The Road to November 2024 with Sam Youngman

This week’s episode kicks off our Road to November 2024 election series. In this regular series, co-hosts Debbie Cox Bultan and Ryan Coonerty will be joined by some of the nation’s top political minds to discuss key issues and trends impacting this year’s elections. For today’s conversation, Ryan and Debbie speak with Sam Youngman, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, former campaign reporter, White House correspondent, and co-writer for Today’s Big Stuff – a political newsletter he authors with Adam Parkhomenkothat that focuses on cutting through the noise during these crazy times. They talk about the current state of American politics, why Democrats need to be as relentless as the opposition, and Sam’s hopes for the future. They also cover the current and future state of political media coverage, the key problem with third-party candidates, and how Gen Z voters will impact the upcoming election. Tune in to this engaging conversation and learn more about why Sam believes his newsletter can “save America by swearing.”

• [01:04] An introduction to Sam Youngman and the newsletter he co-writes with Adam Parkhomenko, “Today’s Big Stuff.”

• [05:39] Why Sam felt he needed to return to politics after the election of Donald Trump.

• [08:30] His thoughts on breaking through the noise and remaining hopeful in the face of political challenges.

• [11:38] The NY-03 special election, why it’s making Sam optimistic, and what it shows us about the power of voting.

• [13:13] Politics in Sam’s home state of Kentucky and his respect for Governor Andy Beshear.

• [15:53] Unpacking how we should interpret polling in the lead up to election day.

• [19:20] The current state of media and Sam’s thoughts on the future of political coverage.

• [23:52] How third-party candidates can dangerously influence elections and why they’ll only serve to re-elect Trump in 2024.

• [26:13] Evaluating young people’s relationships with politics and Sam’s faith in Gen Z.

• [29:11] How Democrats need to be connecting with angry and disaffected groups. 

• [32:04] Sam’s reluctance to make predictions and what he hopes we’ll be talking about a year from now.