Dr. Larry Spinelli has worn numerous hats in and around politics...Hill staffer, senior positions in the federal bureaucracy, political science professor, historian and author. His new book is Watergate's Unexpected Hero, about the life of the incredibly impactful New Jersey Democratic Congressman Peter Rodino - to whom Spinelli was a staffer and friend for 30+ years. Rodino's 40-year career in the House spanned from Truman to Reagan as he played important roles on labor policy, landmark civil rights legislation, attempting to hold back the tide of 80s conservatism...but most notably, as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate crisis and Nixon impeachment hearings. In this role, the previously low-profile Rodino led the hearings watched daily by 80 million Americans amidst the greatest constitutional turning point since the Civil War. In this conversation, Dr. Spinelli talks his own connection to Rep. Rodino - and the 50+ year career of the legendary congressman who found himself at the center of a national crisis and ultimately became one of the most prominent and respected members of Congress of the past century.IN THIS EPISODEHow Larry's use of Machivellian high-school politics led him to first meet Peter Rodino in the late 1960s..How the Rodino family first came to the U.S. from Italy and located in Newark NJ...The anti-Italian discrimination the Rodinos faced and how a young Peter Rodino fought back... How Peter Rodino first gets his foot in the door in local politics in the 1930s...How his WWII service and a controversial anti-labor bill set the stage for him to come to Congress in 1948...Just weeks into his first term, Rodino bucks the seniority system and takes on a racist, autocratic committee chair...Peter Rodino's often under-realized impact on the landmark civil rights legislation of the mid 1960s...The two unexpected elections that made Peter Rodino Chair of the House Judiciary Committee in 1973 and thrust him into the spotlight as the Watergate scandal grew...The steps Rodino took to ensure bipartisan cooperation and effectiveness out of the House Impeachment Committee...The liberal member of the Committee who worked against Rodino behind the scenes...What Rodino believed was on the infamous, missing "18 minute gap" in the Nixon White House tapes...Rodino's view Gerald Ford's controversial pardon of Richard Nixon...Rodino's stature as a popular, national-figure after the Watergate hearings...How close did Rodino come to being Jimmy Carter's VP nominee in 1976...How Rodino held on to a changing Newark, NJ district as it moved from majority Italian-American to majority Black...Peter Rodino's final 15+ years after leaving the House in early 1989...Is Peter Rodino the most influential Italian-American political figure in American history...

Mary Bono served 15 years in the House, representing a Palms Springs-based seat in Riverside County, CA. She initially entered politics and the House after the tragic passing of her late husband Sonny Bono - the world-famous singer / TV star turned mayor and ultimately congressman. In this conversation, she talks the political rise of Sonny Bono, running for and winning a seat in the House amidst tragedy, getting her bearings as a member herself, putting her own stamp on her service, taking tough votes as a moderate, championing the cause of prescription drug abuse prevention, and much more in an illuminating conversation with someone who's had one of the most unique and fascinating careers in congressional politics. IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up in the LA area as a daughter of a doctor and scientist and early, formative experiences as a competitive gymnast...The story of when then-Mary Whitaker met Sonny Bono the day after graduating from USC...The challenges of being the spouse of a celebrity and politician...How red-tape run-ins with Palm Springs city government led to Sonny Bono's entry into politics...Sonny Bono's forays into national politics in the mid 90s...What Sonny Bono would've thought of President Trump...The passion projects she believe Sonny Bono would've left politics to pursue...How she made the decision to run for his House seat after Sonny Bono's tragic passing in early 1998...Memories from a whirlwind first few weeks and months of a new member thrown into office in a special election...How she built her own legacy over time in the House...Some of the most intense moments on the House floor in her tenure...The vote against GOP leadership that "got her in the most trouble"...What led to her passion in tackling Rx drug abuse and her experiences of being one of only members who initially took this issue seriously...Memories from her presence as the lone GOP woman on the House Judiciary Committee during the Clinton Impeachment saga...The decision made by Tom Delay that "incensed" Rep. Bono...The bizarre story of a forged love letter from Rep. Bono to another member of the House...The experience of dating and marrying a fellow member of the House...Representing a district that shifted from safe(ish) Republican to a swing seat...Her current projects and passions, including the great podcast Sagely Speaking with Mary Bono...AND 2-tops, Bruce Babbitt, bison farms, Chaz Bono, G.K. Butterfield, Ken Calvert, Lois Capps, Cher, Kellyanne Conway, The Desert Sun, David Dreier, Jo Ann Emerson, Dianne Feinstein, Gerald Ford, King Gillette, Lindsay Graham, Fred Grandy, height jokes, hysterical mothers, the Inland Empire, Angelina Jolie, Gil Kerlikowske, Olga Korbut, Steve Largent, Jerry Lewis, Love Boat, Abbe Lowell, John McCain, The National Enquirer, Anne Northup, Tom Osborn, Nancy Pelosi, Ronald Reagan, Hal Rogers, Karl Rove, SNL, Salton Sea, Tea Party onslaughts, Terry Schiavo, The Waltons...& more!

Ryan Davis, co-founder of the digital political firm People First, has long been at the cutting edge of digital politics and the rise of digital influencers and has dubbed 2024 as "The Influencer Election". In this conversation, Ryan talks his roots in politics, a detour through the NYC theater community, being part of the influential 2004 Howard Dean campaign, and eventually starting the first firm focused on digital political influencers. And Ryan goes deep on the 2024 race...how the campaigns' strategies differed, the role of influencers and podcasts, which platforms are on the ascent versus descent, how he is thinking about the 2026 and 2028, and much more covering one of the most important and quickly evolving facets of modern political campaigns.IN THIS EPISODERyan's path from early work in Libertarian-minded GOP politics to migrating to the Democratic side of the fence...Ryan is inspired to work in politics by the anti-war sentiment of Howard Dean's 04 campaign...Ryan talks his time working in the NYC theatre and his views of "theatre kids" in politics...Ryan on how the '04 Dean digital operation changed the way campaigns are run...Ryan's path from working in campaigns to starting People First - the first political firm focused on digital influencers...Ryan's favorite case studies of how to smartly utilize digital influencers in politics...Ryan on why he dubs 2024 as "The Influencer Election"...The role of podcasts in the '24 presidential election...Why Democrats can't and shouldn't try to create their own Joe Rogan...The symbiotic nature of influencer content bridging into paid media content..."White Guys for Kamala" and other affinity groups...The relative value of political vs non-political influencers...How GenZ digests information differently than those who came before...How some big influencer accounts "rip off" clients...Ryan on the political utility of various platforms like TikTok, BlueSky, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, NextDoor, and more...How Ryan would tackle digital organizing ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections...Ryan on the right skill set to work with digital influencers...Ryan's life as an itinerant "digital nomad" and tips from extensive world travels...AND The Analyst Institute, Andy Beshear, Simón Bolívar, ChatGPT, conservative e-zines, dog influencers, Al Gore, Mark Green, Kamala Harris, Curtis Hougland, John McCain, Barack Obama, parasocial relationships, Ronald Reagan, RealPlayer, Joe Rospars, Sesame Street, Norman Siegel, Snoopy, Zephyr Teachout, Joe Trippi, Barron Trump, Tim Walz...& more!

Mark Harris, co-founder of ColdSpark strategies, was the General Consultant for the successful Dave McCormick 2024 Pennsylvania Senate race - arguably the lone true upset of the '24 Senate cycle. In this conversation, Mark talks his roots in PA politics - including running for office himself, ousting a sitting legislator in a GOP primary, and multiple stints helping elect and re-elect GOP Senator Pat Toomey. Then Mark goes deep on his role helping elect Dave McCormick to the US Senate - starting with McCormick's ill-fated '22 race...getting back on the horse in '24...clearing the GOP field...challenging a proven Pennsylvania political institution...and ultimately winning a close race many pundits expected to break toward the Democratic incumbent.IN THIS EPISODEMark's roots in Pittsburgh & why he ran for office when he was 22...Why running Pat Toomey's 2010 Senate race was Mark's "dream job"...Mark's front row seat to the tumultuous period of PA politics around veteran Senator Arlen Specter's 2009 switch from Republican to Democrat...Mark weighs in on how PA politics has transformed over the past 20 years...Mark's insight on how Pat Toomey won two tough Senate races, despite a non-traditional background for PA politics...How Mark and his firm initially connected with Dave McCormick in his first Senate race in 2022...How Mark was viewing the '24 race against Bob Casey over a year out...How the McCormick campaign navigated a Trump endorsement and cleared the GOP primary field...Mark's best practices on how GOP candidates should pursue a Trump endorsement...The headwinds of running against Senator Bob Casey...The appealing personal bio that McCormick brought to the race....How late focus groups changed the McCormick closing message...How the McCormick ad campaign departed from the traditional GOP playbook...The voter subgroups the McCormick campaign identified as the most important...How the McCormick campaign appealed to "soft pro choice voters" and Black and Latino men...Why the McCormick team was one of the only GOP campaigns that preferred Dems nominate Harris instead of Biden...Why the abortion issue didn't sink McCormick in a 60% pro-choice state...How Mark was interpreting results coming in on Election Night...Mark's thoughts on Democratic erosion in the Dem base in Philadelphia...The approach Mark brings to races as a General Consultant...Mark's views of the potential of PA Dems Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman as national candidates...Mark's travel tips for spending a couple of days in and around Pittsburgh...AND Lou Barletta, James Blair, Bob Brady, Bridgewater Associates, George W. Bush, Herman Cain, Susan Collins, Mike Devanney, flippant poll questions, gold watches, Orrin Hatch, Chris LaCivita, Rush Limbaugh, Katie McGinty, Zell Miller, midnight pay raises, Tim Murphy, muscle atrophy, Dr. Oz, Nancy Pelosi, Primanti Brothers, Andy Reilly, Ed Rendell, Tom Ridge, Rick Santorum, Joe Sestak, shadow primaries, Matt Smith, Tom Smith, Arlen Specter, Brad Todd, West Point, Susie Wiles...& more!

Senior Strategist Morgan Jackson & Campaign Manager Jeff Allen helped guide Democrat Josh Stein to a historic win in the 2024 open-seat North Carolina Governor's Race over GOP lighting rod Mark Robinson. In this conversation, they both discuss how Stein went from trailing in many of the early polls to winning on Election Day by a historic 15-point margin. They talk the initial phase of the race with Robinson leading the polls, the Stein strategy to define Robinson early, the power of using Robinson's own words against him, the infamous "Nude Africa" scandal, the impact of storms and massive damage in Western NC, what is replicable for other campaigns from Josh Stein's victory, & much more digging into the signature gubernatorial race of the 2024 election.IN THIS EPISODEThe political origin stories of both Morgan and Jeff...How NC politics has completely transformed over the past 20 years...The early machinations that led to a Josh Stein vs. Mark Robinson '24 campaign...What led to Jeff managing the '24 Stein campaign...The potential political strengths of Mark Robinson...The initial core strategy and approach of the Stein campaign...The story behind the impactful first TV ad showing voters Mark Robinson in his own words... (link to ad)The Stein strategy to prioritize communications to Black voters...The story & fallout of the "Nude Africa" disclosures that forced national GOP donors to cut Robinson loose...The impact of the Hurricane Helene storms that hit Western NC...How the big Stein margin helped NC Dems win other races downballot...Their expectations heading into Election Day and reactions from the 15-point Stein victory...Both Jeff and Morgan share some of their favorite spots around The Tarheel State...AND...Roy Cooper, crazy uncles, the DCCC, Scott Falmlen, Pete Giangreco, Bill Graham, Bill Hefner, Jesse Helms, Jim Hunt, I-95, Jesse-crats, Mt. Rushmore, Pat McCrory, Myspace, Trey Nix, Barack Obama, Stephanie Pigues, RLG Media, shithouse rats, storm machines, Thom Tillis, Trump-proofing, visceral reactions, Mark Warner, water jets, Kathleen Williams & more!

Rebecca Katz, the Founder of New Deal Strategies, is a prominent consultant behind wins for Democratic Senators like John Fetterman and Ruben Gallego. In this engaging conversation, she discusses pivotal campaign strategies and the importance of grassroots movements. Rebecca shares insights from her early days on Capitol Hill, including a humorous job interview with Harry Reid. She emphasizes the necessity of authenticity in politics and highlights lessons learned from past campaigns that can inform future Democratic successes.

Nathan Gonzales is the Editor and Publisher of Inside Elections, one of the foundations of American political analysis, and a frequent presence talking and writing about politics on TV and in print. In this conversation, recorded two weeks after Election Day 2024, Nathan weighs in on the headlines from the '24 campaign, surprises and lessons learned, goes deep on the Presidential, Senate, and House races, looks ahead to the 2026 midterms, & much more.IN THIS EPISODENathan's big picture headlines coming out of Election 2024...Was 2024 simply an anti-inflation, anti-status quo election?The role of "collective amnesia" in the 2024 elections...Do Democrats have a "woke" problem?Why cultural attacks on Democrats packed more punch in 2024 than in other recent elections?Why the "fascism" critique of Trump may have fallen flat?A savvy tactic from the Trump campaign that surprised Nathan...Surprises in the exit polls...Nathan's initial read on the likelihood of a whole-scale partisan "realignment"...The story of the 2024 Senate races...Nathan's take on the split Senate verdicts in AZ, MI, NV, and WI...The one Senate race that was the most frustrating for Republicans...Was the AZ Senate race a missed opportunity for Republicans?Why PA was the one swing state Senate race that flipped from Blue to Red...The two Senate races the party senate committees viewed dramatically differently...Nathan's initial early analysis on the 2026 Senate map, including thoughts on the Senate retirement watch...Headlines from the 2024 House elections...Early handicapping the 2026 House races...Will court cases or redistricting impact the 2026 House playing field?The one House race Nathan was most interested in following...Stories about Tucker Carlson, Robert Novak, the Capital Gang and more from Nathan's first job in politics as a CNN assistant producer in the early 2000s...& more!

[Originally released 11/22]Maggie Haberman is, of course, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who's covered the political rise of Donald Trump for the New York Times...and her book, CONFIDENCE MAN: The Making of Donald Trump & The Breaking of America became an immediate best seller. In this conversation, Maggie dives into all things Trump...from his formative influences in the New York City of the 70s and 80s, to his political ascent, time in the White House, her take on the likelihood of another Trump run, what a Trump White House restoration would look like...and much more from perhaps the most authoritative voice on the Trump political phenomenon. IN THIS EPISODE…Maggie breaks down the influences that explain Trump’s political persona…The member of Congress with whom has had a decades-long feud…Maggie talks Trump’s ethos of “hate as a civic good”…Why Trump never wanted to be Mayor of New York City…Maggie talks the rise of Trump as a credible candidate in 2015…How Trump leveraged Twitter so successfully…Maggie on the connection between Trump and the National Enquirer…How Trump has recently lost allies among the conservative media…Why Trump as the “deal maker” fell flat in the White House…Maggie’s thoughts on Trump’s various legal entanglements, old and new…How Maggie thinks about the challenge of covering candidates who lie…Maggie’s instincts on a Trump 2024 campaign…The faces Maggie would expect to see around Trump in a second term…What it’s like to have 1-on-1 conversations with Trump…What’s surprised Maggie most about Trump’s behavior over the past year…The status of Trump relationships with names like Giuliani, McConnell, Bannon, Roger Stone...Some of Maggies favorite books and authors covering NYC politics...AND avenging angels, Bill Barr, Wayne Barrett, birtherism, Mike Bloomberg, E. Jean Carroll, catch-and-kill, the Central Park Jogger, Hillary Clinton, Michael Cohen, Roy Cohn, James Comey, conspiracy theories, convention speeches, covfefe, Andrew Cuomo, Mario Cuomo, Ron DeSantis, the Dobbs decisions, Meade Esposito,  the favor economy, Fox News, Stanley Friedman, Ric Grenell, Sean Hannity, instinctive racial paranoia, Andrew Kirtzman, Ed Koch, Jared Kushner, the Lavender Scare, Rush Limbaugh, low-interest federal loans, Donald Manes, John McCain, McCarthy acolytes, Mark Meadows, Andrew Meier, Robert Morgenthau, Rupert Murdoch, Muslim bans, Jack Newfield, NewsMax, Richard Nixon, OAN, George Pataki, Kash Patel, David Pecker, permanent enemies, Jeanine Pirro, Vladimir Putin, John Ratcliffe, rejecting objective reality, Seth Rich, rubber chicken dinners, Eric Schneiderman, Doug Schoen, Time Magazine, transactional media, Allen Weisselberg, white noise…. & more!

Patrick Ruffini, a prominent pollster at Echelon Strategies and author of "Party of the People," delves into the Republican Party's demographic transformation. He highlights the unexpected gains among blue-collar voters and the increasingly diverse coalition that includes Latino, Black, and AAPI communities. Discussing the impact of educational attainment on voting patterns, he reflects on how flawed exit polls have reshaped party strategies. Ruffini also explores the balance between economic and cultural priorities that could redefine American politics.

With just hours until polling places open for the November 5th presidential election, this week's guest is analyst Amy Walter to provide her insights and instincts heading into Election Day. The editor and publisher of The Cook Report with Amy Walter, Amy has been a constant presence writing and thinking about US elections for nearly three decades. In this conversation, she goes deep on her thoughts on the presidential race, her take on both the Senate and House, and narratives she expects to emerge post-election. This is a smart and expansive preview from a top analyst on the eve of an incredibly competitive and consequential election.  IN THIS EPISODEAmy starts with her initial table-setter on expectations in the presidential race...What is Donald Trump's ceiling of support? Rationales for both a Harris win and a Trump win...Is this the closest presidential race 3-4 days out that Amy has covered?Amy's theory that, for many voters, the presidential election boils down to "controlling risk"...Why are we in an era of consistently 50-50 races?Which candidate is more likely to over-perform the polls?The one Rust Belt and one Sun Belt state Amy feels will be the most predictive of the overall result?Why early vote analysis is like shaking gift boxes before Christmas?What is different in Trump's 2024 campaign compared to '16 and '20?Amy's take on the truncated Harris campaign and its closing message?How both Democrats and Republicans would respond to a presidential loss?Amy's range of expectations for the Senate and the race that would be most predictive of which side is having a good night...How the NRSC has tried to avoid mistakes from the '22 cycle...How the issue of abortion could be a stumbling block for a good Republican night in the Senate?Amy's take on late-breaking Senate races in Texas and Nebraska...Amy returns to her roots as a "House homer" to gauge the state of play in the House...Amy's prediction of when the news desks will call the race and declare a President-Election...& more!