Political Breakdown

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is joining Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket. They’re hoping the former school teacher and football coach can help reach swing voters in the midwest, but Republicans are already trying to paint him as a West Coast liberal. Scott talks with Minnesota Public Radio politics reporter Dana Ferguson and Brendon Gehrke, a former congressional staffer for Walz, about the governor's personal and political image — plus, why people are saying he has "Midwestern dad energy." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee reporter Dan Morain wrote a biography in 2021 titled “Kamala’s Way: An American Life," which traces Harris’ rise in politics starting from her upbringing in the Bay Area to her getting elected vice president. Scott talks with Morain about Harris then and now and how she matches up against former President Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris officially won enough votes from Democratic delegates to become the party’s presidential nominee. She also hired new senior advisors including David Plouffe, a top strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns.Scott and Marisa talk about all that with Bradford William Davis, a reporter, culture critic and fellow with the National Press Foundation. Plus, Davis shares an inside view of the National Association of Black Journalists convention where former President Donald Trump questioned Harris' ethnicity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Longwell spends a lot of her time talking to swing voters about how they view the presidential race and politics more broadly. A Republican pollster and Never Trumper, Longwell joins Marisa and Scott to discuss how these key voters view Vice President Kamala Harris and what both Harris and former President Donald Trump would need to do to get those “double haters” over to their side this November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President Donald Trump derided Vice President Kamala Harris' multiracial identity during an interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention earlier today. It reveals how some Republicans are trying to make Harris' gender and racial identity a liability in the race.As the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, how will Harris talk about her personal biography as she reintroduces herself to voters? Scott talks with New Yorker writer Jay Caspian Kang who argues that Harris shouldn’t shy away from talking about her parents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since Donald Trump picked Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate two weeks ago, more than a few Republicans have wondered aloud if it was a mistake.Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy describes growing up in poverty in a dysfunctional family ripped apart by opioid addiction. Since then he’s gone from Appalachia to Yale Law School to a San Francisco venture capital firm to the U.S. Senate and Republican ticket.Politico's Ian Ward had many conversations with Vance before he became Trump's running mate and he talks with Scott and Marisa about how Vance transformed from Never Trumper to MAGA warrior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Los Angeles Representative Adam Schiff called on President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential ticket, helping Vice President Kamala Harris ascend to where she is today – as the likely Democratic nominee for president. Scott talks with Rep. Schiff about his decision to make that call, how Trump's pick of J.D. Vance came at the perfect time for Democrats and his plan to reshape the U.S. Supreme Court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Vice President Kamala Harris quickly consolidated support in the Democratic Party for her campaign for president, and Republicans are already using her record as a prosecutor here in California against her. Scott, Marisa and Guy chew over this blockbuster week of news including the launch of Governor Newsom's podcast "Politickin'" with Super Bowl champion Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch and agent Doug Hendrickson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Kamala IS brat.” The tweet from British pop singer Charli XCX set the internet on fire. Marisa and Scott talk to Guardian features writer Alaina Demopoulos about the memeification of Vice President Kamala Harris and whether any of it translates into donations or votes in the November election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, President Biden said in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, "I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race." And then, Nancy Pelosi stepped in.The former House speaker played a big role in convincing the president to drop out of the presidential race – but why does Pelosi still have so much clout? Marisa talks with the SF Chronicle's Washington correspondent Shira Stein about Pelosi's hand in the 2024 presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices