During today's podcast discussion, Chris Cillizza and Matt discussed:

— Rep. Haley Stevens was ambushed by TMZ. She leaned hard into her Matt Foley / “van down by the river” energy — and it worked!

— Why leaning into the turn (and her real Michigan accent) is smart politics in the authenticity era

— The upcoming Michigan Senate Democratic primary (Aug 4): Stevens vs. Abdul El-Sayed — who actually wins?

— The Wisconsin DSA primary threat — and what it signals nationally

— Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff’s breakout as the fighter Democrats NEED.

— The generic ballot reality check (thanks to viewers who informed me that Dems are back up BIGLY in the generic ballot), Trump’s low approvals, and why midterms will punish the White House— Ben Sasse’s grace, Tim Russert has alrady been forgotten by Gen Z, and MUCH more.

*** PLUS: Matt's latest NOTUS column, “In Defense of Nixonmaxxing.” https://www.notus.org/perspectives/in-defense-of-nixonmaxxing

Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A

– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.

Buy Matt's books: FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937