Ken Rudin's Political Junkie is the essential show for anyone who is curious and passionate about politics ... which includes most of us. Each week, veteran political analyst Ken Rudin explores policy debates, campaign strategies and the newsmakers making it happen in Washington and in state capitols across the country. Politicians, journalists and experts of all stripes join Ken to share smart analysis and rich historical context behind the issues shaping our national dialogue today.
Whether you're a seasoned political junkie or a casual observer of politics, you’ll enjoy hearing informed conversation about national and regional campaigns, deep dives into noteworthy moments in political history, and intriguing tidbits of political trivia. Political Junkie is the show that aims to make politics accessible, engaging, and -- dare we say it -- fun.
Episode #418: Butte And The Beast
A look at two races on the ballot next month that have national implications: Montana Senate and North Carolina governor. Plus, two vice presidential hopefuls meet in New York City.
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10/4/2024 • 0
Episode #417: The Unfathomable Rise Of Kamala Harris
How Kamala Harris went from the battles of California politics to the possibility of becoming the 47th President of the United States.
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9/16/2024 • 49 minutes, 51 seconds
Episode #416: I’d Walk A Mile For A Kamala
How a bad debate performance by President Biden helped lead to Kamala Harris becoming the (likely) Democratic nominee for president. And a farewell to the long political career of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.
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7/29/2024 • 1 hour, 3 minutes, 37 seconds
Episode #415: The Debate — Cui Bono?
Setting up next week's CNN debate between Biden and Trump. Predicting Trump's running mate. And a look at some GOP VP picks that sometimes -- but not always -- worked.
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6/20/2024 • 1 hour, 6 minutes, 24 seconds
Episode #414: Trump Law, Meet Murphy’s Law
Republican strategist Mike Murphy, a leading anti-Trump voice in the party, discusses the state of politics and a new look at the presidential race in the aftermath of the guilty verdict.
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6/6/2024 • 0
Episode #413: Maryland Has A Thriller, Farewell To Pete, And A Ruff Ending For Kristi
Democrats are experiencing an increasingly bitter battle for a Maryland Senate seat that suddenly seems competitive. Plus, Kristi Noem destroys her own VP hopes. And a farewell to Pete McCloskey.
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5/12/2024 • 46 minutes, 9 seconds
Episode #412: Old McDaniel Told A Lie
How the Ronna McDaniel hiring turned NBC News into knots and revived the question about the advisability of hiring partisan voices on network news. And we rerun a wonderful 2017 interview with Joe Lieberman, who died last week.
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4/4/2024 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 41 seconds
Episode #411: A Sense Of Yuma After Sinema’s Departure
A review of the Arizona Senate race following the departure of incumbent Kyrsten Sinema. And a look at the key results from Super Tuesday. Plus, a review of a most unusual State of the Union address.
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3/12/2024 • 53 minutes, 13 seconds
Episode #410: California Girls (And Guys)
A look ahead towards Tuesday's primary to fill the Senate seat long held by the late Dianne Feinstein. Plus: Age and Biden, Sanity and Trump, and a Farewell by McConnell
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3/1/2024 • 39 minutes, 1 second
Episode #409: Swift Paranoia Taylor-Made For MAGA
Rumors that Taylor Swift might endorse Joe Biden has led conservatives to lose their minds. And a look at Tuesday's congressional race on New York's Long Island to replace the irreplaceable George Santos.
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2/9/2024 • 46 minutes, 19 seconds
Episode #408: New Hampshire, Where Trump Came, Saw and Concord?
The latest in the Republican and Democratic contests in New Hampshire.
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1/20/2024 • 50 minutes, 57 seconds
Episode #407: Farewell To 2023, Bracing For 2024
It's a review of 2023 and a look ahead to 2024 with NPR's Ron Elving.
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1/12/2024 • 46 minutes, 33 seconds
Episode #406: Farewell To The Trailblazers
We hear from the biographers of two trailblazers who have left us, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. And we hear about an investigative podcast about Ohio's greatest political scandal in history.
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12/6/2023 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 29 seconds
Episode #405: Pence Is Out; Is Choice In?
Election Day is on Tuesday, and we look at the race for governor in Kentucky and the battle for the state legislature in Virginia. Plus, Mike Pence is out, and Tommy Tuberville loses friends.
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11/4/2023 • 39 minutes, 45 seconds
Episode #404: Master Of The House (For Now)
The ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and replacing him, finally, with Mike Johnson, sets up two conversations this week: One, with a former California GOP lawmaker who bolted his party to vote for a Democratic House Speaker, only to be recalled for his efforts; and Two, a visit to the 1995 archives and a talk with a former Republican House leader analyzes the forced resignation of House Speaker John Boehner.
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10/26/2023 • 47 minutes, 34 seconds
Episode #403: Goodbye To DiFi … And Kevin Too
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the longest serving woman in the history of the Senate and a trailblazer for women, has died at the age of 90. And Kevin McCarthy becomes the first House speaker in history to be ousted in a vote amongst his colleagues.
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10/6/2023 • 29 minutes, 59 seconds
Episode #402: Murphy’s Law — On Romney, Haley And The Debates
GOP strategist Mike Murphy on Mitt Romney, Nikki Haley and this week's second Republican debate. We explore what's behind the Impeach Biden effort. And Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has been indicted.
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9/26/2023 • 43 minutes, 38 seconds
Episode #401: From The Archives, Gone, But Not Forgotten
Interviews with two political guests who died last week, Democrat Bill Richardson and Republican Gerald Carmen, are repeated in this episode.
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9/10/2023 • 37 minutes, 2 seconds
Episode #400: Larry Hogan’s Heroes
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan talks about Donald Trump, the GOP debate, his future plans, and memories of his father, who courageously supported Nixon's impeachment in 1974.
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8/25/2023 • 38 minutes, 16 seconds
Episode #399: Senate Health and Politics
Looking at the health -- and the political jockeying -- regarding Senators Mitch McConnell and Dianne Feinstein. Plus: Another Trump indictment and the first GOP debate on the way.
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8/17/2023 • 29 minutes, 22 seconds
Episode #398: Kevin Can’t Wait
A look at Kevin McCarthy's victory to be Speaker of the House, which took 15 ballots -- the most since before the Civil War. We set up this month's election at the RNC to determine whether incumbent chair Ronna McDaniel can keep her job. A prominent New Hampshire Democrat is saddened by President Biden and the DNC's decision to replace his state as the nation's first presidential primary. And a look at the 2024 Senate race in California, where candidates are already running.
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1/13/2023 • 1 hour, 9 minutes, 35 seconds
Episode #397: Sinema Vérité
A look at the decision by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to leave her party and become an independent, and a look at other Senate party switches. Plus, Kevin McCarthy battles his right flank to become the next speaker of the House.
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12/16/2022 • 40 minutes, 4 seconds
Episode #396: 51 Or 50, And Fight
A look ahead to next week's Senate runoff in Georgia. Plus, thoughts about Trump's dinner with two anti-semites.
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11/30/2022 • 24 minutes, 45 seconds
Episode #395: Trump’s Problems, Pelosi’s Decision And A 2022 Wrap
Donald Trump is running but the Justice Department may not let him get far. Nancy Pelosi is stepping down, but she's not going far. And what to make of the 2022 midterms.
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11/23/2022 • 1 hour, 25 minutes, 28 seconds
Episode #394: Women Yes, Abortion Rights Maybe
Debbie Walsh of the Center for American Women and Politics reviews the women who will be on the ballot on Nov. 8th ... not all of whom are supporters of abortion rights. And reporter Bill Salisbury remembers that day in 2002 when Sen. Paul Wellstone, 11 days out of his third-term re-election bid, perished in a plane crash in Minnesota. Plus, a review of the Fetterman-Oz Senate debate in Pennsylvania and the brutal attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband.
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10/30/2022 • 57 minutes, 34 seconds
Episode #393: Keystone State May Be Key To Senate Majority
A detailed look of the Pennsylvania Senate race by Jonathan Tamari of the Philadelphia Inquirer. And Jacob Rubashkin of Inside Elections lays out the themes of the 2022 midterm elections.
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10/23/2022 • 43 minutes, 26 seconds
Episode #392: O Father, Where Art Thou?
Reports on two key races this year, the Senate contest in Georgia (where GOP candidate Herschel Walker finds himself in a growing list of controversies) and the gubernatorial race in Texas (where incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke held their only debate this week. Plus, a conversation with retiring AP congressional reporter Alan Fram after nearly four decades on the job.
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10/7/2022 • 1 hour, 17 minutes, 16 seconds
Episode #391: She Has Everything But The Voters
Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson talks about his close friend, Rep. Liz Cheney, and her chances in the August 16th primary for renomination.
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8/15/2022 • 24 minutes, 35 seconds
Episode #390: A Risk Of Failin’ For Cheney And Palin
The political future of two well-known Republican women -- Liz Cheney and Sarah Palin -- will be determined by the voters next month.
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7/29/2022 • 54 minutes, 48 seconds
Episode #389: The Facts Are There. Is Anyone Listening?
Some thoughts about what we saw and heard from the January 6th committee last Thursday, designed to find out who was responsible for the planning and execution of the assault on democracy.
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6/13/2022 • 10 minutes, 48 seconds
Episode #388: Is Trump The Wizard For Oz? And Whither Cawthorn?
Five states are holding primaries on May 17th, with Pennsylvania and North Carolina taking top bill.
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5/17/2022 • 22 minutes, 35 seconds
Episode #387: Trump’s Endorsements, Many Of Them Real People
We explore the effect of Donald Trump's endorsements. A look at the upcoming Georgia primaries. And we remember the late Orrin Hatch, the longest serving Republican senator in history.
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5/2/2022 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 9 seconds
Episode #386: Testing The Leadership’s Patience
Claims made by freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) may have gone too far for the House Republican leadership to support his re-election. We look at the key Senate races up in 2022. And a new book on politics and the media is asking serious questions about bias.
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4/11/2022 • 1 hour, 14 minutes, 28 seconds
Episode #385: Alaska’s Not Jolly Not Green Giant
A look at the career of the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK), the longest serving Republican in the history of Congress. And a review of a recent Ohio GOP Senate debate that almost turned physical.
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3/27/2022 • 45 minutes, 52 seconds
Episode #384: America First! Iowa, Maybe Not.
The Democratic Party is rewriting its calendar for the 2024 presidential race, and Iowa is expected to lose its position as the lead off contest. And Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-OK) upcoming resignation will result in a special election -- but an assured Republican victory.
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3/18/2022 • 40 minutes, 47 seconds
Episode #383: The End Of The Bush Era?
A review of Tuesday's primaries in Texas, featuring George P Bush's attempt to topple the state attorney general. Plus, a Presidents Week look at some classic movies and the presidents they portrayed.
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2/23/2022 • 1 hour, 1 minute, 14 seconds
Episode #382: Truth Or Consequences
The health of a New Mexico Democrat becomes critical in a Senate that is split 50-50. And Mike Pence, who spent four years as a compliant vice president, surprised many with his break from Donald Trump over the correct course of action on that fateful Jan. 6th day.
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2/16/2022 • 31 minutes, 25 seconds
Episode #381: Joe Gets His Court Pick, Maybe
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, under tremendous pressure from the left, announced his resignation this week, which allows President Biden to name a successor while the Democrats still control the Senate.
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2/1/2022 • 24 minutes, 22 seconds
Episode #380: War Hero, Senate Giant — The Man From Russell, Kansas
Does Joe Manchin's decision to vote no on President Biden's top priority end its chances? And we remember Bob Dole, the former Senate Majority Leader and 1996 presidential nominee, who died earlier this month at the age of 98.
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12/30/2021 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 12 seconds
Episode #379: In The Middle Of Nowhere
Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, author of a new book about centrism in politics, says both parties need to compromise if they expect anything to get done. And we review the career of Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), who announced his retirement after nearly 48 years in office.
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11/19/2021 • 58 minutes, 54 seconds
Episode #378: A Hero, To The Max
We remember former Georgia Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who died last week and who was on the receiving end of one the most controversial attack ads in political history. And we weigh the decision by New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu not to challenge Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) next year, who is thought to be vulnerable.
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11/13/2021 • 36 minutes, 6 seconds
Episode #377: Yes Virginia, This One Matters
Tuesday's gubernatorial contest in Virginia is being watched nationwide for a possible clue about what might happen in the 2022 midterms ... and how to deal with Donald Trump. And former Sen. Harry Reid makes the case for Nevada to lead off the presidential calendar, not Iowa.
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10/28/2021 • 36 minutes, 1 second
Episode #376: Is There Hope For The GOP? Or Democracy?
A book by a longtime Republican strategist says his party has become indistinguishable from Donald Trump -- and all that's wrong with Trumpism. We look ahead to next month's historic Boston mayoral race. And we talk to Colin Powell's former chief of staff, who has the inside scoop behind Powell's infamous 2003 UN speech about "weapons of mass destruction."
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10/22/2021 • 53 minutes, 49 seconds
Episode #375: Sinema Paradiso
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema may be driving progressives nuts by thwarting much of President Biden's agenda, but her actions may be popular back home. And we remember the unfortunate 2012 campaign gaffe of Todd Akin, who died last week, and who suggested that "legitimate rape" would not result in pregnancy.
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10/10/2021 • 34 minutes, 46 seconds
Episode #374: Trump Enemies List Loses One
The decision by anti-Trump Republican Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio not to seek reelection next year is seen as a victory for the former president, who retains deep loyalty among GOP voters. And we discuss the meaning of last week's defeated recall vote in California.
