At the end of one of the most expensive Democratic primaries for Senate in American history, Abdul El-Sayed appears to be pulling away. We've been talking to Democratic primary voters in Michigan about El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens, and what they like (and don't like) about each candidate. Jonathan Cohn, author of the newsletter The Breakdown and The Bulwark's resident Michigander, joins the show to discuss a primary that Sarah thinks has gone on for way too long.

episode links:
How Old-School Race Animus Could Shake Up the Michigan Senate Race
Why Gretchen Whitmer’s Senate Endorsement Matters
Why Mallory McMorrow’s Campaign Didn’t Survive

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro is on track for a pretty big win in November. And he can't do that without winning over a lot of former Trump voters, including the ones in our focus group. Cook Political Report editor in chief Amy Walter returns to the show to discuss how our Pennsylvania focus group felt about Shapiro, AND Sen. John Fetterman, and about the Trump administration. They also break down whether Democrats should be concerned about the generic ballot polling we're seeing right now.

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show links

• Subscribe to the Cook Political Report!
• CPR’s PollTracker (Trump Approval Rating Aggregator)
• CPR’s “Find a Race” sorter
• CPR’s Battleground District Project

American politics and politicians are decidedly lower-character than they used to be. So, how did we get here? And why have voters seemingly lowered their expectations?

The New York Times’ David French joins the show to discuss Americans’ relationship with low-character politicians like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump, and how our major political parties have handled candidates like Ken Paxton and Graham Platner in 2026.

Show notes:
David French: The Platner Trap

Many Democratic primaries in 2026 have been hashing out America’s relationship with Israel, because Democratic voters' opinions of Israel have taken a nosedive the last three years. Pod Save America and Pod Save the World co-host Tommy Vietor joins Sarah to discuss the role Israel-related politics has played in the 2026 midterms, and the role it may play in the next presidential primaries.

There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come hang with us. Tickets are here.

If you're wondering how (and whether) America is worth celebrating on this particular July 4th, this show will be a bit of a pep talk for you. Heather Cox Richardson joins Sarah to discuss voters' complicated relationship with patriotism this year, and the lessons of history for rebuilding from the Trump years.

Through July 6: Join The Bulwark for $86 a year—14 percent off.

Follow Heather Cox Richardson's 250 to 250 project, which marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by telling the stories of the people, places, and events that have moved the United States toward a more perfect Union.

Colorado isn't much of a swing state anymore, but we're covering its primaries anyway. Both of its senators and one longtime member of Congress are facing bigger headwinds than you might expect. Our focus groups of Colorado Democrats will tell you why. Kyle Clark, host of Next with Kyle Clark, joins Sarah to discuss Colorado's upcoming primaries. Plus: Kyle's crazy run-in with the Republican frontrunner for governor, whether Rep. Lauren Boebert has gotten less crazy, and how Democrats feel about Gov. Jared Polis's pardon of Tina Peters.

Show notes:
Kyle's interview with Rep. Lauren Boebert

Barrels of ink have been spilled about James Talarico, Ken Paxton, Graham Platner, and Susan Collins. For the first time, we're listening to how swing voters in Texas and Maine are assessing these two races. We hear from 2024 Trump voters in Texas who disapprove of the president, and Mainers who voted for Joe Biden for President in 2020 and for Susan Collins down-ballot. CNN political reporter Patrick Svitek joins to break these groups down, and to preview some upcoming congressional primaries.

Gen Z swung hard for Trump in 2024. Now his approval with them is under 30%. What happened, and what does this generation’s mix of political views (especially on the war in the Middle East) mean for 2026? Bulwark contributor Rachel Janfaza is back on the pod to discuss. Plus: Sarah has some opinions about Gen Z’s new social habits, and we get into how AI is quietly destroying the entry-level job market — including, yes, applications to scoop ice cream.

show links:
Rachel Janfaza: Are lines the new third space?
Rachel Janfaza: I Applied to 70 Jobs: Meet the Class of 2026

Summer’s here, and Sarah’s taking a break from primary election coverage to take stock of the national political landscape. We haven’t talked to swing voters in a little while about the overall state of the country, and it’s becoming clear that the war in Iran is overshadowing, well, everything. Plus: The post-redistricting U.S. House math for Democrats, and a local issue bubbling up all over the country that has some lessons about why Americans are so disillusioned.

Sarah all kicks this around with one her favorite nerds: Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report.

Note: The discussion of Maine’s Senate race took place BEFORE the June 4 New York Times reporting on Graham Platner.

Subscribe to the Cook Political Report!

By Amy Walter: Taking Stock of the House Math
CPR’s PollTracker (Trump Approval Rating Aggregator)
CPR’s “Find a Race” sorter
CPR’s Recent Poll: Battleground District Project

Everyone loves to complain about how California is governed...even some of the Democrats in our focus groups. So, how is the Democratic primary to replace Gavin Newsom shaping up? Plus, a proto-Trump is running for Los Angeles mayor, and Republicans are noticing beyond California. Puck News's Peter Hamby returns to the show to download on how California politics is shaping the rest of America in 2026.

By Peter Hamby:
California Love
Is Xavier Becerra the Best California Can Do?

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Sarah is sick and tired of the arguments about whether Democrats should move to the left or the center, because Democratic voters’ answers to this question overlap a lot more than the online turf wars suggest. Adam Jentleson, founder of the Searchlight Institute and author of the forthcoming book Supermajority returns to the show to dig into why voters don’t think in partisan boxes, how some surprising Democratic figures are breaking ideological molds, and what a genuinely big-tent coalition actually looks like in practice.