The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 1 – It's Election Day!

Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

Hour 1 of this special Election Day episode is dedicated to the high-stakes political contests taking place across the country, with a particular focus on the New York City mayoral race, the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and the broader implications for national politics. Clay and Buck dig into the strategic voting decisions on the right, the impact of a late Trump endorsement, concerns about socialist-leaning candidates, and the media’s anticipated framing of the results. Throughout, the hosts combine informed analysis with lighthearted moments and listener engagement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Why This Election Day Matters

• Release of Clay's Book ("Balls") – Buck highlights that today is both Election Day and the release of Clay’s new book, encouraging listeners to show support for writers on the right.
  • Buck: "The best way to show appreciation is by buying the copies. Let's get Clay on the bestseller list." (00:57)
• Importance of Down-Ballot Voting – Both hosts urge listeners to vote, emphasizing that attorney general and other local races are highly consequential.
  • Clay: "The down ballot can be hugely important too...it really is likely to come down to a hair's breadth margin in many of these races." (02:31)

2. New York City Mayoral Race Drama

• The Trump Endorsement and Strategic Voting

  • A last-minute Trump endorsement of Andrew Cuomo (over Sliwa) aims to consolidate the anti-Mamdani vote and prevent the socialist candidate, Zoran Mamdani, from winning due to a split opposition.
  • Stephen Miller backs Trump’s call, describing the need to "unite behind the leading candidate."
    • Stephen Miller (clip): "The anti Mamdani vote, which is really the pro New York City vote, the pro America vote, needs to unite behind the leading candidate, and that's Andrew Cuomo." (04:42)

• Division on the Right

  • Some listeners and conservatives bristle at being told to vote for Cuomo over Sliwa, feeling it’s a “lesser of two evils” situation.
  • Clay explains the rationale: Sliwa cannot win, and staying in the race simply divides the anti-socialist vote.
    • Clay: "Sliwa can’t win and all he is doing is helping Mamdani...my concern is that...we will see Mamdani win because the anti Mamdani vote was split..." (05:08)

• Potential Record Turnout

  • Discussion of unusually high voter turnout in New York City and speculation over how many residents might move if a "radical" candidate like Mamdani wins.
    • Clay: "A million people say they're going to leave New York City...I think 100,000 New Yorkers, if Mamdani wins, might say, I'm out. I'm going to Florida. I'm going to Texas. I'm going to Tennessee." (07:27)

• Trump Endorsement Backlash?

  • Debate over whether Trump’s support for Cuomo could actually harm Cuomo, especially among voters strongly opposed to Trump.
    • Van Jones (paraphrased): "I can't think of a worse thing to happen to Cuomo than for Donald Trump to come out and endorse [him]." (09:40)
  • Clay thinks the timing is too late to have a significant negative effect, since much early voting is completed.

3. Examining the Candidates

• Cuomo’s Critique of Mamdani’s Promises

  • Cuomo calls Mamdani’s campaign “TikTok promises”—utopian ideas that, as mayor, he would have no legal power to enact (e.g., rent freeze, free buses, city-owned grocery stores).
    • Cuomo: "The mayor has no ability to freeze anybody's rent...It's all BS. It's all campaign rhetoric." (11:08)
  • Clay and Buck criticize Cuomo’s campaign as lazy, noting that had he fought harder earlier, this outcome might be different.
    • Buck: "He has been not just inept, but lazy, too...He thought he was going to walk away with this." (12:28)

• Concerns About Mamdani and Socialist Policies

  • Discussion of Mamdani’s positions, labeling him a “Democratic Socialist.”
  • Mamdani responds to accusations of communism by referencing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on wealth distribution.
    • Mamdani: "When I say I'm a democratic socialist, I explain it in the words of Dr. King..." (23:53)

• Skepticism About Campaign Promises

  • Buck and Clay assert that Mamdani’s pledges (e.g., cheaper food/housing, free services) show ignorance of market mechanisms, and predict that standards of living will not improve—and may worsen—under such governance.
    • Buck: "If Mamdani gets his way, it's going to drive up costs...He is an ignoramus with a silver tongue." (24:38)

4. National Media and Political Framing

• Anticipation of Media Spin
  • Clay warns that mainstream media like CNN will frame any Democratic victories as a "repudiation of Trump," regardless of context.
    • Clay: "They are going to argue if the results are the Democrats win, as they are favored to win, they're going to argue that this is a massive repudiation of Trump..." (13:42)
  • Buck notes that voting is often about feelings, and the narrative power of “voting against Trump” is overplayed.

5. Broader Electoral Landscape and Listener Engagement

• Other Key Races & Propositions

  • Quick recaps and reminders about gubernatorial battles in Virginia and New Jersey, and ballot initiatives like California’s Proposition 50.
  • Explicit call to action: “Go vote. Down-ballot matters a great deal.” (18:49)

• Callers and Voter Perspectives

  • A Manhattan caller warns about ballot initiatives granting excessive power to New York's mayor over real estate.
    • Caller: "They gotta vote no on all six of those ballots...you have a lunatic mayor...he's going to put a housing project and a homeless shelter in your neighborhood..." (39:13)
  • A Queens caller voices regret at the party being asked to back Cuomo.
    • Caller: "I think we had the president telling us to back Cuomo, who is a worse Democrat than Eric Adams ever was." (40:12)
  • Another caller recounts problems with free public transport policies enabling substance abuse and crime.
    • Caller: "This is what free everything does." (40:43)
  • Buck: "Free everything is a prison for everyone else, actually." (41:14)

6. Policy, Crime, and Quality of Life

• Crime Data in NYC
  • Clay notes that, under Mayor Eric Adams, shootings and murders are at record lows compared to last year, attributing this to a turn away from “defund the police.”
    • Clay: "Thanks to Jessica Tisch's work and the focus of Mayor Eric Adams, there's actually decent numbers coming in on safety...The one thing that [Mamdani] can definitely do is make New York less safe." (25:40)
• Lessons from Policy Experiments
  • The hosts draw a parallel between misguided business policies (like Starbucks’ open-door bathroom policy) and progressive city policies, suggesting both ultimately result in disorder and decline.
    • Buck: "Starbucks did this thing where they said, you don't have to buy anything...they realized, oh, wait, we've made a mistake here. We've just created, effectively, drug use and like, temporary homeless shelters..." (30:51)

7. Changes in American Culture

• Decline in Movie-Going
  • Brief, lighter segment on the collapse of the American cinema as a unified cultural experience; Clay conjectures that sports might now fill this role.
    • Clay: "It used to be such a badge of honor to try to make a movie that could appeal to everyone. And it doesn't even feel as if anyone tries to do that anymore." (34:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Strategic Voting in NYC:
  Stephen Miller (04:42): “The anti Mamdani vote, which is really the pro New York City vote, the pro America vote, needs to unite behind the leading candidate, and that's Andrew Cuomo, man, there you go.”

• On Machiavellian Decisions:
  Clay (05:08): “Sliwa can’t win and all he is doing is helping Mamdani...my concern is that...we will see Mamdani win because the anti Mamdani vote was split...”

• On Socialist Campaign Promises:
  Cuomo (as played in a clip, 11:08): “People think [Mamdani]’s going to freeze their rent. No, no, no, no. First of all, the mayor has no ability to freeze anybody's rent...It's all campaign rhetoric. None of it will change anybody's life.”

• On Starbucks Policy as Cautionary Tale:
  Buck (30:51): “Starbucks found this out the hard way...they were like, oh my gosh, we are so scared of racism. And in 2025, beginning of this year, they officially reversed the policy because it was so destructive.”

• On “Free Everything” Philosophy:
  Buck (41:14): "Free everything is a prison for everyone else, actually."

• Listener Input – Policy Impact:
  Caller (40:43): “Homeless drug addicts are smoking fentanyl on an open piece of tinfoil...So this is what free everything does.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Election Stakes & Book Release – 00:57
• Down-Ballot Races Matter – 02:19
• NYC Mayoral Race & Trump Endorsement – 03:14 - 05:03
• Division and Strategy on the Right – 05:03 - 08:12
• Potential Backlash to Trump’s Endorsement – 09:28
• Cuomo vs Mamdani: Campaign Promises Examined – 11:08 - 12:28
• Media Framing Anticipated – 13:42
• Call to Vote Nationwide – 18:49
• Callers on Ballot Measures and Candidate Concerns – 39:13 - 41:14
• Crime Numbers and Public Safety in NYC – 25:40 - 27:35
• Lessons from “Free Everything” Policies – 29:59 - 32:44
• Cultural Change: Decline in Movies and the Rise of Sports – 34:05

Overall Tone & Style

• Conversational, sardonic, and engaging: The hosts mix sharp political insight with humor and cultural asides, creating a lively and relatable discussion.
• Partisan but self-aware: Strong critique of progressive candidates and policies, but with acknowledgment of the limitations and contradictions on their own side.
• Listener-centered: Direct calls for audience action (voting, buying Clay’s book), plus extensive inclusion of caller perspectives.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• This hour delivers a blend of serious election analysis and irreverent banter. You’ll get a comprehensive rundown of what's at stake in the 2025 Elections — especially in New York City — as well as how national narratives might be shaped by local outcomes.
• The episode contextualizes strategic voting decisions, exposes perceived myths in progressive policies, and illustrates how headlines and messaging on Election Day can diverge from realities on the ground.
• If you want a sample of right-leaning electoral strategy mixed with culture war discussion and listener interaction, this episode captures all that and more.