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Brian’s vacation continues for a second week, so Matt is joined by Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic strategist and Third Way fellow, to talk about some of the less-covered but more-successful 2026 senate recruits starting with former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper.

In this episode Matt and Caitlin discuss:

* Why objectively successful red state governors struggle to obtain national attention.

* The constraints and upsides of dealing with an opposition legislature.

* The New South tradition of business-friendly pro-growth Democrats.

* Applications of these points to Alaska, Michigan, and other states that lack the underlying economic strength of California or New York.

Paid subscribers also get to hear about the left’s misguided attacks on former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and a brief update on events in Maine.

Further reading:

* Roy Cooper’s tough on crime ad campaign.

* What Mary Peltola means when she says she’s “pro-fish.”

* The American Prospect complains that the Commerce Secretary met with commercial enterprises.