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 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.
S6 Ep45: Rachel Janfaza: You Kids, Get Off My Lawn!
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?
S6 Ep44: Amy Walter: Everyone is on the Take
Summer’s here, and Sarah’s taking a break from primary election coverage to take stock of the national political landscape.
S6 Ep43: Peter Hamby: California Is The Progressive Id
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?
S6 Ep40: Tim Miller: Good Riddance, Bill Cassidy?
This week's show has a rare note of agreement with our MAGA focus group participants.
S6 Ep35: Trump Voters Say 'Nope' to the Pope (with Jonathan V. Last)
Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV are probably the two most prominent Americans in the world right now, and they're fighting.
S6 Ep32: It's "Messing With Me Mentally" (with Ashley Parker)
The Iran War has been going on for a month, and it’s deeply, DEEPLY unpopular. Plus, we get reactions from swing voters on the characters inside the Trump administration who they like (like Marco Rubio), or REALLY dislike (listen to find out).