The Focus Group Podcast

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  S6 Ep54: MAGA's Future is in Florida (with Will Sommer) 15.08.2026 43min

  The battle lines of the next Republican primary are being drawn in Florida's Republican primary for governor.
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  S6 Ep53: South Carolina’s Surprise Election (with Meg Kinnard) 08.08.2026 42min

  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.
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  S6 Ep52: Jonathan Cohn: Pure Michigan Chaos 01.08.2026 1h 3min

  At the end of one of the most expensive Democratic primaries for Senate in American history, Abdul El-Sayed appears to be pulling away.
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  S6 Ep51: Amy Walter: Pennsylvania's Trump-Shapiro Voters 25.07.2026 56min

  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.
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  S6 Ep50: David French: Character Counts For Less 18.07.2026 53min

  American politics and politicians are decidedly lower-character than they used to be. So, how did we get here?
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  S6 Ep49: Tommy Vietor: Democrats’ Way Forward on Israel 11.07.2026 46min

  Over the last three years, Democratic voters’ opinion of Israel has taken a nosedive. Sarah and Tommy Vietor talk about why.
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  S6 Ep48: Heather Cox Richardson: America's 250 Great (and Awful) Years 04.07.2026 1h 7min

  If you're wondering how (and whether) America is worth celebrating on this particular July 4th, this show will be a bit of a pep talk for you.
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  S6 Ep47: Kyle Clark: Colorado's Mad Libs 27.06.2026 55min

  Colorado isn't much of a swing state anymore, but we're covering its primaries anyway. Both of its senators and one longtime member of Congress are facing bigger headwinds than you might expect.
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  S6 Ep46: Patrick Svitek: Texas & Maine Swing Voters Sound Off 20.06.2026 50min

  Barrels of ink have been spilled about James Talarico, Ken Paxton, Graham Platner, and Susan Collins. For the first time, we're listening to how swing voters in Texas and Maine are assessing these two races.
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  S6 Ep45: Rachel Janfaza: You Kids, Get Off My Lawn! 13.06.2026 41min

  Gen Z swung hard for Trump in 2024. Now his approval with them is under 30%. What happened, and what does this generation’s mix of political views (especially on the war in the Middle East) mean for 2026?
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  S6 Ep44: Amy Walter: Everyone Is on the Take 06.06.2026 41min

  Summer’s here, and Sarah’s taking a break from primary election coverage to take stock of the national political landscape.
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  S6 Ep43: Peter Hamby: California Is The Progressive Id 30.05.2026 1h 7min

  Everyone loves to complain about how California is governed...even some of the Democrats in our focus groups. So, how is the Democratic primary to replace Gavin Newsom shaping up?
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  S6 Ep42: Adam Jentleson: More Heterodoxy, Please 23.05.2026 1h 11min

  Sarah is sick and tired of the arguments about whether Democrats should move to the left or the center, because Democratic voters’ answers to this question overlap a lot more than the online turf wars suggest.
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  S6 Ep41: Greg Bluestein: Georgia's Root Canal Primary 16.05.2026 53min

  Georgia's primaries for Governor and U.S. Senate have LOTS of things for political nerds (like you, dear listener) to chew on. But the Republican and Democratic voters we talked to felt pretty sick of politics.
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  S6 Ep40: Tim Miller: Good Riddance, Bill Cassidy? 09.05.2026 53min

  This week's show has a rare note of agreement with our MAGA focus group participants.
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  S6 Ep39: Chuck Schumer’s Candidate Got Humiliated in Maine 06.05.2026 12min

  In this bite-sized bonus Focus Group episode, Sarah Longwell breaks down the political earthquake in Maine after Janet Mills dropped out of the Senate race. Why are Democratic voters rejecting establishment candidates, forgiving scandals that once would’ve been disqualifying, and demanding fighters over polished politicians?Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events
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  S6 Ep38: America's 'House of Cards' Mentality (with David Frum) 02.05.2026 48min

  Usually, an assassination attempt outside a dinner with the president would be a HUGE news event. Instead, the voters in our focus groups weren't talking much about it.
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  S6 Ep37: Trump Promised Lower Prices. Everything Got Worse! (w/ Rotimi Adeoye) 30.04.2026 45min

  Enjoy a bonus episode of The Focus Group Podcast—Rachel Janfaza talks with Rotimi Adeoye about why moderate Gen Z focus group participants feel locked out of the economy. They discuss Rotimi’s “House by 30” idea, why vague promises aren’t cutting it, and how both parties—especially after Trump’s failed affordability pledges—are losing trust with young voters who feel like they did everything right and still can’t get ahead.Read Rotimi Adeoye in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/opinion/democrats-homeownership-affordability.htmlTickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events
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  S6 Ep36: America's Divisions: Getting on Our Nerves (with Jessica Tarlov) 25.04.2026 1h 11min

  Everyone agrees that America is too divided. So, how do we rebuild a country where Americans can live with each other a little easier?
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  S6 Ep35: Trump Voters Say 'Nope' to the Pope (with Jonathan V. Last) 18.04.2026 1h 12min

  Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV are probably the two most prominent Americans in the world right now, and they're fighting.