The Focus Group Podcast

Latest Episodes:

S6 Ep25: Texas-Sized Scandal (with Eric Benson) Feb 21, 2026

Show notes

Sen. John Cornyn has been a consistent ally of President Trump. Even Trump likes him just fine...but that may not be enough to save him in Texas, because he may have just been too mild-mannered for too long. He's running against a scandal-plagued (but combative) Attorney General, and a less scandal-plagued (but also less known) newcomer. Texas Monthly writer Eric Benson joins Sarah to break down the Republican brawl in the Lone Star State.

Get 60% off your first box with Tempo Meals at https://TempoMeals.com/THEFOCUSGROUP.
Show notes:
Eric Benson's John Cornyn profile: The Last Ride of Big Bad John

S6 Ep24: Two Qual Researchers Walk Into a Bar (with Margie Omero) Feb 14, 2026

Show notes

More and more Trump voters are souring on his administration. But why? Inflation, immigration, and Epstein are all in the mix, but there's a giant mosaic of disappointments. We needed a second qualitative researcher to make sense of it all. Democratic pollster Margie Omero joins the show to discuss what she's heard in her own focus groups, listen to Trump voters who are down on his job performance, and check in with the Democratic base.

Get free shipping and 365 day returns from Quince at https://Quince.com/THEFOCUSGROUP.

Margie's focus groups:
Trump’s Problems With Latinos Go Deeper Than the Economy
14 Wellness Voters Talk Parenting, MAHA and Social Media

S6 Ep23: Young Trump Voters Have Feelings (with Rachel Janfaza) Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

Why are Gen Z men drifting right while Gen Z women move left? And why do right-wing zoomers think the gender gap is so wide? Sarah Longwell talks with the newest Bulwark contributor Rachel Janfaza, founder of The Up and Up, to analyze new focus groups of Gen Z Trump voters. They also get into these voters' Trump fatigue on foreign policy, why a future JD Vance presidential run isn't appealing, and whether these voters could ever date someone across the political divide.

The Bulwark is heading to Minneapolis, and then to Texas. Get your tickets at https://TheBulwark.com/Events.

Show notes:
Rachel in Vox: The quiet reason why Trump is losing Gen Z
From November 2025: Rachel Janfaza on The Focus Group Podcast

S6 Ep22: Put Excuses on ICE (with Adrian Carrasquillo) Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

We saw an ICE officer kill an American citizen for the second time in less than three weeks. This time, it was harder for some of the voters we talked to to make an excuse for it. Bulwark immigration correspondent Adrian Carrasquillo returns to the show to discuss his reporting and listen to voters' raw reactions to what they're seeing in the news.

Show notes:
The abhorrent power of the photograph of a 5-year-old held by ICE

By Adrian Carrasquillo:
Why a Scared 5-Year-Old Boy Shook Our National Conscience
Portraits of the Minneapolis Resistance

Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at https://RocketMoney.com/THEFOCUSGROUP

S6 Ep21: The Heebie Jeebie GOP (with Will Sommer) Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

Some strange, under-the-radar things are happening on the right. Marco Rubio is experiencing a strange rehabilitation with the Republican base, and some young men are excited about taxing OnlyFans. Meanwhile, JD Vance is still on the struggle bus with swing voters, especially women. Will Sommer, The Bulwark’s right-wing fever swamp correspondent, joins Sarah to break down the growing rift between the MAGA establishment and the America First wing—and what it means for 2028.

By Will Sommer:
MAGA Influencers Cheered Trump’s Venezuela War. Their Audience Said ‘WTF?!’
Meet the First Groyper Politician

S6 Ep20: Playing Stupid Games, Winning Stupid Prizes (with Bill Kristol) Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

There's a lot of bad news right now—so much that none of it is breaking through that much to the voters we talked to. From the ICE killing of Renee Good to the Epstein files to the criminal investigation into Jerome Powell, Bulwark editor-at-large Bill Kristol joins Sarah for a reflective conversation on the tough times we live in and how voters are processing them.

Get $30 off your first box and free croissants for life when you visit https://Wildgrain.com/FOCUSGROUP.
Previous shows discussing the Epstein Files:
With Will Sommer (November 2025)
With Ashley Parker (September 2025)
With Will Sommer (July 2025)

S6 Ep19: What a Difference a Year Makes (with Jonathan Chait) Jan 10, 2026

Show notes

The United States just captured Venezuela's dictator, and we needed to get some quick voter reactions. Is this REALLY what the newest members of Trump's coalition voted for? We're also sensing growing discontent from them with the state of the country, and with the Trump administration governing more for its friends than for them. Atlantic staff writer Jonathan Chait joins the show to break down voter sentiment nearly a year into Trump's term.

Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at https://RocketMoney.com/THEFOCUSGROUP.

S6 Ep18: Sarah’s First Focus Groups Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Sarah started doing focus groups in 2018 and 2019 hoping to save the Republican Party from Trump—by finding a primary challenger who wouldn’t embarrass themselves. Instead, she discovered voters who were fine with Trump, and she picked up a years-long addiction that turned into this show. We listen to audio from Sarah’s earliest focus groups with reluctant Ohio Trump voters, and not-so-reluctant New Hampshire Trump voters. Then, Sarah and producer Conor Kilgore take some listener questions and look ahead to 2026 races.
Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THEFOCUSGROUP.

S6 Ep17: America on Tape: A Brutal (and Hopeful) Year Dec 27, 2025

Show notes

A year in review from The Focus Group Podcast: the revealing moments, toughest conversations, and warnings that hit a little harder with hindsight—from swing voters to Democrats to cracks inside MAGA.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/THEFOCUSGROUP #oneskinpod
Original episodes:
Nothing is True, Everything is Possible (with Anne Applebaum):
https://audioboom.com/posts/8711563-nothing-is-true-everything-is-possible-with-anne-applebaum
Do the Next Right Thing, Change the World (with Heather Cox Richardson):
https://audioboom.com/posts/8741588-do-the-next-right-thing-change-the-world-with-heather-cox-richardson
The GOP's Life After Trump (with Robert Draper):
https://audioboom.com/posts/8806639-the-gop-s-life-after-trump-with-robert-draper

S6 Ep16: MAGA's 'Crunchy' Surprise (with Jonathan Cohn) Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' movement and its adherents have done some of the most harm of anyone in Donald Trump's second term. The voters who are motivated by 'MAHA' are also some of the most interesting. The Bulwark's resident healthcare expert, Jonathan Cohn joins the show to break down the policy consequences of RFK's healthcare regime, and what motivates the everyday 'MAHA' voter.
By Jonathan Cohn:
This Is What It Looks Like When RFK Jr. Wins

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected