

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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 15, 2020 • 1h 8min
White House Down
President Trump has continued to drop in the polls and he’s spending his time in states he won handily four years ago. The Sabato Crystal Ball’s Kyle Kondik and the American Enterprise Institute’s Karlyn Bowman join Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen this week to tell us what it all portends. Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report also joined the podcast to run down the state of play in the U.S. House races. Source

Oct 8, 2020 • 38min
Into the Final Turn
The race has entered its last full month with twists and turns galore. Karlyn Bowman sorts the polling out for us this week while the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Craig Gilbert gives us the state of play in the key swing state of Wisconsin. All this and three ads of the week, only on Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen! Source

Oct 1, 2020 • 1h 1min
We've Been Slimed
Will Tuesday’s disgusting debate shake up the presidential race? Election expert Ruy Teixeira joins Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen to give his assessment. Arizona is perhaps the key battleground state, and the University of Arizona’s Samara Klar gives us the lowdown from the ground. Polling analyst Karlyn Bowman joins in the launch of our new regular feature, Poll Barometer, which looks at what the polls tell us... Source

Sep 18, 2020 • 35min
A New York State of Mind
This week’s episode takes us into New York City for a look at two especially incisive ads that could only have come from the Big Apple. We also look at President Trump’s standing with white working-class voters and his general election prospects with the Economist’s D.C. Bureau Chief, James Astill. Listen today! Source

Sep 3, 2020 • 51min
The Main Event Begins
Both parties have held their conventions and the mano-a-mano contest has started in earnest. The Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter joins Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen to tell us where the race stands and where it might go. This week also features an extended edition of Ad of the Week: we look at seven ads in three races to explore different techniques strategists use to communicate a message in the context of a... Source

Aug 14, 2020 • 1h 6min
"A Bucket of Warm Spit"
FDR’s first Vice President is quoted as saying the job was not worth a bucket of warm spit, although he actually used an earthier bodily fluid to describe the vice presidency. Will Sen. Kamala Harris agree if the Biden-Harris ticket wins? MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki joins Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen to talk about Harris’ selection and give us his assessment on the state of the race. The Federalist’s Mollie... Source

Aug 7, 2020 • 58min
The Race for Senate Control
Control of the Senate is up for grabs; can Republicans hold on? Inside Elections’ Nathan Gonzales provides a comprehensive rundown of all the key races and where the overall picture stands on this week’s episode. Newsmax’s John Gizzi also talks about what it’s like to cover the Trump White House and where he think the president should go this month to recover his standing. Source

Jul 30, 2020 • 52min
Covid-19 and Trump 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American politics, pushing campaigns to the sidelines and dealing a serious blow to President Trump’s re-election hopes. Real Clear Politics’ Sean Trende has been following the spread of covid-19 in addition to his regular political analysis and joins us to explain what is really going on with covid and the presidential race. We’ll also run down the six... Source

Jul 11, 2020 • 47min
Is Trump Just Whistling Dixie?
The polls show President Trump and the Republicans are looking at a November shellacking. Are they right? Political analyst Geoffrey Skelley from 538.com joins the Horse Race to give us his thought. He’s joined by University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray who will fill us in on how bad it could get in normally red Texas. All this and TWO Ads of the Week, only on Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen! Source

Jun 17, 2020 • 1h
Trump's Slump
Every athlete no matter how excellent goes through extended down periods, slumps. President Trump’s poll ratings have been down for over two months now, whether they are measured by his job approval rating or his mead-to-head matchups with Joe Biden. Is this slump or a serious, perhaps permanent, downturn? The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein and the Washington Examiner and New York Post’s Salena Zito... Source