Democrats lost control of the House Nov. 8 but exceeded expectations under new congressional maps that ensure the House will be in play for the rest of the decade, according to the party's top redistricting strategist. "There were a sufficient number of competitive seats on the board because of fair maps and the House is now going to be competitive for the decade," Kelly Burton, the president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said on Bloomberg Government's "Downballot Counts" p...
Nov 28, 2022•23 min
Election Day is finally here! With so many competitive races, and control of the House and Senate up for grabs, there will be a lot to watch on Tuesday and the days that follow. To help you know what to focus on, and when, Bloomberg Government’s Emily Wilkins, Greg Giroux and Zach C. Cohen used the latest Downballot Counts to walk through each hour of polls closing (based on when the latest polls close in the state) and what races can tell us about the direction of the night. From the East Coast...
Nov 07, 2022•18 min
Women are still underrepresented in major political office after steady but slow gains: they account for just 28% of members of Congress and 18% of governors, the highest representation so far in history. How female candidates fare in the Nov. 8 election will depend in part on how well incumbents perform. Kelly Dittmar, a political scientist and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, spoke about this with Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins and Greg Giroux ...
Oct 24, 2022•22 min
Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins and Greg Giroux could talk about congressional campaigns all day. But as you likely have other things to do, the latest episode of Downballot Counts features the program's first lightning speed round. Greg and Emily highlight 12 interesting races to watch in 12 minutes. They're not necessarily the most competitive races — although some of them are — but each has a unique aspect that will tell us more about voters, trends and the direction of the country. With...
Oct 11, 2022•17 min
You can learn a lot about how a campaign is shaking out by looking at what the candidates are saying in their TV ads. Heading into this fall's midterm elections, Republicans are emphasizing inflation and the President's unpopularity, while Democrats want to talk about abortion rights and dispel any hint of the "Defund the Police" movement. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins talk about why the parties are zeroing in on these particular messages, and about wh...
Sep 26, 2022•19 min
Much has been made about the seeming shift in momentum toward Democrats as we head into the midterm elections this fall. But the University of Virginia's J. Miles Coleman, an editor of the widely read Sabato's Crystal Ball newsletter, says Republicans are still in good position to pick up at least a dozen seats in the House and take back control of the lower chamber. Coleman talks with Bloomberg Government's Greg Giroux and Emily Wilkins about why this is and why the Senate is essentially a coin...
Sep 09, 2022•18 min
If midterms are supposed to be bad for the party in the White House, why are Democrats gaining confidence ahead of this November's elections? Surprisingly large fundraising hauls are one reason. Weaker than expected Republican Senate nominees are another. And a third reason is that the President's dismal approval ratings don't seem to be hurting downballot candidates as much as one might expect, according to Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of the nonpartisan newsletter Inside Elections. Go...
Jul 27, 2022•22 min
We're now in the thick of congressional primary season, and it's still looking like Democrats will struggle to hold onto the House in November, and maybe also to the Senate. But beyond the makeup of next year's Congress, this year's elections may also determine whether former President Trump's can regain the White House--and whether current President Biden will even stand for reelection. Downballot Counts hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux breakdown what we've learned so far from this spring's ...
Jun 13, 2022•20 min
Disinformation and its impact on elections has been a hot topic for years now. But despite this, little attention has been paid to how this plays out in Spanish-language media. On today's episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux speak with Bloomberg Government reporter Maria Curi about where Spanish-language disinformation is coming from and what effect it's having on the Latino vote. Maria explains why falsehoods spread longer and faster in the Spanish-speaking communit...
May 02, 2022•19 min
With the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, rising inflation, and the resurgence of Covid-19, 2021 was a difficult year for President Biden to say the least. This could seriously imperil Democrats' chances in next year's midterm elections if the President can't turn his fortunes around before November. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad talk about why Democrats had a disappointing year and what next year could bring. They also talk with Kelly Burton, head...
Dec 20, 2021•29 min
On this episode of Bloomberg Government's Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux talk with a Republican redistricting consultant about the decennial battle between the two parties over the shape of the country's congressional districts.
Oct 04, 2021•22 min
On today's episode of Bloomberg Government's podcast, Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux interview Jessica Taylor, a senior author of the 50th edition of the revered Almanac of American Politics. Taylor talks about being the first woman to hold this post and also analyzes the small number Senate races that could determine who controls Washington after next year.
Aug 06, 2021•28 min
In 2018, Liuba Grechen Shirley made waves when she successfully petitioned the Federal Election Commission to allow her to use campaign funds to pay for child care. The Long Island Democrat ultimately lost her race against then-Congressman Peter T. King, but now her full-time job is to make it easier for mothers to get elected across the country. Shirley founded the Vote Mama Foundation and she speaks with podcast hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad about the many obstacles that prevent working ...
Jul 19, 2021•22 min
Last year's elections didn't go quite as well as Democrats had hoped, and one group of centrists in the party just issued a report looking at why. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux speak with Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) about how he thinks his party should avoid losing its slim House majority next year. Also, Greg breaks down exactly what ranked-choice voting is and why it seems to be catching on. Have feedback on this episode of Downballot Counts? Give u...
Jun 21, 2021•23 min
On this episode of Downballot Counts, Kyle and Greg look at the political ramifications of redistricting and reapportionment, which will merge some congressional districts and force incumbents to battle each other to stay in power. Also, we hear from Tom Lopach, the CEO of the nonprofit nonpartisan Voter Participation Center, about recent legislation in the states to restrict voting access.
May 10, 2021•22 min
Nearly half a dozen Republicans Senators will not be seeking reelection next year, with more retirement announcements potentially on the way. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux look at whether this is a good or bad thing for the Grand Old Party. And we also feature a special St. Patrick's Day-themed political trivia question. Erin go Bragh!
Mar 17, 2021•16 min
We're just a few months in to the 2022 election cycle and the dynamics at play are already starting to look fascinating. Democrats have two special election winners running for full terms in the Senate, while Republicans are dealing with at least three open Senate seats--and possibly more. Downballot Counts hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux break down what we know so far and talk about why, at this moment, neither party appears to have the upper hand.
Feb 02, 2021•13 min
Downballot Counts hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux break down the results from last week's Georgia Senate runoff elections. They say Democrats were victorious because turnout in these contests far exceeded anything previously seen in a runoff so soon after a general election.
Jan 11, 2021•13 min
Bloomberg Government's Emily Wilkins is in Georgia covering tomorrow's all-important Senate runoff elections. She talks with hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux about how we got here, the similarities between Democrats' and Republicans' closing messages, and the challenges of holding campaign rallies during a pandemic.
Jan 04, 2021•18 min
Despite decades of work to educate more Black lawyers, the percentage of Black associates and partners in firms across the U.S. remain very low, and well below those of other professional careers. Big Law firms across the board are ramping up social justice efforts as the nation engages in a renewed dialogue on race and equality. But some have accused firms of using minorities as “diversity props” to impress clients and misrepresent their inclusiveness to potential employees. So what are law fir...
Nov 27, 2020•2 min
Regardless of the final outcomes of the still-uncalled House races or the two upcoming Senate runoffs in Georgia, it's clear both chambers of Congress will have razor-thin partisan margins next year. On the latest episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux talk about what this will mean for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and whoever it is that will become Senate Majority Leader in the new Congress.
Nov 23, 2020•17 min
It's Nov. 16, and there are still a handful of uncalled House races. But it's becoming more clear, now that a few weeks have passed since the elections, that partisan margins in both houses of Congress will be razor thin. On this episode of Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux discuss where there are still undecided races and why Democrats underperformed in this year's Congressional elections.
Nov 16, 2020•19 min
Contrary to popular belief, the results of last week's elections weren't as far off from final polling projections as they initially appeared. But the discrepancy was large enough that it indicates a fundamental flaw in the way polling is conducted, according to Democratic pollster Jefrey Pollock with the firm Global Strategy Group. On this post-election episode of Downballot Counts, we speak with Pollock about his industry's painful soul-searching and about what this election says about where t...
Nov 09, 2020•21 min
We're about 36 hours or so before polls close and election results start to come in. But it's not too soon to start analyzing what this historic election cycle has meant. On this episode of Downballot Counts, Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux talk about the forces that shaped 2020's congressional races and about which races they'll be paying close attention to tomorrow night.
Nov 02, 2020•17 min
You can tell a lot about the shape of an election by tracking where candidates are spending their time in the race's final days. That's according to Nathan L. Gonzales, a political prognosticator and publisher of the Inside Elections newsletter. We speak with Nathan about how this election cycle has turned out and about what one can glean from watching the movements of the President, Vice President, and other senior administration officials in the coming days.
Oct 26, 2020•19 min
We're two weeks from election day and roughly a dozen GOP-held Senate seats are competitive, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Hosts Greg Giroux and Kyle Trygstad speak with the Report's Senate editor Jessica Taylor about how we got here and whether Republicans' hopes for holding on to the Senate really are as dim as they seem.
Oct 19, 2020•22 min
Recent fundraising disclosures confirmed what polling numbers have hinted at: South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham is in the fight of his life. On this week's episode of Downballot Counts, we talk about how Graham's Democratic opponent, Jamie Harrison, shattered fundraising records during the third quarter of this year.
Oct 13, 2020•22 min
Political handicappers long predicted that North Carolina's Senate race would be one of the closest of the 2020 election cycle. But almost no one could have foreseen that its neighbor, South Carolina, would also see a Senate race turn into a dead heat. On today's Downballot Counts, hosts Kyle Trygstad and Greg Giroux examine the difficult reelection campaigns of Republicans Senators Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham, and also breakdown a campaign ad playing right now in Colorado.
Oct 05, 2020•17 min
With five weeks to go before the election, polling data is looking pretty grim for Republicans up and down the ballot. Today we hear from Glen Bolger, a major Republican pollster and founder of the firm Public Opinion Strategies, on what his party needs to do to turn this trend around or at least mitigate it heading into Election Day.
Sep 28, 2020•17 min
On this episode of Downballot Counts, we speak with Joe Biden's top pollster. He says comparisons between current polls and those from four years ago indicate there are fewer undecided voters now than there were back then.
Sep 21, 2020•19 min
