Hacks On Tap

Three bleary-eyed Hacks convened this morning to dissect the scale and sweep of the 2026 midterms! Axe, Murphy, and Heilemann dive headfirst into the Democratic blue wave, break down the night's biggest stars, surprises, and seismic shifts, and unpack what it all means for the road to 2028 (yes, we're already going there). You've waited long enough — let's get into it!

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The Hacks are back, and with the midterms around the corner, it’s tricks, treats, and toss-ups! Axe and Murphy are joined by Hacks frequent flyer, political reporter extraordinaire, and master of the campaign trail, Jonathan Martin! With Election Day lurking just around the corner, the guys dig into Trump’s ever-changing rally schedule and his role in the midterm madness, dissect dueling attack ads haunting the airwaves in key battleground states, and untangle the wicked web of culture wars, pocketbook politics, and corruption scandals. They also explore the ever-shifting left-right divide, gaze into their crystal balls to predict who will emerge from the House and Senate battles, and confront the spookiest question of all: How will Trump react to the results, and how far might he go if control of Congress slips from his grasp?

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The Hacks are back! With the clock ticking down to the midterms, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by not one, but two brilliant Hackeroos: Democratic strategist and Florida political guru Steve Schale and veteran Republican strategist and Iowa political whisperer David Kochel! The Hacks dive deep into the battlegrounds of Michigan and Iowa, check in on key races across the country, catch up on the latest antics of presidents past and present, and break down what turnout, shifting political winds, and the size of a potential wave could mean for control of Congress next week. Plus, plenty more from the home stretch of midterm madness!

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The Hacks are back — and so soon! Axe, Murphy, and Heilemann are joined by legendary Republican strategist, focus group whisperer, Bulwark publisher, and author of How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time, Sarah Longwell! The Hacks dive headfirst into the political firestorm engulfing Ohio after Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad against Amy Acton sparked outrage across party lines. They pick Sarah's brain on what voters are really saying in focus groups, which messages are landing (and which are crashing and burning) across the country, and what it all means for the battle for control of the House and Senate as Election Day draws near.

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This week, all three Hackeroos are joined by Democratic strategist, campaign trail veteran, and a man who knows his way around an electoral map, Addisu Demissie! The Hacks take stock of the key races across the country as the midterms enter the home stretch, unpack the shifting electoral map and what it means for the road to the White House, dig into the demographic trends shaping the electorate, and debate the anatomy of a wave election. 

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This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by not one, but two frequent-flyer Hackeroos: Mr. Texas himself, Karl Rove, and former Hackateer extraordinaire, Robert Gibbs! The guys dive headfirst into the political circus, take stock of key battleground states, dissect the latest polls and early voting numbers, and venture into the Trumpaverse to figure out who's really calling the shots.

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This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by excellent Hackeroos Doug Sosnik, veteran strategist and professional campaign war-room survivor, and Ron Brownstein, dean of political journalism and longtime electoral-map obsessive. The Hacks dive into the final stretch of the midterms—ads, polls, trends, and the increasingly chaotic science of figuring out what any of it means.

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This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by not one, but two all-star Hackeroos: veteran Democratic pollster John Anzalone and former Obama campaign manager and White House senior adviser David Plouffe. The crack team dives into the numbers from Anzalone’s latest polling, the ad wars raging across the country, the midterm turnout puzzle, Democratic bed-wetting, voter identity, emerging party leadership, and so much more as they set the scene for the battle for control of the House and Senate.

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This week, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by Whit Ayres, president of North Star Opinion Research and veteran Republican polling Hack. The Hacks dive into the nation’s many wars: Trump’s war with the press over access to the White House, the ad war raging in the midterms, and the U.S.’s actual war with Iran. In other words: just another quiet week in politics.

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This week, the Hacks are joined by recently inducted Hackeroo Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press! The Hacks dive into the battle for control of Congress and the midterm messaging wars, from culture-war distractions and fake protesters to zingy lines and the fight to break through. Plus, Julie takes the Hacks behind the headlines on how the AP calls races, fact-checks political ads, and navigates its own battles over press access.

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