Will Tuesday’s disgusting debate shake up the presidential race? Election expert Ruy Teixeira joins the Horse Race to give his assessment. Arizona is perhaps the key battleground state, and the University of Arizona’s Samara Klar gives us the lowdown from the ground. Polling analyst Karlyn Bowman joins in the launch of our new regular feature, Poll Barometer, which looks at what the polls tell us and gets down under the hood for a close look. All this and a barbarically humorous Ad of the Week, only on The Horse Race with Henry Olsen!

This week’s episode takes us into New York City for a look at two especially incisive ads that could only have come from the Big Apple. We also look at President Trump’s standing with white working-class voters and his general election prospects with the Economist’s D.C. Bureau Chief, James Astill. Listen today!

Both parties have held their conventions and the mano-a-mano contest has started in earnest. The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter joins the Horse Race to tell us where the race stands and where it might go. This week also features an extended edition of Ad of the Week: we look at seven ads in three races to explore different techniques strategists use to communicate a message in the context of a competitive, multi-ad race. Only on The Horse Race!

FDR’s first Vice President is quoted as saying the job was not worth a bucket of warm spit, although he actually used an earthier bodily fluid to describe the vice presidency. Will Sen. Kamala Harris agree if the Biden-Harris ticket wins? MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki joins The Horse Race to talk about Harris’ selection and give us his assessment on the state of the race. The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway also joins the show and talks about the Kavanaugh hearings, media bias, and the return of “yellow journalism.” The final edition of “Primary Night in America” covers key races over the next three weeks in Florida, Oklahoma, and Massachusetts. Only on The Horse Race!

Control of the Senate is up for grabs; can Republicans hold on? Inside Elections’ Nathan Gonzales provides a comprehensive rundown of all the key races and where the overall picture stands on this week’s episode. Newsmax’s John Gizzi also talks about what it’s like to cover the Trump White House and where he think the president should go this month to recover his standing. Another edition of “Primary Night in America” runs down the key contests on the ballot next Tuesday, and Ad of the Week explains why candidates can say things in their ads which would never make it on the air in other contexts.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American politics, pushing campaigns to the sidelines and dealing a serious blow to President Trump’s re-election hopes. Real Clear Politics’ Sean Trende has been following the spread of covid-19 in addition to his regular political analysis and joins us to explain what is really going on with covid and the presidential race. We’ll also run down the six primaries for key House and Senate races that occur next week, as well as look in Ad of the Week at how Democratic incumbents portray themselves when they are running in normally Republican districts. Join us on the Horse Race!

The polls show President Trump and the Republicans are looking at a November shellacking. Are they right? Political analyst Geoffrey Skelley from 538.com joins the Horse Race to give us his thought. He’s joined by University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray who will fill us in on how bad it could get in normally red Texas. All this and TWO Ads of the Week, only on the Horse Race!

 

Every athlete no matter how excellent goes through extended down periods, slumps. President Trump’s poll ratings have been down for over two months now, whether they are measured by his job approval rating or his mead-to-head matchups with Joe Biden. Is this slump or a serious, perhaps permanent, downturn? The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein and the Washington Examiner and New York Post’s Salena Zito weigh in with their thoughts. All this and a Montana Senate campaign ad wins our coveted Ad of the Week trophy. Only on the Horse Race!

You know things are getting weird when the main topic in a presidential race is who’s wearing masks and when. This week’s guests – Robert Costa of The Washington Post and National Review’s Jim Geraghty – help us understand the logic underneath the craziness. We even unmask the reasoning behind a recent Democratic ad designed to help a Republican on Ad of the Week!

With states beginning to reopen and politics beginning to heat up, it feels like we’re in the eye of the storm – past the covid-19 hammer and preparing for the election maelstrom to come. CNN political analyst Harry Enten joins the Horse Race to help us make sense of this moment, while White House correspondent Debra Saunders gives us a behind the scenes look at covering Trump during the pandemic. All this and a look at how politicians use humor in their ads to make their points in Ad of the Week – only on the Horse Race!

