Jenna Bentley of the Goldwater Institute is back with Chris Clements and Sean Noble — and there is plenty to rant about.

The Republican Party is holding its first-ever midterm convention, and we have a pretty basic question: Why? With control of Congress on the line, we debate whether that money, time and political energy would be better spent in competitive races across the country.

Then there’s President Trump’s inexplicable surprise promise of a $5,000 “Trump Dividend.” We have some questions about that, too.

And, naturally, we talk sports. Baseball is heading toward October, football is back, and the rivalry at the table is unavoidable: Jenna is a devoted Red Sox fan sitting across from two lifelong Dodgers fans. Chris and Sean are particularly happy after finally watching the Dodgers put together a complete game the night before against the hapless Cincinnati Reds. Jenna counters with Boston, and then it’s on to football and her beloved New England Patriots as another NFL season gets underway.

Then we remember.

Twenty-five years after 9/11. One year after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Chris reflects on Charlie’s legacy and the unique role he played in bringing together different parts of the conservative movement through his personality, relationships and increasingly public Christian faith. Long before Turning Point USA became a national force, Charlie’s approach could be captured by one simple image: a table on a college campus and a sign reading “PROVE ME WRONG.” Sit down. Talk. Debate. Engage.

Jenna also previews the Goldwater Institute’s 2026 Freedom Gala on October 23 at the Arizona Biltmore, featuring special guest Adam Carolla. That sends us down another memory lane: Carolla’s years alongside Dr. Drew Pinsky on Loveline, the late-night KROQ institution that became nationally syndicated and eventually spawned an MTV show.

For those of us who listened to Adam and Dr. Drew back then, his later evolution into a prominent libertarian-leaning cultural and political commentator makes for an interesting trajectory. We talk about the journey from Loveline and The Man Show to podcasting, free-speech advocacy and his place today in the broader liberty-oriented media world.

Finally, Jenna outlines the Goldwater Institute’s current priorities and its work on economic competitiveness, consumer choice, individual liberty and limited government.

Politics. Policy. Sports. Remembrance. And a healthy amount of ranting.

#LightBeerDarkMoney #GoldwaterInstitute #JennaBentley #AdamCarolla #Loveline #DrDrew #CharlieKirk #NeverForget #September11 #Dodgers #RedSox #Patriots #Arizona #Faith #Freedom #FreeEnterprise #PrattPodcasting

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The questions surrounding Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and the Sunshine Residential pay-to-play controversy are back — and Chris and Sean dig into the new evidence raising even more questions about what happened inside the Hobbs administration.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to bring bribery charges after a two-year investigation, but new testimony from former Department of Child Safety officials is putting the controversy right back in the spotlight. A former DCS deputy has backed claims that Sunshine Residential used its political connections to push for higher state payments after the company and people connected to it made major contributions benefiting Hobbs, the Arizona Democratic Party, her inaugural fund and her legal defense fund.

And there is another transparency problem: Hobbs still refuses to disclose who donated to that legal defense fund.

Chris and Sean break down what we know, what investigators concluded, what questions remain unanswered — and why this story could matter in the increasingly nasty Katie Hobbs vs. Andy Biggs race for Arizona governor.

Then they turn to the war of attack ads between Hobbs and Biggs over protecting women and children. Hobbs is attacking Biggs over his actions involving Colorado City and the Warren Jeffs-era abuses, while Biggs is firing back by highlighting several bills aimed at sex offenders and sexually explicit material that Hobbs vetoed as governor.

Plus:

• The Lindsay Clancy murder trial, where a deadlocked jury is wrestling with one of the most difficult questions in criminal law: mental illness, criminal responsibility and postpartum psychosis.

• The latest in the Tyler Robinson case involving the killing of Charlie Kirk, after a Utah judge ruled Robinson will stand trial and could face the death penalty if convicted.

• A new Arizona Attorney General investigation into three candidates accused of improperly obtaining millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded Clean Elections money, including allegations involving questionable $5 qualifying contributions.

Arizona politics, campaign money, accountability, criminal trials and a governor’s race that is getting uglier by the day.

All this and more on the latest episode of Light Beer Dark Money with Chris and Sean.

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Katie Hobbs has declined to debate Andy Biggs, and Sean and Chris think that decision raises a bigger question about what voters should expect from candidates asking to lead the state.

After watching Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Republican challenger Alexander Kolodin actually sit down together on Arizona PBS, they turn to the governor’s race and ask why Arizona voters won’t get the same opportunity. They also get into the campaign money surrounding Hobbs and why Sean argues she is “hiding behind dark money” rather than facing Biggs on a debate stage.

Plus, why more film production is leaving Southern California, what California’s tax climate could mean for Hollywood, dramatic flooding footage from Nepal, and some baseball talk about the Diamondbacks, Dodgers and the difficulty of keeping an aging championship roster together.

#KatieHobbs #AndyBiggs #AdrianFontes #AlexanderKolodin #PrattPodcasting

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Jay Feely joins The Big Show with Chris and Sean to discuss his campaign for Congress in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District—and why he believes he’s the right person to represent one of the most competitive districts in the country.

Jay talks about the realities of campaigning door to door, his vision for Arizona, and his commitment to being a congressman for everyone in the district, not simply those who vote for him. The conversation covers the issues weighing most heavily on voters, including affordability, economic pressures, and the war with Iran.

Then things get considerably lighter.

A former Michigan Wolverine, Jay joins Chris and Sean for a spirited discussion about their shared love of college football—including the coaching and grading scandals surrounding the University of Michigan and why Michigan itself has become such a political hot button this election cycle.

It’s a wide-ranging, informative and genuinely fun conversation about public service, politics, football and the campaign trail with the man who hopes to become the next congressman from the great state of Arizona.

#JayFeely #Arizona #AZ01 #Congress #CollegeFootball #Michigan #Iran #Affordability #Faith #Freedom #FreeEnterprise #PrattPodcasting

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Sean and Chris are bullish on AI. But as opposition to data centers starts spreading into Republican politics, they think conservatives are risking something much bigger than a fight over local development.

They break down why data centers have suddenly become an election issue, the jobs and economic activity behind America’s AI buildout, and why Republicans need to decide whether they still want to defend free enterprise when the politics get uncomfortable.

They also get into whether socialism can be reconciled with Christianity, Hasan Piker and the contradictions of anti-capitalist politics, California’s proposed billionaire wealth tax, the Trump administration’s new economic pressure campaign against Iran, the fight over Trump’s White House ballroom, and the Lindsay Clancy case and the difficult questions surrounding postpartum psychosis, responsibility and support for new mothers.

#ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenters #DonaldTrump #HasanPiker #PrattPodcasting

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Jenny Clark is a social entrepreneur, educator, wife, mother—and the victorious lead plaintiff behind a monumental win for educational freedom in Arizona.

This week, the Arizona Supreme Court struck down an anti-choice, anti-ESA initiative that threatened to upend Arizona’s nationally recognized school-choice system. The case was shepherded by our sponsor and friends at the Goldwater Institute, alongside our friends at the Arizona Free Enterprise Club.

Jenny joins Chris and Sean to discuss the legal victory, why parents—not politicians, unions, or the educational-industrial complex—should decide how and where their children are educated, and why educational freedom remains worth fighting for.

She also introduces her newest venture: Redeemer Classical Christian School, a new evangelical, classical-education school being established at Redemption Arcadia Church in Phoenix. Redeemer will give parents another choice—a rigorous, authentically Christian education free from the woke social experiments creeping into far too many Christian schools today.

It’s a conversation about faith, freedom, parents—and a major victory for Arizona families.

#SchoolChoice #EducationalFreedom #ESA #EmpowermentScholarshipAccounts #ParentsRights #ChristianEducation #ClassicalEducation #Faith #Freedom #FreeEnterprise #LightBeerDarkMoney #PrattPodcasting

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Are Democrats riding a real political wave—or just enjoying a summer polling sugar high?

Chris and Sean revisit Nate Silver’s FLIPR election model and his latest analysis of an argument first advanced by Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini: summer polling has consistently overstated Democratic performance in recent election cycles. Ruffini found that Democratic polling bias peaked at nearly six points during the summer before narrowing considerably by Election Day. Silver isn’t declaring that history will repeat itself, but he is taking the possibility seriously. (Nate Silver⁠, Patrick Ruffini⁠)

That leads directly to Arizona, where a new Noble Predictive Insights poll—run by Mike Noble, no relation to Sean—shows Gov. Katie Hobbs leading Republican Andy Biggs by 13 points, 48% to 35%, with 12% undecided. Chris and Sean explain why they view that result as an outlier rather than the race’s true position. Other recent polling has shown a closer contest, although Hobbs currently holds a clear advantage. (Noble Predictive Insights⁠)

What do these polls actually tell us? How much faith should we put in August numbers? And what happens once campaigns begin spending real money, defining their opponents and grinding through the final stretch?

