The Focus Group Podcast

By The BulwarkSociety & Culture News Politics

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The Focus Group Podcast episodes

March 28 S6 Ep31: PSA: AI is NOT Your Boyfriend!! (with Megan McArdle)
Artificial intelligence is such a big change to human civilization that our political class is struggling to keep up. The voters in our focus groups are struggling, too. The Washington Post's Megan McArdle joins the show to discuss how everyday Americans are using (and misusing!) AI, its impact on the political process and information environment, and how public policy can adapt to this brave new world.
Megan McArdle's Washington Post Podcast, Reasonably Optimistic
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1 hr 1 min
March 21 S6 Ep30: ‘All of You Could Be Democrats’ (with Anderson Clayton)
A lot of the young people we’ve been talking to recently in our focus groups are relatively apolitical, and many of them don’t vote. But what DO these young people care about? And what could mobilize them in the future? Rachel Janfaza discusses with Anderson Clayton, the youngest state party chair in the U.S. and chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
45 min
March 14 S6 Ep29: Illinois Senate Race: Daaaa Dems (with David Axelrod)
The Democratic primary for US Senate in Illinois is a bit quiet, according to our guest. But underneath the surface, one candidate has a VERY interesting way of getting attention...and voters are starting to notice. David Axelrod, former adviser to President Obama, joins the show to discuss this Chicago-style Senate race.
Pre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an Elephant, coming in September!
52 min
March 12 S6 Ep28: BONUS POD: Iran Fears &...Focus Groups Love The Bulwark?
Sarah was out last week, and felt she had to bring you some timely focus group reactions to the War in Iran. We also check in on their feelings about the Trump administration (especially their handling of the Epstein Files), and talk about a growing strain of conspiracy theorizing tied to Israel (Jeffrey Epstein and Charlie Kirk are BOTH involved!)
Finally, we’ve recently seen members of the Bulwark community pop up in the wild in our focus groups. Hear what drew THEM to The Bulwark. Sarah and Bill Kristol sift through it all.
Pre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an Elephant, coming in September!

58 min
March 07 S6 Ep27: What's a "Rug Pull"? (with Ed Elson)
Rachel Janfaza sits in for Sarah on this week’s Focus Group to take a look at Gen Z’s personal finances, from their long-term outlooks to their day-to-day habits…especially their investments in crypto and how they’re engaging with sports betting and prediction markets. Ed Elson, co-host of Prof G Markets, joins Rachel.
Pre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an Elephant, coming in September!
Show notes:
Rachel in The Up and Up: How Gen Z spends, saves, and invests
Rachel in The Up and Up: The Kalshi election
Ed’s interview with Kalshi founder Tarek Mansour
59 min
February 28 S6 Ep26: Twitter vs. Texans (with Elaine Godfrey)
The Texas Senate primary on March 3 between James Talarico and Rep. Jasmine Crockett is a toxic cesspool on Twitter. But Texas Democrats are practically giddy over how much they like both candidates. Atlantic staff writer Elaine Godfrey, who's profiled both candidates, joins the show to chat about the race and discuss why she was kicked out of a Jasmine Crockett campaign event.
By Elaine Godfrey:
Why I Got Thrown Out of a Jasmine Crockett Rally
Audio of Elaine being kicked out: ‘Elaine From Atlantic … She Needs to Leave’
Texas's Pete
A Democrat for the Trump Era
51 min
February 21 S6 Ep25: Texas-Sized Scandal (with Eric Benson)
Sen. John Cornyn has been a consistent ally of President Trump. Even Trump likes him just fine...but that may not be enough to save him in Texas, because he may have just been too mild-mannered for too long. He's running against a scandal-plagued (but combative) Attorney General, and a less scandal-plagued (but also less known) newcomer. Texas Monthly writer Eric Benson joins Sarah to break down the Republican brawl in the Lone Star State.
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Show notes:
Eric Benson's John Cornyn profile: The Last Ride of Big Bad John
52 min
February 14 S6 Ep24: Two Qual Researchers Walk Into a Bar (with Margie Omero)
More and more Trump voters are souring on his administration. But why? Inflation, immigration, and Epstein are all in the mix, but there's a giant mosaic of disappointments. We needed a second qualitative researcher to make sense of it all. Democratic pollster Margie Omero joins the show to discuss what she's heard in her own focus groups, listen to Trump voters who are down on his job performance, and check in with the Democratic base.
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Margie's focus groups:
Trump’s Problems With Latinos Go Deeper Than the Economy
14 Wellness Voters Talk Parenting, MAHA and Social Media
53 min
February 07 S6 Ep23: Young Trump Voters Have Feelings (with Rachel Janfaza)
Why are Gen Z men drifting right while Gen Z women move left? And why do right-wing zoomers think the gender gap is so wide? Sarah Longwell talks with the newest Bulwark contributor Rachel Janfaza, founder of The Up and Up, to analyze new focus groups of Gen Z Trump voters. They also get into these voters' Trump fatigue on foreign policy, why a future JD Vance presidential run isn't appealing, and whether these voters could ever date someone across the political divide.
The Bulwark is heading to Minneapolis, and then to Texas. Get your tickets at https://TheBulwark.com/Events.
Show notes:
Rachel in Vox: The quiet reason why Trump is losing Gen Z
From November 2025: Rachel Janfaza on The Focus Group Podcast
54 min
January 31 S6 Ep22: Put Excuses on ICE (with Adrian Carrasquillo)
We saw an ICE officer kill an American citizen for the second time in less than three weeks. This time, it was harder for some of the voters we talked to to make an excuse for it. Bulwark immigration correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo returns to the show to discuss his reporting and listen to voters' raw reactions to what they're seeing in the news.
Show notes:
The abhorrent power of the photograph of a 5-year-old held by ICE
By Adrian Carrasquillo:
Why a Scared 5-Year-Old Boy Shook Our National Conscience
Portraits of the Minneapolis Resistance
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43 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.