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Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen

Ricochet

Each week Henry Olsen, columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, will talk about the presidential and congressional races with leading political journalists and analysts, people who are out in the field and won't give you media spin. Find out who's leading the pack and who's an also-ran, with Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen.

Listen to Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
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  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 51 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • #141
    Thursday · 1 hr 2 min

    Take Nothing For Granite

    With all due respect to grammarians, when we at Beyond the Polls think of New Hampshire, hard facts and rock-solid political analysis from our friend Dante Scala are foremost in mind. In anticipation of Tuesday's Democratic primary, he and Henry...

    • Transcript
  • #140
    August 27 · 50 min

    Dissuadable Disapprovers?

    With the primary results in from the most competitive states, we're entering the calm-before-the-storm season of this year's midterm election. But rather than letting their guard down, top election analysts are bracing for another wacky cycle like the...

    • Transcript
  • #139
    August 20 · 51 min

    A MAGA Contest, Southern Cackalacky-Style

    South Carolina Republicans are heading back to the voting booth for the Senate runoff to select their nominee. Their choice is between Ralph Norman, a self-described MAGA outsider who has represented the state's Fifth Congressional District since...

    • Transcript
  • #138
    August 13 · 58 min

    Heat Lightning Over the Sunshine State

    Florida's political environment has transformed profoundly over the last few decades. Following its mid-decadal redistricting, the state is preparing for an unusually high number of close contests in next week's primary, especially on the Republican...

    • Transcript
  • #137
    August 6 · 58 min

    America's Dairyland or the Progressives' Fairyland?

    The Wisconsin state motto is one word: Forward. And after Tuesday's primary in Michigan, we're reminded again that the progressive left has the momentum in the Democratic Party. To dive into what this left-wing insurgency means for Wisconsin, Henry...

    • Transcript
  • #136
    July 30 · 39 min

    Wolverines in Sheep's Clothing?

    A primary-palooza is days away, with contests set for August 4th in Kansas, Missouri, Washington, and Virginia. But all eyes are on Michigan, a bellwether state with ambitious representatives tugging hard at it left, right, and center. Henry's here to...

    • Transcript
  • #135
    July 23 · 55 min

    Everybody's Got a Type

    This series is all about pushing past the dichotomies of American politics to better understand why voters prefer X to Y, Yea to Nay, or Red to Blue. Our friends at the Pew Research Center are of a like mind, so we asked Director of Politics Jocelyn...

    • Transcript
  • #134
    July 16 · 54 min

    AZ and the Wild Card Races

    Partisan trends being what they are, it's increasingly rare to see an election actually decided in November. The parties matter more, the candidates a bit less. But that divide doesn't seem so big in the Grand Canyon State, and Arizonans like a...

    • Transcript
  • #133
    July 9 · 33 min

    The Zig-Zaggy Leftward Lurch

    The Democratic Socialists of America have laid their plans, are on the march, and have been making steady gains, but established orders aren't toppled in a day... and there's trouble in paradise. Henry rants his way through the fall of Graham Platner,...

    • Transcript
  • #132
    July 2 · 38 min

    What Americans Say About The American Way

    America's birthday is almost here, and the semiquincentennial milestone imbues the annual celebration with special significance. For this reason, Henry sits down with the American Enterprise Institute's Karlyn Bowman to discuss her latest...

    • Transcript
  • #131
    June 25 · 53 min

    The Ballot Balancing Act

    Americans all rightly make a great deal about our democracy. But the partisan element sets in quickly, and the incessant debate extends even beyond the candidates and initiatives on the ballot. Stephen Richer (a fellow of the Cato Institute and...

    • Transcript
  • #130
    June 18 · 53 min

    It's Up To You, New York!

    Start spreading the news: New Yorkers are hitting the polls next week, and the election is gonna be something wild. Cook Political's Erin Covey is our tour de force guide through the many candidates vying to represent the city's distinct locales,...

    • Transcript
  • #129
    June 11 · 57 min

    Southern Bellwethers?

    We've got Senate runoffs in the Deep South next week, and that means we already know what's in the bag... right? Wrong! Jessica Taylor, Cook Political Report's Senate and Governors Editor, returns to update us on a couple of surprisingly close...

    • Transcript
  • #218
    June 4 · 51 min

    Mapmaker, Matchmaker

    Though election watchers generally have to make some peace with selfish motives and unpleasant truths, there is more to democracy than the cynics would have you believe. Sean Trende is back for a chat on this theme as it applies to the redistricting...

    • Transcript
  • #127
    May 28 · 1 hr 8 min

    This Year's Model

    America is a change agent. Just this week, we witnessed another sign of that as unstoppable MAGA momentum pushed notorious Ken Paxton to a walloping victory over party loyalist John Cornyn. So how does one gauge public opinion in such a dynamic...

    • Transcript
  • #126
    May 21 · 53 min

    Waving Cane in the Lone Star State

    Texas is known for super-sizing every endeavor, so amid another hyper-polarized election season you can bet on a spectacle with an ensemble cast down south. Scott Braddock of Quorum Report joins Henry this week to give us the inside scoop on the...

    • Transcript
  • #125
    May 14 · 59 min

    Peachy Primaries and Commonwealth Commotions

    We've got seven primaries coming through this week, and that means we're on the move! First, Martha Zoller takes Henry on a tour of Georgia's crowded Republican contests to vie for John Ossoff's Senate seat, House districts, and the Governor's mansion...

    • Transcript
  • #124
    May 7 · 52 min

    Safe Senate Seat Scuffles

    The old rhyme promises that May brings the flowers, and sure enough we're seeing early bursts of the election season bloom! This week, Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report guides us through three surprisingly close Republican primaries in the...

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  • #123
    April 30 · 49 min

    Beggars Can't Be Hoosiers

    When the Trump administration launched its controversial mid-decade redistricting effort earlier this year, it was met not only with howls of outrage from Democrats but also with steadfast opposition from Republicans in Indiana. Now, the president and...

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  • #122
    April 23 · 48 min

    What Really Matters

    It's no secret that ordinary Americans are often puzzled by the fights animating partisans inside the Beltway. A question emerges, however: What would our representatives talk about if they thought more like the people who elected them? Today, Henry...

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Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes