The Downballot

Co-host David Beard is joined by Nathaniel Rakich, managing editor of Votebeat, to talk through the big election news of the week. We cover Rep. Mary Peltola’s entry into the Alaska Senate race and what it means for Democrats’ chances of taking the Senate this fall. Then we discuss Rep. Steny Hoyer’s retirement after more than 45 years in Congress and the generational turnover House Democrats are experiencing. In our Deep Dive, Beard talks to Kansas Representative Sharice Davids and they discuss her consistent overperformances in a highly competitive district. Davids also discusses overcoming the Republican gerrymander that made her seat redder in 2022 and the GOP’s attempts at a new mid-decade gerrymander to make her seat even harder to win. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Not only was there no shortage of election news over the holidays, we've already had our first elections of the new year! On our newest episode of The Downballot podcast, which marks the start of our fifth season, we get you caught up on all the top stories from the past couple of weeks, including Elise Stefanik's shocking bailout, Tim Walz's unexpected departure, the death of a Republican congressman from California, and special election that just barely got away from Democrats in South Carolina. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

We are delighted to wrap up the year with our presentation of the Third Annual Downballot Awards! We celebrate both the highlights and the lowlights of a truly wild year.Who will win the honor for Funniest Cancellation of a Special Election? The Lighting Money on Fire Award? The Worst Understanding of State Laws? But it’s not just razzies: Tune in to learn who won our awards for Special Achievement in Stealth Politics, Generator of the Wildest Freakout, and the top accolade, Best Campaign—which we’ve now split into primary and general election categories!The most important honor, though, goes to you, our listeners, for your steadfast support all year long. We could not do this without you. We are truly grateful. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Georgia Democrats didn’t just flip a deep-red seat in a special election on Tuesday. They’ve also sent Republicans into a panic—in the Peach State and across the country. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explore Eric Gisler’s massive upset, what it means for next year’s elections in Georgia, and why the GOP may want to slow its roll on mid-decade redistricting.On that last topic, the Davids also sit down with Richard von Glahn of People Not Politicians Missouri, which just submitted more than 300,000 signatures to put the GOP’s new gerrymander up for a vote next year. Von Glahn gives us the nitty-gritty on how veto referendums work, all the ways Republican officials are trying to thwart the repeal effort, and how organizers are fighting back—in the courts and on the ground. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Tuesday’s special election in Tennessee’s deeply conservative 7th District yielded two things for Republicans: a win, and widespread panic. On The Downballot podcast this week, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard explain why Democrat Aftyn Behn’s 13-point overperformance rightly has the GOP terrified. This was no sleepy, low-turnout affair. Voter participation was at midterm levels, which means that dozens of slightly bluer but still very red Republican seats could be in play next year. Look out!Subscribe to The Downballot!The Davids also chat with Lou Jacobson, the new senior author of one of the most seminal resources in the world of election nerdery: the Almanac of American Politics. Jacobson tells us how this massive, 2,000-page tome gets updated every two years, and how he’s bringing the Almanac into the digital era by offering updates on a new Substack site—including profiles of every freshly gerrymandered district in the country. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

A federal court issued a shock ruling this week barring Texas from using its brand-new GOP gerrymander, but what does it all mean? We explore every nook and cranny of this stunning development on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, including why Republicans walked into a trap they set for themselves and what might happen on appeal.Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also chat with Patrick Brown, a veteran campaign operative and partner at Novel Strategies who wants Democratic candidates to rethink how they go about communicating with voters. Advocating for a holistic, “voter-centric” approach, Brown explains why it’s critical for campaigns to understand exactly how their target audience consumes media and engage accordingly. He also emphasizes the importance of “building an interesting place to be” for candidates eager to tap into the world of influencers.Subscribe to The Downballot’s daily newsletter for unparalleled coverage of the thousands of elections below the presidency: Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

John Ray, Senior Director of Polling at YouGov Blue, discusses groundbreaking data from a split-sample polling experiment that shows how framing the midterms as a referendum on Republican policies boosts Democratic advantage. Chris Galdieri, a political scientist from St. Anselm College, shares insights on New Hampshire's dynamic Senate race and its implications after Sen. Shaheen's role in ending the government shutdown. Both guests analyze the shifting political landscape and the potential fallout from upcoming elections.

Voters had their first major chance to deliver a verdict on Donald Trump’s second term on Tuesday night, and they issued a rebuke astonishing in its depth and breadth. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard analyze the election from every angle: Just how far did Latino voters move away from the GOP? Why are regular folks so much more inclined to stand up to Trumpism than elite institutions? What does it mean for 2026? And much, much more! Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Election Day is finally here, so that means we’re previewing all of the top races on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast! Naturally, we check in on the marquee contests in California, New Jersey, and Virginia, but we also highlight some lesser-watched elections happening in places like Georgia, Maine, and Pennsylvania. And be sure to join us for our election night livestream with G. Elliott Morris of Strength In Numbers on Tuesday when the first polls close at 7 PM ET! Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe

Democrats have the chance to pull off a huge upset in an upcoming special election in Tennessee, so we invited one of the best-known political analysts in the state to join us on this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast to give us the inside scoop: Justin Kanew, founder of the Tennessee Holler. Kanew, who ran for the previous version of the 7th District, explains how the district has changed since his campaign and tells us what Democrat Aftyn Behn needs to do to win over the conservative-leaning voters she’ll need in order to prevail.Co-hosts David Nir and David Beard also dig into North Carolina’s latest Republican gerrymander, which is even more extreme than their last map. Can Democrat Don Davis survive despite the GOP’s effort to target him? Which district might he run for? And why can’t Gov. Josh Stein veto the new map? We answer all these questions and more. Get full access to The Downballot at www.the-downballot.com/subscribe