The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The Washington Roundtable is joined onstage at The New Yorker Festival by David Plouffe, the political strategist and the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 Presidential run, for a final look at the midterms map. With Donald Trump’s approval ratings near historic lows and fuel prices squeezing rural voters, Democrats find themselves competitive in Senate races in Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and even Kansas, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the nineteen-thirties. Plouffe compares these midterms to the wave elections of 1994 and 2006, and argues that Republican spending, including Elon Musk’s, can do little to stave off voter anger about the cost of living. He also looks forward to 2028, and encourages future candidates to study those who overperform this midterm cycle. “Democrats have the opportunity to make an adjustment between now and '28. Republicans don't,” Plouffe says. “It's a political gift of epic proportions—if we find a way to seize it.”

This week’s reading:

“Obama’s Great Skewering of Trump,” by Susan B. Glasser

“James Talarico’s Final Sprint,” by Jesús Rodríguez

“A Global Anti-Right Backlash,” by Ishaan Tharoor

“How a Kansas Megachurch Pastor Might Determine Who Wins the Senate,” by Emma Green

“Can Democrats Win Back Labor?,” by Dan Kaufman

“The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President,” by Barton Gellman

“An Anxious Season for Muslims in Texas,” by Peter Slevin

“Texas Democrats Venture Into ‘No Man’s Land’,” by Jesús Rodríguez

“The Founder of Arab Americans for Trump Has Some Regrets,” by Isaac Chotiner

“Charles Kushner and the MAGA Ambassador’s Playbook,” by Lauren Collins

Tune in to The Political Scene wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The New Yorker staff writer Jason Zengerle joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss how Republican candidates are responding to Donald Trump’s historically low approval ratings. They talk about the races in which the President’s endorsements may be hurting Republicans, the political fallout from his immigration policies and the war in Iran, and his decision to campaign in deep-red states rather than in competitive districts. They also consider whether a blue wave could weaken Trump’s grip on the Republican Party, and how the midterms might affect its next slate of Presidential candidates.

This conversation was recorded for a live video on Substack. Follow The New Yorker on Substack »

Recommended reading:

“The Republicans’ Remarkably Bad Midterm Campaigns,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells

“Trump’s Repudiation Is at Hand, Right?,” by Susan B. Glasser

“The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President,” by Barton Gellman

“How ICE Is Targeting the 2026 Midterms,” by Jonathan Blitzer

“Can Democrats Win Back Labor?,” by Dan Kaufman

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton dominates the news out of Texas, but, in the race for governor, a Democratic state legislator is also running neck and neck with the longtime Republican incumbent, Greg Abbott. Gina Hinojosa is likely leading among independents by as much as twenty-three per cent, according to one recent poll. She tells David Remnick that opposition to data centers and to Abbott’s school-voucher program could lead to a blue wave in Texas. “Nobody in 2026 in Texas has the luxury of fighting culture wars,” Hinojosa says. “We've been doing that for ten years, and we're all worse off.” But, Remnick notes, she seems to hold her fire when it comes to Donald Trump. “Listen, I have to win Trump voters to win this race,” she replies. “Latinos went for Trump in Texas. . . . I don't think it is helpful to rub their noses in his failures.”

Further reading:

“The Republicans Are Messing with Texas,” by Peter Slevin

“The Astonishing Transformation of Austin,” by Lawrence Wright

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Roundtable is joined by Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff under Barack Obama, for a discussion about the Democratic Party’s odds heading into the midterm elections. In 2006, as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel helped engineer his party’s sweeping electoral victories against an unpopular Republican President. Two decades later, he anticipates Democratic wins across the board, including in the Texas and Iowa Senate races. Emanuel lays out what he sees as an affirmative agenda for the Party, should they take control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term: ethics reform, a minimum-wage increase, an overhaul of the tax code, and a focus on corruption. “The way I talk about corruption is, He wants his ballroom and you’re getting the bill. He wants his arch, and you can’t afford a meal at the Golden Arches. He gets a $450 million plane from Qatar, and you get $4.50 a gallon of gas,” says Emanuel. “You gotta drive the corruption into the wallet.”

This week’s reading:

“Trump’s Repudiation Is at Hand, Right?,” by Susan B. Glasser

“How ICE Is Targeting the 2026 Midterms,” by Jonathan Blitzer

“Can Justin J. Pearson Win in Tennessee?,” by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

“How Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Gave Florida Democrats a Chance,” by Daniel Castro

“How the D.S.A. Learned to Love Elections,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A growing portion of the electorate appears to recognize the mayhem President Donald Trump has instigated since returning to the Oval Office. That segment includes some of the people who put him back into office, including Rich Baris, who goes by the People’s Pundit on social media. Baris runs Big Data Poll, and appears regularly on “The Charlie Kirk Show” and other right-wing outlets. But he concurs with nonpartisan pollsters that MAGA is fracturing, and he talks with David Remnick about how the President lost the trust of his base; the contempt MAGA voters have for the old Republican Party; and who might take the reins after Trump.

Further reading:

“The Week Republicans Finally Panicked About Trump,” by Susan B. Glasser

“A Never Trumper and a Democrat on Beating MAGA for Good,” by Isaac Arnsdorf

“How the Internet Fringe Infiltrated Republican Politics,” by Antonia Hitchens

“Tucker Carlson’s Nationalist Crusade,” by Jason Zengerle

“Does MAGA Have Ideas?,” by Joshua Rothman

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices