Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan joins Chuck to preview his independent bid for Michigan's 2026 gubernatorial election, in what could be a seismic shift in a battleground state.

Media reporter Paul Farhi joins Chuck to talk about his recent report for Northwestern Medill's local news initiative. In his piece, Farhi observed: “Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts – counties lacking a professional source of local news – it was an avalanche.”

Martin O’Malley is the former governor of Maryland, mayor of Baltimore,  and most recently, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration in the Biden administration. In November, O’Malley launched a campaign to become the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joins Chuck to weigh in on the Democratic Party’s soul-searching since their election loss and President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter.

Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, talks to Chuck about his campaign for the DNC chairmanship and what he thinks unites the party. Wikler also discusses President Biden's pardon of his son, and why he thinks Democrats lost on Election Day. 

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) talks to Chuck Todd about his travels across the country and what he wants Democrats to focus on after their losses on Election Day. 

Faiz Shakir, chief political adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, and the founder and executive director of “A More Perfect Union” joins Chuck to talk about the future of the Democratic Party.

Chuck talks to Charlie Cook, founder of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Kevin P. Reilly Sr. Endowed Chair in Political Communication at the Manship School of Mass Communication at LSU. In his latest column for National Journal, Charlie writes about President-elect Trump’s power play to force Republican senators into compliance over his cabinet choices.

Former Vermont Gov. and DNC Chairman Howard Dean talks with Chuck about how Democrats can make gains in the future, after widespread losses on Election Day. 

As a Trump campaign reporter, Garrett Haake saw the final days of the Trump campaign up close. As a NBC News Senior Capitol Hill Correspondent, his reporting on the Trump transition shows how far the incoming administration's choices will ripple across Washington.