The Focus Group Podcast
by The Bulwark
Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/
Episodes
S6 Ep66: Nate Silver: Trump’s Collapse May Be Irreversible
Tuesday night was the biggest rebuke of Donald Trump and MAGA that we've seen yet, by a wide margin.
S6 Ep65: Amy Walter Sees the Makings of a Historic Electoral Earthquake
The midterm elections are almost here, and voters and podcast hosts alike are about to lose their minds.
S6 Ep64: Focus Group Shows Why Susan Collins is in Trouble (with Alex Seitz-Wald)
Sen. Susan Collins is trying to win a sixth term despite losing some shine of off her reputation as an "independent" senator.
S6 Ep63: Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey)
There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are 'sayin' there's a chance.'
S6 Ep62: Republicans Thought Florida Was Safe. Then Everything Changed (with Kimberly Leonard)
Republicans have been on a long winning streak in Florida...but they might be playing defense in 2026.
S6 Ep61: These Trump Voters Are Considering the Unthinkable: Voting for a Democrat (with Amy Walter)
It’s October, and the political environment is really, really, REALLY bad for the Republican Party.
S6 Ep60: Republicans Are Suddenly Fighting for Their Lives in Ohio (with Andrew Tobias)
Ohio used to be the biggest swing state in the country. It's turned pretty red, (Trump won it by 11 points in 2024) but it's very hotly contested this year.
S6 Ep59: LIVE from San Francisco: Focus Groups Are Revealing a HUGE Weakness for Republicans
Sarah and Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer discuss her book, How to Eat an Elephant, what focus groups are, why she does them, and she uncorks some fresh focus group content on-stage.
S6 Ep58: Something's Happening in Texas (with Chris Hooks)
Against all odds, Democrats still have a chance in the Texas Senate race. So, is it because Ken Paxton is bad, or because of James Talarico's Nice Young Man energy? Turns out, both.
S6 Ep57: The GOP is MIA in North Carolina (with Chris Cooper)
North Carolina has been a difficult nut for Democrats to crack for nearly two decades. But relatively popular former Gov. Roy Cooper appears to be on the verge of changing that this year.
S6 Ep56: Why Ed Markey May Survive a Revolt Against Old Candidates (with Adam Reilly)
Why is 80-year-old Ed Markey surviving a Democratic revolt against aging politicians?
S6 Ep55: Sarah Had to Double-Check: “These Are All Trump Voters?” (with Amy Walter)
Amy Walter returns to the pod for a pundit therapy session.
S6 Ep54: MAGA's Future is in Florida (with Will Sommer)
The battle lines of the next Republican primary are being drawn in Florida's Republican primary for governor.
S6 Ep53: South Carolina’s Surprise Election (with Meg Kinnard)
After Sen. Lindsey Graham’s passing in July, South Carolina is holding a special Republican primary to replace him as the nominee for U.S. Senate.
S6 Ep52: Jonathan Cohn: Pure Michigan Chaos
At the end of one of the most expensive Democratic primaries for Senate in American history, Abdul El-Sayed appears to be pulling away.
S6 Ep51: Amy Walter: Pennsylvania's Trump-Shapiro Voters
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.
S6 Ep50: David French: Character Counts For Less
American politics and politicians are decidedly lower-character than they used to be. So, how did we get here?
S6 Ep48: Heather Cox Richardson: America's 250 Great (and Awful) Years
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.
S6 Ep47: Kyle Clark: Colorado's Mad Libs
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.
S6 Ep46: Patrick Svitek: Texas & Maine Swing Voters Sound Off
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.