The Focus Group Podcast

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/

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Episodes

Arizona: Psychologically Unfun (with Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com Arizona is ground-zero for the Big Lie about the 2020 election. The Republican nominees for Governor and Secretary of State, Kari Lake and Mark Finchem, are avowed election deniers, and Democrats may or may not rise to the occasion to beat them. But our guest HAS risen to the occasion: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer joins Sarah to listen to Arizona swing voters and talk about his job running elect...

Oct 22, 2022•15 min

Georgia: Ticket-Splitting On Our Mind (with Molly Ball)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com Georgia is a closely divided state, but we're likely to see a lot of ticket splitters there this year - specifically a lot of people voting for arch-conservative Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Partly because they think Kemp is doing a good job, and partly because Warnock's opponent, Herschel Walker, is a total mess. TIME Magazine national political correspondent Molly Ball joins Sarah...

Oct 15, 2022•20 min

He Scares the Crap Out of Me (with Holly Otterbein)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com The Pennsylvania governor's race is a bit of a political science experiment: what happens if one candidate barely runs any ads? Turns out, swing voters still really don't like that guy. POLITICO's in-house Pennsylvania expert Holly Otterbein once again joins Sarah on the pod. They discuss how swing voters are feeling about the Pennsylvania governor's race, as well as how these same voters may be starting t...

Oct 08, 2022•17 min

George Washington Wouldn't Tolerate Furries(with Charlie Sykes)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com To listen to this episode in full and to get future editions, upgrade to a Bulwark+ membership now and the next two weeks are on us—Free. Go to TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to claim this free trial offer. America's Dairyland is becoming America's Election Land. Wisconsin has major races for governor and for U.S. Senate...and how are the Trump-to-Biden voters that delivered Wisconsin for Joe Biden feeling abou...

Oct 01, 2022•13 min

"Lesser of Two Evils" Drinking Game (with Natalie Allison)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com Republicans may be losing one of their best pickup opportunities in the Senate after they nominated a MAGA weirdo to run against an astronaut in Arizona. POLITICO Senate campaigns reporter Natalie Allison joins Sarah to listen to a group of Arizona swing voters and what they think of their choices. Go the TheBulwark.com/FocusGroup to get the next two weeks on us—Free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Sep 24, 2022•10 min

What Happens in Vegas Won't Stay in Vegas (with Jon Ralston)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com Nevada's economy was hit especially hard by COVID. Now, the Democratic governor and senator are paying the price in their re-election campaigns...or are they? The dean of the Nevada press corps, Jon Ralston , joins Sarah to talk about a Nevada focus group...and whether voters in the Secretary of State race are playing Russian roulette with American democracy. The Focus Group podcast is now exclusively for ...

Sep 17, 2022•11 min

The Head vs the Heart in Big Ten Country (with Tim Alberta)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta joins Sarah to discuss whether Ohio is really more Trump+8 than R+8 — and to debate Tim Ryan's chances against J.D. Vance. Meanwhile, in Michigan's governor's race, Gretchen Whitmer hits Tudor Dixon on her biggest vulnerability — abortion — while facing lingering resentment over her Covid response. The Focus Group podcast is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Become a member today...

Sep 10, 2022•9 min

Make Politics Boring Again, Please

On this week's episode, we're sharing a director's cut of a recent focus group, featuring swing state suburban women. These voters from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia backed Trump in 2016, but flipped in 2020. Hear what they have to say about the big races in their states, their desire for things to be "normal" again, and how the end of Roe is influencing their vote this November. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vis...

Sep 03, 2022•55 min

Vibe Check (with Tim Miller)

As primary season winds down, Democrats are gaining ground in what was supposed to be a wave year for Republicans. Tim Miller joins Sarah to discuss the anti-abortion extremists endorsed by Trump, how Democrats are making Dobbs a game-changer, and the weirdo theory of politics. The Focus Group Podcast is exclusively available to Bulwark+ members. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thefocusgroup.thebulwark.com/subs...

Aug 27, 2022•46 min

The Florida Man Thunderdome (with Marc Caputo)

Florida is the center of Republican politics these days — and it's getting redder all the time. Trump lives there, and his political understudy is the governor. Marc Caputo of NBC News — the best Florida Man in the political press corps — joins Sarah to listen to a group of Florida reverse flipper voters (not Trump 2016/ yes Trump 2020). They also discuss Trump, DeSantis, 2024, and how the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago could impact it all. The Focus Group Podcast is exclusively available to Bulwark+ ...

Aug 20, 2022•1 hr

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