The Focus Group Podcast

S6 Ep55: Sarah Had to Double-Check: “These Are All Trump Voters?” (with Amy Walter)

Amy Walter returns to the pod for a pundit therapy session. She and Sarah discuss: A recent focus group of Georgia swing voters, and what they think of Sen. Jon Ossoff and his opponent. The massive polling misses in the Wisconsin and Michigan primaries, and listen to a focus group of Wisconsin voters that tell us (in retrospect) how David Crowley was able to pull of a last minute surge. In light of AOC's 'Woke 1 was crazy' comments, they discuss swing voters' biggest complaints about each of our political parties, and whether the parties' brand problems are driven by politicians, or by other people in voters' lives. Show links:Subscribe to the Cook Political Report! (https://www.cookpolitical.com/subscribe)CPR’s PollTracker (Trump Approval Rating Aggregator) (https://www.cookpolitical.com/survey-research/cpr-polltracker/trump-trendlines)CPR’s “Find a Race” sorter (https://www.cookpolitical.com/races)CPR’s Battleground District Project (https://www.cookpolitical.com/survey-research/battleground-district-project)For a limited time, go to https://TempoMeals.com/THEFOCUSGROUP for 60% off your first box.

S6 Ep54: MAGA's Future is in Florida (with Will Sommer)

The battle lines of the next Republican primary are being drawn in Florida's Republican primary for governor. There's a 'MAGA Establishment' frontrunner running with Donald Trump's endorsement (but who a lot of Republicans aren't that excited about), there's a flamboyantly racist groyper with a wild personal life, and a more Ron DeSantis-aligned candidate struggling to catch on. False Flag author Will Sommer joins Sarah to talk about: The Florida governor's race The future of the 'America First' faction that Tucker Carlson is leading The growing dissatisfaction among rank-and-file Trump voters Bulwark LIVE: The GOOD FIGHT TOUR with Tim, Sarah, Sam and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets go on sale August 21. Bulwark+ members get early access via our presale starting August 18. Watch your inbox for details. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come hang with us. Tickets are here.

S6 Ep53: South Carolina’s Surprise Election (with Meg Kinnard)

After Sen. Lindsey Graham’s passing in July, South Carolina is holding a special Republican primary to replace him as the nominee for U.S. Senate. His sister, Sen. Darline Graham, has President Trump’s endorsement. But the polls (and our focus group) suggests that that may not be enough to fend off a cadre of other challengers. Associated Press national politics reporter Meg Kinnard joins Sarah to discuss Lindsey Graham’s legacy among South Carolina Republicans, and the state’s unexpected (and fast) special election.

S6 Ep52: Jonathan Cohn: Pure Michigan Chaos

At the end of one of the most expensive Democratic primaries for Senate in American history, Abdul El-Sayed appears to be pulling away. We've been talking to Democratic primary voters in Michigan about El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, and what they like (and don't like) about each candidate. Jonathan Cohn, author of the newsletter The Breakdown and The Bulwark's resident Michigander, joins the show to discuss a primary that Sarah thinks has gone on for way too long.episode links:How Old-School Race Animus Could Shake Up the Michigan Senate RaceWhy Gretchen Whitmer’s Senate Endorsement MattersWhy Mallory McMorrow’s Campaign Didn’t Survive

S6 Ep51: Amy Walter: Pennsylvania's Trump-Shapiro Voters

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro is on track for a pretty big win in November. And he can't do that without winning over a lot of former Trump voters, including the ones in our focus group. Cook Political Report editor in chief Amy Walter returns to the show to discuss how our Pennsylvania focus group felt about Shapiro, AND Sen. John Fetterman, and about the Trump administration. They also break down whether Democrats should be concerned about the generic ballot polling we're seeing right now.The Korean skincare brand everyone is talking about. Our listeners get 20% off their entire order by using code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://jiyuskin.com/THEFOCUSGROUP #JIYU #adshow links Subscribe to the Cook Political Report! CPR’s PollTracker (Trump Approval Rating Aggregator) CPR’s “Find a Race” sorter CPR’s Battleground District Project