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S15 EP173: Hour 3 - Why Erick Won’t Hold His Nose for Two Bad Candidates

Episode length: 37m

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Erick makes the case that abortion is his red line and that voters have every right to sit out races like the Ken Paxton versus James Talarico Texas Senate fight, warning Republicans that holding your nose for corrupt or unworthy candidates guarantees worse ones, from Vivek Ramaswamy's struggles in the Ohio governor race to Trump's taxpayer funded campaign ad. He also defends Georgia governor candidate Rick Jackson against an AJC attack on the self-made man, plays the Saturday Night Live Dario Amodei parody, and shares a UK counterterrorism update on five men released on bail in a suspected foreign state operation.

  • Lesser of two evils: Erick explains why abortion is a red line, why he will not vote for two pro-abortion candidates, and why more disaffected Republicans and independents are tapping out of the 2026 midterms
  • Texas Senate race: Ken Paxton versus James Talarico, John Cornyn's role, and Beau French's Railroad Commission risk, with Erick reminding Republicans they told voters in 2016 they were electing a politician, not a preacher
  • Ohio governor race: Vivek Ramaswamy slipping in the polls, and Erick's charge that some on the right will not vote for a brown-skinned Hindu candidate after demanding everyone hold their nose for Donald Trump
  • Trump taxpayer funded campaign ad: the White House swapped the paid for by Trump for President tag for a government one, and Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is among those calling it out
  • Rick Jackson and the self-made man: Erick answers an Atlanta Journal-Constitution column calling the self-made man a myth, and argues for helping the deserving poor while ending bailouts for repeated bad choices
  • Also: Saturday Night Live's Dario Amodei and Anthropic parody, UK counterterrorism police releasing five arrested men on bail in a suspected foreign proxy operation, and the Laughing Cow's scowling new ad campaign
Host:
Erick Erickson