Too Close To Call Podcast

Adrian Fontes, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state in Arizona, joins the pod to talk about a downballot contest that is attracting more attention than usual given the prospect of election denialism plaguing outcomes in 2022 and 2024.

Fontes is in a tight contest with Republican Mark Finchem, a full MAGA warrior who has already stated he won’t be offering a concession speech.

Fontes talks about his path to victory if Katie Hobbs loses the governor’s race to Kari Lake, the future of mail in voting in Arizona and debates the merits of requiring voters to show identification to cast a ballot.

Listen above …. or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Phil Cox is a senior adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial nominee Tim Michels and Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas, as well as an adviser to the Republican Governors Association, a committee he used to run.

In this #pod he chats about >

* why Gretchen Whitmer looks primed for re-election in Michigan

* the two tightest gubernatorial contests in the country

* the narrative that DeSantis isn’t people friendly

Listen above …. or on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Colm O’Comartun is the founder of 50 State, a D.C. consulting firm that works with governors of both parties from across the country. He previously directed the Democratic Governors Association from 2010 to 2014.

In this #pod focused on governors races, Colm and I cover …

* what it’s like to lead a party committee in the final month before an election and how to say no to both candidates on the way to losing and those on the way to victory.

* which Democratic governor is the most vulnerable to defeat in 2022.

* if Katie Hobbs’ is blowing it be refusing to debate Kari Lake in Arizona

* And the 2024 Democratic stars that will emerge out of 2022

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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 davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Democratic strategist Cyrus Garrett, who ran point for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign in Georgia, has a wealth of knowledge on the purple Peach State and a b******t-free approach that offers a clear-eyed sense of the state of play in both the governor and U.S. Senate races a month out.

I hope you’ll listen to every minute of this one — it’s worth it if you want to understand Georgia from a man who has worked its trenches and seen what was coming there before most everybody else.

Included in this #pod are Garrett’s thoughts on:

* the likelihood that Raphael Warnock or Herschel Walker gets to 50.1% of the vote on Nov. 8 to avoid an extended Senate runoff campaign

* why the Black male is the new swing voter

* where Stacey Abrams’ has failed to succeed as a candidate

* how Raphael Warnock is carving out a different message than most other Democrats

* the key difference between Georgia and Nevada this cycle

You can also listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. And if you like it, I’d appreciate you tossing Too Close To Call a star-filled rating.

And: If you become a *PAID subscriber* today, you’ll get a bonus POD with Cyrus’ analysis of the map beyond Georgia and a bold prediction about a particular Democrat and 2024.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Beto O’Rourke assembled an A+ debate performance against Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday evening, turning Texas’ high-voltage issues of immigration, gun rights and energy reliability into a referendum on the incumbent during the hour affair.

At the same time, O’Rourke didn’t score a knockout or game-changing moment that could harm Abbott’s high single-digit lead in the race for Texas governor.

What O’Rourke did do is put forward a substantive case for a different governing vision in still-red Texas. And he even cleverly deployed an argument on gun laws that could flare up in a future Republican presidential primary debate for Abbott.

***Listen above***

or

Search: Too Close To Call on Apple or Spotify

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Don Bolduc, the newly minted Republican U.S. Senate candidate in New Hampshire, begins in a hole.

READ: Where does New Hampshire fall in my monthly Senate rankings?

He’s hustling to cobble together Republicans after a razor-thin primary victory, needs to bank cash fast and has to draw Sen. Maggie Hassan into a debate on economic issues rather than being mired in abortion.

Last week, veteran GOP figure Tom Rath declared on #TooCloseToCall that Bolduc could not win, due to a litany of past statements viewed as outside the mainstream.

WATCH: Has New Hampshire fallen off the Senate map?

So it was only fair to grant Rick Wiley, Bolduc’s senior adviser, equal time to articulate a counter argument.

In this swift 11-minute POD, Wiley fields questions on

* how the Bolduc campaign plans to deal with Hassan’s relentless focus on abortion and how the general would vote on a national abortion ban.

* whether Bolduc wants fundraising help from GOP leader Mitch McConnell

* whether Bolduc will unequivocally accept the election results of his race.

***Listen above***

A similar opportunity to POD has been offered to the Hassan campaign. If a representative agrees to appear, you’ll see it here.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

A quick check-in to alert you that #TooCloseToCall rants now appear on Spotify & Apple Podcasts me some stars won’t you?

Pro tip: It’s easier to search my name, David Catanese, than #TooCloseToCall to located me in these pod engines. And Substack video doesn’t automatically transfer to these platforms, so figuring that out is a work in progress as I explain in the #Rant.

Secondly, do you prefer audio only, video — the option for both — or written posts? Send me your preference as I’m continuing to experiment.

Thirdly, lots in the tank to come for the final 50-some days before E-Day. What topics, people, horse races would you like to see explored? Reply to this email to let me know. Specificity sings.

Finally, thank you to the paid folks out there; I appreciate ya, truly.

Just $5 dolla/dolla a month.

Now, go slam stars

>

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Can we go off the record for a moment?

If you’re a political operative or a reporter, this phrase will resonate with you deeply.

If you’re a normal person who just happens to follow politics, this may be illuminating.

In this #Rant, I pull down the curtain that shield the conversations that take place between reporters and their sources every day across the country.

I’m eager to hear your feedback, questions and critiques of what I missed/got wrong.

And if you enjoyed this Rant, consider sharing it and becoming a paid subscriber to get double the posts free subscribers receive. Appreciate each one of you who has come aboard.

Are you ready to join the Too Close To Call paid family?

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#PRIDE has become the church preaching to the choir, a hyper-sexualized parade of safe expression, choreographed to stamp out decades of oppression. The events are concentrated in highly urban areas that are already on board. If the #LGBTQ+ movement is truly interested in progress, there’s a more valuable way to strip down in the streets with shots on weekends in June, while lending a hand to the next generation that doesn’t live in a neighborhood where the rainbow flag is as common as the stop light.

A 15-minute #Rant for your listening pleasure.

Learn more about Too Close To Call >

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe

Jamie Bilica Carroll, who I met in 1998 during an internship at CNN in Washington during college, visits #The Rant for a special edition to debate the choice of lifelong marriage versus the more radical option of long-term singlehood.

At the start of #TooCloseToCall, I said I’d sometimes dip into personal quandaries outside of the political realm. Since Jamie is in town for a quick visit, I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to talk with one of the most enthralling conversationalists on the planet on a topic we’ve grappled with constantly in nearly 25 years of friendship.

Some of the most fulfilling conversations in my life have been with Jamie, who is introspective, self-aware and holds an earnest zest for confronting life’s big questions, as I believe you’ll find in listening to our gab.

A topic we keep returning to is the purpose and value of relationships, what makes us want to seek and cling to lifelong partners, abandon them or choose to go it alone altogether. Is marriage a necessity for happiness, particularly for heterosexuals? Is it really healthy to be with the same person for 40+ years? Or is singlehood unfairly stigmatized due to traditional and religious norms as well as reproductive incentives?

Can a coterie of fruitful friendships truly replace a single dedicated partnership? What happens if the relationship you’ve put everything into goes bust? And who has the courage to make that choice years in after all?

I, a homosexual single male, debate the topic with Jamie, a heterosexual female in her second marriage, for nearly 50 minutes (!), before prudently deciding against a late night pizza order.

As always, I encourage your feedback, critiques, questions and … if you’re so inclined … a *paid subscription* to support future posts like this one.

Thanks for playing.

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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 davidcatanese.substack.com/subscribe