Podcast
FiveThirtyEight Politics
Hosted by ABC News, 538, FiveThirtyEight, Galen Druke · EN
The 538 team covers the latest in politics, tracking the issues and "game-changers" every week.
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Do Voters Care About Democracy?
Oct 28, 202400:36:38Tap to summarizeLast week, John Kelly, former President Donald Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, said Trump fit the definition of a “fascist.” Democrats have seized on the comment, using it to underline Trump’s anti-democratic tendencies in these final days before Election Day.On this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew discusses how much voters care about democracy. And they look at a new poll that might shed light on the behavior of a new group of swing voters: young men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →The Most Valuable Data Point
Oct 24, 2024Tap to summarizeWe are awash in data. As Election Day draws near, and new polls continue to pile up, our information overload will only intensify.So today on the 538 Politics podcast, we’re simplifying. We asked 11 very smart people just one question: What is the most valuable data point you’re watching to understand this election? These are their answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Is Trump Losing His Electoral College Advantage?
Sep 23, 2024Tap to summarizeAs early voting kicks off in states across the country, the crew dives into an intensifying election season on this week’s installment of the 538 Politics podcast. They discuss whether early voting data can offer clues about November's outcome, analyze conflicting polls from key battleground states and examine the potential for a shift in the GOP’s Electoral College advantage. Plus, the team previews 538’s new Senate polling averages, focusing on the races that could determine control of the chamber. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →What Americans Think Of Kamala Harris
Aug 12, 2024Tap to summarizeThe contours of the Harris-Trump race are coming further into focus. Vice President Kamala Harris just wrapped up a weeklong tour of the battleground states with her newly minted running mate and former President Donald Trump has been weighing in on all matter of topics on social media and in a lengthy press conference.In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen speaks with senior elections analyst Nathaniel Rakich and New York Times polling editor Ruth Igielnik about the latest polling of the race, perceptions of the candidates and why some on the right are now taking issue with the polls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Making Sense Of Political Violence In America
Jul 15, 2024Tap to summarizeIn this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew reacts to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. They discuss the impact on the country and community and also look at public opinion data on political violence. They also look at historical examples of such violence and track how lawmakers are reacting today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Making Sense Of A Historic British Election
Jul 4, 2024Tap to summarizeHappy Fourth of July! To celebrate our independence from Great Britain, the 538 Politics podcast is actually turning its attention to the United Kingdom's upcoming election.The U.K. is holding its first national election in four and a half years on July 4 and the polling suggests the Labour Party will make historic gains, booting Conservatives from power for the first time in 14 years. To get a sense of the forces behind the dramatic shift since 2019, two longtime friends of the podcast weigh in.Helen Thompson is a professor of political economy at Cambridge University and host of the "These Times" podcast. David Runciman is a professor of politics at Cambridge and host of the podcast "Past Present Future." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Campaign Throwback: 'Soccer Moms'
May 15, 2024Tap to summarizeThis is the second installment of the 538 Politics podcast mini-series, “Campaign Throwback.” Across three episodes, we're taking a look back at campaign tropes from past elections such as, “it’s the economy, stupid,” or “soccer moms” or that question about which candidate you’d rather share a beer with. We’ll ask where those tropes came from, whether they were actually true at the time and if they still hold up today.In our second installment: "soccer moms." In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidential election in what was called the "year of the woman" after a record number of women ran for office and won. As the 1996 election took shape, gender politics were still at the forefront of campaign coverage. As Clinton’s popularity was growing and Dole was lagging in the early polls, the idea took hold that “soccer moms” might either save Dole’s chances or ensure that Clinton made it over the edge. But when the election was all said and done, was that conventional wisdom correct? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Are We Smarter Than The Betting Markets?
May 9, 2024Tap to summarizeSix months out, how does the conventional wisdom about the 2024 election compare with how we are thinking about the numbers here at 538? Are election watchers thinking in a clear-eyed way about an election that will undoubtedly produce a lot of emotion and narratives?Unfortunately we don’t have a conventional wisdom thermometer in the office, so in this installment of the 538 Politics podcast we put that wisdom to the test with a game of “Buy, Sell, Hold.” We look at where the betting markets place the likelihood of everything from former President Donald Trump picking South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his running mate to Democrats winning a Senate race in Ohio, and decide whether the odds are appropriately priced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →Are US Politics Undergoing A Racial Realignment?
Mar 28, 2024Tap to summarizeA handful of recent polls and election results indicate that American politics may be undergoing a racial realignment, with voters of color challenging traditional partisan alliances.In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Galen talks about these shifting dynamics with John Burn-Murdoch, chief data reporter for the Financial Times, and Chryl Laird, government and politics professor at the University of Maryland. They explore why voters of color might be shifting right and what it could mean for Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcribe →No Sleep Till Iowa
Jan 8, 2024Tap to summarizeThe Iowa caucuses are just a week away, and in this installment, the 538 Politics podcast sets its sights on the early states. Galen speaks with celebrated Iowa pollster Ann Selzer about likely caucusgoers' views of the candidates and how things could change in the final week of the campaign. Later in the show, Galen is joined by ABC News reporters Kendall Ross in Iowa, Kelsey Walsh in New Hampshire and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim in South Carolina. They share their insights from months of talking to voters and listening to candidates as they crisscrossed their states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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