead makes the point that Vice President Kamala Harris will be the face of the Biden campaign on the road and will be under more scrutiny from the media.
Episode 9: Has Trump Locked Up The GOP Nomination? With The Focus Group Podcast Host Sarah Longwell
Amy Walter catches up with Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, publisher of the Bulwark and founder of the Republican Accountability Project. Sarah also hosts The Focus Group podcast, which brings listeners into wide-ranging conversations with voters. Sarah and Amy discuss where Donald Trump already shows his potential strength in a general election. Sarah also reflects on what she’s heard in focus groups to explain where Ron DeSantis’ candidacy went wrong, why evangelical voters aren’t coalescing around Mike Pence, and what to expect from Tim Scott in the coming months. Amy also asks Sarah whether a third-party candidate could hurt Biden with swing voters, and Sarah turns the tables on Amy to ask whether Trump actually could lose the Republican primary.
Episode 8: Diving into Delegate Math with Josh Putnam
Amy talks delegate math with Josh Putnam, a political scientist and consultant specializing in delegate selection rules, presidential campaigns and elections. He's the founder of FHQ Strategies LLC.
Episode 7: Will AI Upend the 2024 Election with Kara Swisher
Amy Walter talked to the one and only Kara Swisher, a highly respected and deeply sourced technology reporter. Kara is currently the host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher, the co-host of the Pivot podcast and an editor-at-large at New York Magazine. Amy and Kara discussed AI's role in the 2024 campaign season. Kara gives some much-needed perspective on the future of AI and whether Washington can or will be able to regulate it. She also explains why we should be more worried about the people that use AI rather than AI itself.
Episode 6: Why Our Politics Feel Angrier Than Ever (And Why It’s Unlikely To Change Anytime Soon)
Amy Walter interviews Lynn Vavreck and John Sides, two political science professors. Their work chronicles what Vavreck calls the shifting dimension of conflict in American politics from one focused mainly on the size and scope of government to a fight driven over identity-inflected issues. Amy, John and Lynn discuss how we arrived at this current political state and why they believe the current political climate is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Episode 5: Trailblazer Judy Woodruff Digs Deep Into America’s Political Divides (And Still Stays Optimistic)
Amy talks to Judy Woodruff, renowned journalist and former anchor of the PBS News Hour. Woodruff discusses her new series, America at a Crossroads, which aims to explore the deep divisions in American politics. She talks about her long and distinguished career in journalism, starting with covering Jimmy Carter's campaign for governor of Georgia in 1970. Amy and Judy discuss whether there can be a solution to America's polarization. They also delve into how Judy stays optimistic while covering these divides.
Episode 4: Republican Pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson on Trump vs. DeSantis, Millennial Voters and GOP Messaging in 2024
Amy interviewed Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson. Kristen is the founding partner of Echelon Insights, an opinion research and analytics firm. Amy and Kristen discussed the arraignment of former President Trump and its implications for 2024. They also touched on a potential DeSantis vs. Trump matchup, the impact of Roe vs. Wade on the midterms, millennial voters, and the state of political polling.
Episode 3: Democratic Pollster Anna Greenberg on Why Dems Beat Expectations in 2022 and What They're Missing on Crime
Exclusive Subscriber Content: Amy Walter talked to Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, a senior partner of the polling firm GQR. Anna and Amy discussed why some polls overestimated GOP strength in 2022. They also talked about 2024 and why Anna thinks that the GOP remains defined by Trump regardless of who the nominee is.
Episode 2: What’s Happening In the States — And What It Could Mean for Federal Policy and Politics.
Exclusive Subscriber Content: Often described as “laboratories of democracy,” state legislatures have often produced legislation or ideas that eventually make their way to Washington. And, of course, many of these state executives also find their way into national political office. Helping us dig through the trends, priorities and personalities in state capitols is Reid Wilson, founder and editor of Pluribus News, a new digital media outlet offering the most comprehensive coverage of state-level public policy in America. (Recorded February, 2023)
Episode One: The Impact of Narrow Margins & Divided Government on the 118th Congress
Exclusive Subscriber Content: On the first episode of The Odd Years, Amy Walter and Andy Laperriere (Head of US Policy Research for Piper Sandler) dig into the challenges and opportunities for Republicans & Democrats as they navigate a divided government and continued narrow margins. (Recorded January, 2023)
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Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.