The Horse Race takes a close look at the May 12 special election in California’s 25th Congressional District with the National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar, while Ad of the Week walks through the series of ads both candidates in that race have aired, showing how a campaign strategy unfolds over the airwaves. We also talk with legendary psephologist Charlie Cook about the ins and outs of forecasting races.

The Horse Race explores the history of political analysis with one of its founders, Stuart Rothenberg, and asks Stu what he looks at to analyze a contest. We also talk with columnist and author E.J. Dionne about President Trump and Joe Biden’s chances to improve Democratic performance with white working class voters. Finally, Ad of the Week looks at a Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, perhaps the classic example of a working-class, Obama-Trump seat. Don’t be moody, blue, or just guess who – download and listen today!

Joe Biden had his best fundraising month to date in March but still lags behind President Trump’s cash on hand by tens of millions. The Washington Post’s David Weigel tells us how much Trump’s fundraising advantage is helping his re-election bid. The Horse Race also traveled to the Keystone State to talk with political scientist Terry Madonna about Pennsylvania’s politics. All this and  Ad of the Week takes a look at the Democratic primary race in New Mexico’s 3d Congressional District – only on the Horse Race!

Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation with his immortal words, “here I stand; I can do no other.”  President Trump earns praise and scorn for his similar attitude, and as a result has forced conservatives and Republicans to rethink their orthodoxies. Is a conservative reformation at hand? Noted author Yuval Levin joins the Horse Race to expand on that question, while columnist Ramesh Ponnuru explores how Trump is handling the pandemic. We also look at important primary battles between would-be reformers and establishment figures with National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar. All this and the Ad of the Week, too! Only at the Horse Race.

This week, Ben Domenech of the Federalist grades Trump’s response to the coronavirus while the American Enterprise Institute’s Karlyn Bowman explores what the polls say Americans think about the pandemic’s effects on their lives. J. Miles Coleman also dissects North Carolina’s political divisions. All this and an Ad of the Week that takes aim at China and the “Chinese Virus”!

Elections are getting postponed, but that doesn’t mean politics is in lockdown. This week we look at the race for control of the U.S. House with the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman; talk about how the pandemic is affecting Trump’s re-election prospects with the Sabato Crystal Ball’s Kyle Kondik; and take another look at Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert. All this and a trip the local diner, too, in the Ad of the Week!

Coronavirus has affected The Horse Race – this is our first effort produced with everyone calling remotely using custom software. That might affect our audio quality, but it’s not impeding the quality of our commentary!

Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Case for Trump, joins us this week to dissect how the president is handling these vexing times, while my Washington Post colleague Karen Tumulty offers her insights on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the state of the Democratic race. Elections guru Nathan Gonzalez gives us a rundown on the U.S. Senate races, too. All this and a coronavirus-inspired Ad of the Week – only on The Horse Race!

Biden’s up, the market’s down, and all is definitely not well in America. This week’s podcast looks forward to November’s general election to discuss what this all means for the President as he grapples with a crisis of immense proportion with The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter and National Review’s Rich Lowry. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein joins the show to talk about how the Peach State is ground zero for control of the House and Senate as well as a pivotal state in the presidential contest. And we skip over the border to look in on former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ comeback attempt in the Alabama Senate race for the new Ad of the Week. The best political analysis from the best political analysts: only on The Horse Race!

The political force of nature that is Joe Biden hit land again Tuesday, and with six wins in seven states he effectively clinched the Democratic nomination. This week’s Horse Race look at two states that look likely to continue Joe’s winning streak next Tuesday, Ohio and Florida, with the Columbus Dispatch’s Darrel Rowland and POLITICO’s Marc Caputo. We also look ahead to the general election and dissect the coronavirus’ potential impact with Jeremy Peters of the New York Times. All this and the Ad of the Week, too – only on The Horse Race.

Joe Biden’s stunning political resurrection is the main topic on this week’s podcast. Daily Beast columnist and CNN contributor Matt Lewis joins Henry to go over the turn of events, while Detroit Free Press correspondent Todd Spangler dissects next week’s crucial Michigan primary. All this plus American Greatness publisher Chris Buskirk to talk Trump and a new Ad of the Week, only on the Horse Race!