Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen

Latest Episodes:

"A Bucket of Warm Spit" Aug 14, 2020

Show notes

FDR’s first Vice President is quoted as saying the job was not worth a bucket of warm spit, although he actually used an earthier bodily fluid to describe the vice presidency. Will Sen. Kamala Harris agree if the Biden-Harris ticket wins? MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki joins Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen to talk about Harris’ selection and give us his assessment on the state of the race. The Federalist’s Mollie... Source

The Race for Senate Control Aug 07, 2020

Show notes

Control of the Senate is up for grabs; can Republicans hold on? Inside Elections’ Nathan Gonzales provides a comprehensive rundown of all the key races and where the overall picture stands on this week’s episode. Newsmax’s John Gizzi also talks about what it’s like to cover the Trump White House and where he think the president should go this month to recover his standing. Source

Covid-19 and Trump 2020 Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted American politics, pushing campaigns to the sidelines and dealing a serious blow to President Trump’s re-election hopes. Real Clear Politics’ Sean Trende has been following the spread of covid-19 in addition to his regular political analysis and joins us to explain what is really going on with covid and the presidential race. We’ll also run down the six... Source

Is Trump Just Whistling Dixie? Jul 11, 2020

Show notes

The polls show President Trump and the Republicans are looking at a November shellacking. Are they right? Political analyst Geoffrey Skelley from 538.com joins the Horse Race to give us his thought. He’s joined by University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray who will fill us in on how bad it could get in normally red Texas. All this and TWO Ads of the Week, only on Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen! Source

Trump's Slump Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

Every athlete no matter how excellent goes through extended down periods, slumps. President Trump’s poll ratings have been down for over two months now, whether they are measured by his job approval rating or his mead-to-head matchups with Joe Biden. Is this slump or a serious, perhaps permanent, downturn? The Atlantic’s Ron Brownstein and the Washington Examiner and New York Post’s Salena Zito... Source

Who Was That Masked Man? May 27, 2020

Show notes

You know things are getting weird when the main topic in a presidential race is who’s wearing masks and when. This week’s guests – Robert Costa of The Washington Post and National Review’s Jim Geraghty – help us understand the logic underneath the craziness. We even unmask the reasoning behind a recent Democratic ad designed to help a Republican on Ad of the Week! Source

Eye of the Storm May 14, 2020

Show notes

With states beginning to reopen and politics beginning to heat up, it feels like we’re in the eye of the storm – past the covid-19 hammer and preparing for the election maelstrom to come. CNN political analyst Harry Enten joins the Horse Race to help us make sense of this moment, while White House correspondent Debra Saunders gives us a behind the scenes look at covering Trump during the pandemic. Source

California Dreamin' May 07, 2020

Show notes

Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen takes a close look at the May 12 special election in California’s 25th Congressional District with the National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar, while Ad of the Week walks through the series of ads both candidates in that race have aired, showing how a campaign strategy unfolds over the airwaves. We also talk with legendary psephologist Charlie Cook about the ins and outs of forecasting... Source

Classic Political Vinyl, Vol. 1 Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen explores the history of political analysis with one of its founders, Stuart Rothenberg, and asks Stu what he looks at to analyze a contest. We also talk with columnist and author E.J. Dionne about President Trump and Joe Biden’s chances to improve Democratic performance with white working class voters. Finally, Ad of the Week looks at a Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 8th... Source

Biden's Billions Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Joe Biden had his best fundraising month to date in March but still lags behind President Trump’s cash on hand by tens of millions. The Washington Post’s David Weigel tells us how much Trump’s fundraising advantage is helping his re-election bid. Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen also traveled to the Keystone State to talk with political scientist Terry Madonna about Pennsylvania’s politics. All this and Ad of the... Source