The Focus Group Podcast

By The BulwarkSociety & Culture News Politics

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The Focus Group Podcast episodes

September 24, 2022 "Lesser of Two Evils" Drinking Game (with Natalie Allison)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

Republicans may be losing one of their best pickup opportunities in the Senate after they nominated a MAGA weirdo to run against an astronaut in Arizona. POLITICO Senate campaigns reporter Natalie Allison joins Sarah to listen to a group of Arizona swing voters and what they think of their choices.
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10 min
September 17, 2022 What Happens in Vegas Won't Stay in Vegas (with Jon Ralston)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

Nevada's economy was hit especially hard by COVID. Now, the Democratic governor and senator are paying the price in their re-election campaigns...or are they? The dean of the Nevada press corps, Jon Ralston, joins Sarah to talk about a Nevada focus group...and whether voters in the Secretary of State race are playing Russian roulette with American democracy.
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12 min
September 10, 2022 The Head vs the Heart in Big Ten Country (with Tim Alberta)
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com

The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta joins Sarah to discuss whether Ohio is really more Trump+8 than R+8 — and to debate Tim Ryan's chances against J.D. Vance. Meanwhile, in Michigan's governor's race, Gretchen Whitmer hits Tudor Dixon on her biggest vulnerability — abortion — while facing lingering resentment over her Covid response.
The Focus Group podcast is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Become a member today and the next two weeks are on us for FREE. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup.

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10 min
September 03, 2022 Make Politics Boring Again, Please

On this week's episode, we're sharing a director's cut of a recent focus group, featuring swing state suburban women. These voters from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia backed Trump in 2016, but flipped in 2020. Hear what they have to say about the big races in their states, their desire for things to be "normal" again, and how the end of Roe is influencing their vote this November.

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55 min
August 27, 2022 Vibe Check (with Tim Miller)
As primary season winds down, Democrats are gaining ground in what was supposed to be a wave year for Republicans. Tim Miller joins Sarah to discuss the anti-abortion extremists endorsed by Trump, how Democrats are making Dobbs a game-changer, and the weirdo theory of politics.

The Focus Group Podcast is exclusively available to Bulwark+ members.

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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47 min
August 20, 2022 The Florida Man Thunderdome (with Marc Caputo)
Florida is the center of Republican politics these days — and it's getting redder all the time. Trump lives there, and his political understudy is the governor. Marc Caputo of NBC News — the best Florida Man in the political press corps — joins Sarah to listen to a group of Florida reverse flipper voters (not Trump 2016/ yes Trump 2020). They also discuss Trump, DeSantis, 2024, and how the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago could impact it all.

The Focus Group Podcast is exclusively available to Bulwark+ members.

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 1 min
August 13, 2022 Trump vs. The Pizza Place Senator (with Bill Kristol)
Trump is trying to end Lisa Murkowski's Senate career, but Alaska's new ranked choice voting may well save her. Plus, focus group participants keep bringing up abortion, and another Alaskan, Sarah Palin, is attempting a political comeback. Bill Kristol joins Sarah this week — and yes, he talks about his "wishful thinking" in 2008.
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57 min
August 06, 2022 The Laughingstock of Wisconsin (with Charlie Sykes)
Wisconsinites are embarrassed to have Ron Johnson as their senator, but does that mean progressive Mandela Barnes has a good shot at the seat? Buckle up, the matchup promises to be one of the dirtiest campaigns of the midterms. Plus, another chapter in the Trump-Pence proxy war for a governor's mansion. Charlie Sykes joins Sarah for this week's episode.
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46 min
July 30, 2022 The Electable Election Deniers (with Tim Alberta)
MAGA conspiracy theorist Kari Lake is poised to win her GOP primary, and has a good shot at becoming the governor of Arizona. Plus, impeachment voter Peter Meijer fends off a primary challenge, as a crazy cast of Michigan Republicans attempt to take down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Atlantic's — and Michigan's own — Tim Alberta joins Sarah on this week's episode.
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51 min
July 23, 2022 Hope Dies Last (with Susan Glasser)
Trump voters are ready to take on and take out Liz Cheney, as well as fellow Trump impeachment supporters Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse. The New Yorker's Susan Glasser joins Sarah to discuss tribalism, "Wyoming Values," and Cheney being forged into a national leader before our eyes.
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49 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.