If you want to better understand polling, election models and the day-to-day realities of political campaigns, this episode is for you. You might even learn something.

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The fight over the Democratic Party’s future may already be underway.

After a democratic socialist defeated a heavily funded establishment favorite in Florida’s Senate primary, we look at where the energy inside the Democratic Party is moving — and why the 2028 presidential primary could become a major battle between the party establishment and the DSA wing. That includes AOC, Mark Kelly’s early moves toward a presidential run, and why putting South Carolina near the front of the Democratic primary calendar could have major consequences.

Back in Arizona, Katie Hobbs and Andy Biggs are already facing millions of dollars in advertising as polling continues to show a competitive governor’s race. We dig into the AARP poll showing Hobbs ahead overall while Biggs leads voters over 50, along with Patrick Ruffini’s analysis of more than 3,000 Senate polls and the persistent Democratic polling advantage he found across recent election cycles.

Arizona’s school choice fight also gets a major update after the union-backed effort to change the ESA program was removed from the ballot. We break down the fight over signatures, the role of the Goldwater Institute and Arizona Free Enterprise Club, and why the larger battle over school choice isn’t going away.

Plus, New York’s property tax backlash, newly released FBI material involving Eric Swalwell and Christine Fang, Ruben Gallego, and what all of it could mean as the 2026 midterms give way to the fight for 2028.

#AOC #KatieHobbs #AndyBiggs #SchoolChoice #PrattPodcasting

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Can election forecasts really tell us what will happen in November—or do they simply give political junkies a false sense of certainty?

Chris and Sean break down Tuesday’s primary results, beginning with a massive polling miss in Wisconsin. Democratic socialist Francesca Hong had led Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley by double digits—and by roughly 20 points in some of the final polling averages. But when the votes were counted, Crowley won the Democratic nomination for governor by less than half a percentage point, 39.8% to 39.3%.

Then they turn to Connecticut, where former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin defeated Rep. John Larson by roughly 54% to 33%. Larson had represented Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District for 28 years, but Bronin’s argument for generational change brought the congressman’s long tenure to an abrupt end.

Sean also reviews Nate Silver’s new FLIPR election model at Silver Bulletin. At launch, Silver’s forecast gave Democrats an 86.6% chance of winning control of the U.S. House and a 57.3% chance of capturing the U.S. Senate. The model runs 40,000 simulations and combines polling with factors such as fundraising, incumbency and expert race ratings. That sounds scientific—and it is—but a probability is not a prediction, much less a guarantee.

Chris and Sean discuss why polling and election models can struggle to capture late movement, candidate quality, campaign organization and what is actually happening on the ground. The lesson is simple: elections are decided by voters, not spreadsheets—and certainly not by the people yelling at each other on X.

If you care about the outcome, get involved. Donate. Volunteer. Knock on doors. Talk to your neighbors and friends. And remember: Twitter is not real life.

Chris closes the episode with a personal tribute to his mentor, Dave Sitton, who passed away 12 years ago.

#2026Midterms #ElectionPolling #NateSilver #PrattPodcasting

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Newly released messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government phone are reopening the debate over how COVID vaccines were discussed during the pandemic, and for Sean Noble, this one is personal. Sean and Chris react to the messages concerning COVID vaccination and pregnancy, Sean shares what his family went through during his wife’s pregnancy, and they debate what accountability should look like for public officials when trust is broken.

The conversation then turns to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her response to the phrase “Woke One was crazy,” the direction of the Democratic Socialists of America, and AOC’s decision to publicly discuss freezing her eggs.

Plus, the bizarre security operation that secretly moved President Donald Trump off Air Force One and onto another aircraft amid a threat against his life, a detour into Iron Man, Spider-Man and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and the growing controversy surrounding Sophie Cunningham, the WNBA and transgender participation in women’s sports.

Finally, Sean and Chris bring the debate back to Arizona as Gov. Katie Hobbs names former Mesa Mayor John Giles as her running mate and the state prepares to vote on girls’ sports.

Subscribe to Light Beer Dark Money on YouTube for more conversations on the stories shaping politics, culture and the country.

#AnthonyFauci #AOC #SophieCunningham #DonaldTrump #PrattPodcasting

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