Utah Politics

Spencer Stokes of Stokes Strategies joins host Bryan Schott to discuss and bring perspective to the top Utah political news from the last week. 

Ads both for and against Republican Burgess Owens start airing in the 4th Congressional District race. We discuss how outside groups are working to define who Owens is in the minds of voters. 

Sen. Mike Lee remains on President Donald Trump’s list of possible Supreme Court Nominees. Lee also tees off on KSL.com for being too liberal and suggesting the LDS Church should sell the news outlet. 

Everyone is waiting for the audit of the state’s emergency coronavirus spending, but will it have an effect on Spencer Cox’s campaign for governor?

Plus, the massive windstorm that ripped through Utah this week, Trump vs. Mitt Romney and what happens in Park City doesn’t stay there.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

Election forecaster Rachel Bitecofer joins Bryan Schott to discuss what she thinks is going to happen in 2020 and how Sen. Mitt Romney's criticism of President Trump shapes political attitudes in Utah. 

Bitecofer shocked many American political observers when she predicted the “blue wave” in 2018 that ushered Democrats into the majority in the House of Representatives. Her theory was that Democrats were motivated to vote AGAINST Republicans and Donald Trump more than they were motivated by any messaging that came from Democrats. 

Bitecofer is a Senior Election Fellow at the Niskanen Center and she hosts the “Election Whisperer” show on YouTube, which is a must-watch for political junkies.

LINKS

Rachel Bitecofer on Twitter: @RachelBitecofer

Election Whisperer on YouTube

Niskanen Center

Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Gehrke joins host Bryan Schott to dissect the latest Utah political headlines.

There’s a lot going on in the congressional race between Democrat Ben McAdams and Republican Burgess Owens. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy makes a trip to Utah to fundraise for Owens. A multi-million dollar advertising blitz is set to get underway. Does it matter that neither Owens and McAdams live in the district they’re vying to represent? And Owens trashes Mitt Romney over impeachment. 

Spencer Cox re-emerges as the head of Utah’s coronavirus response and Utah State University responds to an outbreak on campus. 

Police object to Black Lives Matter in the classroom while cartoonist Pat Bagley courts controversy. 

America sure could use some empathy from its leaders right about now. 

Plus, we look ahead to what will be making news next week. 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. 

January 17, 1998 was the day that everything changed for the news business and American politics. 

That's the day The Drudge Report broke the blockbuster story that President Bill Clinton had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. 

From that point on, Matt Drudge became one of the most influential voices in American politics.

But who is Matt Drudge, and how did he become one of the most powerful, and wealthy, journalists in America? Matthew Lysiak digs into that question and unpacks Drudge’s impact “The Drudge Revolution: The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media.”

He joins Bryan Schott to discuss Matt Drudge and the indelible mark he left on America.

Links:

Matthew Lysiak on Twitter: @Matthewlysiak

The Drudge Report

The Drudge Revolution: The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media.

Former White House counsel John Dean knows what an authoritarian leader looks like. After all, he was a member of the Nixon administration where he played a central role in the Watergate scandal.

He says he wrote his new book to help him, and us, understand why President Trump's supporters are not bothered by his authoritarian tendencies.

His latest book is called “Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and his Followers.” In the book, he and his co-author psychologist Bob Altemeyer, dig into Trump’s fervent base of supporters to understand why they are all-in on the Trump train, and why they crave the authoritarian vision of America that Trump offers them.

He joins Bryan Schott to discuss why Trump's authoritarian vision of America has taken over the Republican Party, and what it means for American politics.

Links:

John Dean on Twitter: @JohnWDean

Order the book here: "Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and his Followers"

Political strategist Rick Wilson has found a new life as part of a group of "never Trump" former Republicans who are working to deny President Donald Trump another term in office.

Wilson is one of the founders of The Lincoln Project, the group behind a series of television and internet ads that are targeting Trump and his Republican allies in the Senate ahead of the November election.

Wilson is also the author of the New York Times bestseller "Running Against the Devil. A Plot to Save America from Trump - and Democrats from Themselves," which has recently been released on paperback. In that book, he offers a blueprint for how Democrats can beat Trump in November. It's also a handy primer for anyone hoping to understand the bare-knuckle nature of our political campaigns.

Wilson joins Bryan Schott to discuss his book, why the Lincoln Project ads are so good at getting under Trump's skin and why he thinks Republicans like Sen. Mike Lee will face a political reckoning once Trump is out of office. There's also some discussion of Dungeons and Dragons.

Links:

Rick Wilson on Twitter: @TheRickWilson

Buy "Running against the Devil"

We’re less than three months toward election day, and some of the trends that will shape the November vote are coming into focus. To map out what the next three months could look like, we speak with Nathan Gonzales of InsideElections.com.

He speaks with Managing Editor Bryan Schott about Democrat Joe Biden's lead over Republican Donald Trump, and whether that lead will hold until November. Will the distaste for Trump among many Utah voters loosen the GOP’s grip on the state? Can Democrat Ben McAdams hold off a tough challenge from Republican Burgess Owens? And, are there any surprises lurking on the Utah electoral landscape?

Links:

Nathan Gonzales on Twitter: @NathanLGonzales

InsideElections.com

i6jVX6nk2vNHlss9LYRq