The Focus Group Podcast

By The BulwarkSociety & Culture News Politics

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The Focus Group Podcast episodes

December 03, 2022 Midnight Train (Back) to Georgia (with Greg Bluestein)

We're wrapping up this election cycle in Georgia with voters who voted for Herschel Walker in November — but aren't so sure about him going into the December 6 runoff. Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter Greg Bluestein joins Sarah for one last focus group in 2022.

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45 min
November 26, 2022 Thankful for Swing Voters (with Amy Walter)

The midterms have come and gone, and it turns out many of our focus groups were signs of things to come. Amy Walter, Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, joins Sarah for a look back at this year's groups.

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55 min
November 19, 2022 Can There Be Another Star in Trump's Cinematic Universe? (with David Drucker)
Donald Trump announced his 2024 campaign this week. Republican elites would love to move on from him, but will Republican voters? David Drucker, the author of In Trump's Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP, joins Sarah to listen to Trump voters from the past year and discuss whether they provide clues for how the 2024 Republican primary may unfold.

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49 min
November 12, 2022 What a Week!

Sarah has a special message for Focus Group fans as we wait for the remaining election results.

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3 min
November 05, 2022 Election Eve Weekend Nerd Spectacular
Instead of a focus group this week, Sarah sits down with four political super-nerds to get their read on Tuesday's election and beyond. She's joined by Jon Ralston to talk Nevada, Brahm Resnik — political reporter for Phoenix’s local NBC affiliate — to talk Arizona, along with Bill Kristol, and Gunner Ramer, the political director of the Republican Accountability PAC.
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This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com/subscribe

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1 hr 11 min
October 29, 2022 A Little Thuggishness Is Called For (with James Carville)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

John Fetterman had a bad night in the Pennsylvania Senate debate, and an even worse night in our focus group — though this group wasn't inclined to like him anyway. Legendary Democratic operative James Carville joins Sarah to break down the Pennsylvania Senate race, and James shares his thoughts on how the Democratic Party needs to shape up.
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15 min
October 22, 2022 Arizona: Psychologically Unfun (with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

Arizona is ground-zero for the Big Lie about the 2020 election. The Republican nominees for Governor and Secretary of State, Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, are avowed election deniers, and Democrats may or may not rise to the occasion to beat them. But our guest HAS risen to the occasion: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer joins Sarah to listen to Arizona swing voters and talk about his job running elections for 60% of Arizona voters.

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15 min
October 15, 2022 Georgia: Ticket-Splitting On Our Mind (with Molly Ball)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

Georgia is a closely divided state, but we're likely to see a lot of ticket splitters there this year - specifically a lot of people voting for arch-conservative Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Partly because they think Kemp is doing a good job, and partly because Warnock's opponent, Herschel Walker, is a total mess. TIME Magazine national political correspondent Molly Ball joins Sarah to discuss her reporting out of Georgia and listen to a group of Georgia swing voters.
The Focus Group is now exclusively part of Bulwark+. To listen to this episode in full and to get future editions, upgrade to a Bulwark+ membership now and the next two weeks are on us—Free. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to claim this free trial offer.

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21 min
October 08, 2022 He Scares the Crap Out of Me (with Holly Otterbein)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

The Pennsylvania governor's race is a bit of a political science experiment: what happens if one candidate barely runs any ads? Turns out, swing voters still really don't like that guy. POLITICO's in-house Pennsylvania expert Holly Otterbein once again joins Sarah on the pod. They discuss how swing voters are feeling about the Pennsylvania governor's race, as well as how these same voters may be starting to sour on John Fetterman in the Senate race.
The Focus Group is now exclusively part of Bulwark+. To listen to this episode in full and to get future editions, upgrade to a Bulwark+ membership now and the next two weeks are on us—Free. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to claim this free trial offer.

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17 min
October 01, 2022 George Washington Wouldn't Tolerate Furries(with Charlie Sykes)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

To listen to this episode in full and to get future editions, upgrade to a Bulwark+ membership now and the next two weeks are on us—Free. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to claim this free trial offer.
America's Dairyland is becoming America's Election Land. Wisconsin has major races for governor and for U.S. Senate...and how are the Trump-to-Biden voters that delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden feeling about them? The Bulwark's own Charlie Sykes joins Sarah to talk about what the voters (and Charlie) are thinking. Listen to the end for the most laugh-out-loud funny moment Sarah's ever heard in a focus group.
The Focus Group is now exclusively part of Bulwark+.

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14 min

About The Focus Group Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say.