Ken Rudin's Political Junkie

Episode #427: Jasmine Crockett, Arriving; Jim Hunt, Departed.

Matthew Wilson, political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, sets up the fierce primaries, Democratic and Republican, for the Senate in Texas.  Incumbent Republican John Cornyn is facing a battle from his right from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and firebrand liberal Rep. Jasmine Crockett is challenging James Talarico for the Democrats.  No Democrat has won a Texas Senate race since 1988. And Rob Christensen, a former political journalist with the Raleigh News & Observer, remembers Jim Hunt, the former four-term governor and a giant in North Carolina politics, who died last week. PLUS:  The Epstein Files are released (not), Elise Stefanik plans to stay and fight (not), and Trump gives his respects to Rob Reiner (not). Music in this Episode:  Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon U Can’t Touch This by M.C. Hammer A Well Respected Man by The Kinks The post Episode #427: Jasmine Crockett, Arriving; Jim Hunt, Departed. appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.

Episode #426: Marjorie Tinker Taylor Q’Anon Traitor Patriot

Congressional analyst Jack Pitney assesses the meaning of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s upcoming resignation from Congress, and weighs whether the Georgia Republican still has a future in politics, given her seeming banishment by President Trump. And we remember Mark Mellman, the Democratic pollster who died last month, by replaying an interview we had with him in November of 2016, when Hillary Clinton and Trump were vying for the presidency. PLUS:  A selection of favorite Trump responses to reporters’ questions at press conferences. Music in this episode: Where Is The Love by Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway You and I by Rick James The post Episode #426: Marjorie Tinker Taylor Q’Anon Traitor Patriot appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.

Episode #425: Day Of The Woman? Election 2025

Maine Public Radio’s Steve Mistler focuses on what may be the Democrats’ best chance at a Senate pickup in 2026, the seat of five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins.  Establishment Democrats in Washington have come up with who they feel would be the strongest opponent, popular Gov. Janet Mills; earlier this year she made a name for herself by standing up to President Trump at a governors’ conference.  But she is 77 years old, and progressives back home are instead rallying behind Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and former Marine who has raised more than $4 million.  However, controversial old social media posts of Platner’s have been uncovered, threatening his chances. And there are two gubernatorial races taking place next week, in New Jersey and Virginia, states where both incumbents are term limited.  Bob Holsworth of Decide Smart says that Democrats in Virginia are likely to take back the governorship with Abigail Spanberger.  But media coverage is now focused on a series of ugly emails that came from the Dem candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones, whose own lead has evaporated.  And in New Jersey, NJ Advance Media’s Brent Johnson reports that Democrat Mikie Sherrill’s lead has narrowed and that the Republican, Jack Ciattarelli, making his third bid for the job, is within striking distance. Music in this Episode: Fix You by Coldplay Tattoo by Doreen She’s a Sensation by the Ramones Jersey Girl by Bruce Springsteen The post Episode #425: Day Of The Woman? Election 2025 appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.

Episode #424: The Tragedy Of Joe Biden

Journalist and historian Chris Whipple, author of the new book “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” talks about how the Democratic Party, the Biden campaign and the candidate himself decided to ignore the reality of Biden’s mental acuity and insist on running against Trump until it was too late — and handing the White House to the Republican in the process. PLUS:  The latest on Godzilla vs. King Kong.  And if you think only Biden had the cognitive problems, you’re not paying attention. Music in this episode: I Started a Joke by the Bee Gees I’m Alright by Kenny Loggins The post Episode #424: The Tragedy Of Joe Biden appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.

Episode #423: Dick Durbin’s 44 Years Of Service

Chicago Tribune political correspondent Rick Pearson sums up the career of Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who is retiring after five terms in the Senate. PLUS:  George Santos can continue to lie, only this time in prison … Remembering Donald Trump’s tirades against Barack Obama for his executive orders and golf playing … A farewell to our old friend Alan Simpson … and looking back at the final days of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, now 50 years after the evacuation. The post Episode #423: Dick Durbin’s 44 Years Of Service appeared first on Ken Rudin's Political Junkie.