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9/22/2021 • 46 minutes, 41 seconds
Episode #373: Can You Recall The Governor Of California?
We set up what's at stake in Tuesday's California gubernatorial recall election. And we replay an interview from last summer with former Illinois Sen. Adlai Stevenson III, who died last week.
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9/12/2021 • 44 minutes, 18 seconds
Episode #372: Remembering Neal Conan
An awful month. A disastrous exit from Afghanistan. And we lost Neal Conan to cancer.
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8/28/2021 • 23 minutes, 11 seconds
Episode #371: No Mo Cuomo
The resignation announcement by New York's Andrew Cuomo means many things, not the least of which it will lead to the state's first female governor. A look at the hopeless complaint by Democrats that their party is the only one that cares about sexual harassment. Plus, a look at last week's two congressional primaries in Ohio.
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8/12/2021 • 46 minutes, 52 seconds
Episode #370: Texas Hold ‘Em? First You Gotta Catch ‘Em.
Texas Democrats have fled the state to hold up legislation that could make voting more difficult. But how long can this tactic work? And we remember Edwin Edwards, the former governor of Louisiana, first with a rebroadcast of our interview with him from 2014 and with a discussion about his influence with a noted Louisiana political expert.
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7/18/2021 • 40 minutes, 47 seconds
Episode #369: Mike Gravel And Acts Of Civil Disobedience
We are replaying an interview we had six years ago with Mike Gravel, the former Alaska senator who died this week, about his decision to read excerpts of the Pentagon Papers on the Senate floor.
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6/30/2021 • 19 minutes, 29 seconds
Episode #368: Before ‘Enemy Of The People,’ There Was A Horsewhip Committee
Christine Chabot of Loyola University weighs the arguments of getting Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire early, before Republicans have a chance of regaining control of the Senate (and the White House). And Donald Ritchie talks about his new book, “The Columnist,” about the controversial and feared journalist, the late Drew Pearson. Plus, Senate ...
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6/26/2021 • 50 minutes, 30 seconds
Episode #367: Heroes And Villains
By insisting on "bipartisanship," Joe Manchin (D-WV) is jeopardizing President Biden's agenda in the Senate. And a new book explores John Glenn's orbital mission in 1962 and how it played in the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
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6/10/2021 • 51 minutes, 4 seconds
Episode #366: Taylor-Made For The Senate
We replay an interview with the late Sen. John Warner (R-VA) from 2018. And we set up this year's gubernatorial contest in the Old Dominion.
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5/30/2021 • 46 minutes, 15 seconds
Episode #365: Fighting For A New GOP. And A Different California.
Liz Cheney is out. But a former member of Congress won't stop fighting to rid the GOP of the Trump influence. And while the recall against California Gov. Newsom is underway, polls indicate that he is benefitting from his actions on vaccines and the reopening of the state.
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5/21/2021 • 54 minutes, 5 seconds
Episode #364: Liz Cheney And The Party Of Intolerance
Liz Cheney is about to lose her House leadership position because she refuses to go along with Donald Trump's lies and misstatements. Meanwhile, President Biden needs to be cognizant of his barebones majority in the Senate and mindful of the needs of Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who has become a powerbroker in his own right.
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5/7/2021 • 47 minutes, 20 seconds
Episode #363: Walter Mondale Fought The Good Fight
A replay of our 2015 interview with Walter Mondale, who died this week at the age of 93.
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4/23/2021 • 23 minutes, 58 seconds
Episode #362: Remembering Roger Mudd
A look at the recall effort in California aimed at Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Sen. Roy Blunt's (R) unexpected retirement in Missouri is likely to open the door to a fierce battle among Republicans for the seat. And Marvin Kalb remembers the life and legacy of Roger Mudd, the exemplary television political journalist who died this week at the age of 93.
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3/13/2021 • 1 hour, 5 minutes, 14 seconds
Episode #361: Sexual Harassment, As Seen By The Two Parties
Two politicians, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) have been hit with allegations of sexual harassment. In addition to the two cases, we ask why the two parties seem to treat sexual harassment differently, at least when it comes to their own party members. And we recap some of the nuttiness at last weekend's CPAC event.
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3/6/2021 • 1 hour, 7 minutes, 22 seconds
Episode #360: Is Biden Neera Defeat?
A look at how her history of snarky tweets may jeopardize Neera Tanden's chances of becoming the next head of OMB. And we talk to three journalists covering a trio of Republicans who voted against Donald Trump in the second impeachment case: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Liz Cheney of Wyoming, and Richard Burr of North Carolina.
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2/27/2021 • 53 minutes, 7 seconds
Episode #359: From “Beat The Press” To The Governorship?
Sarah Huckabee Sanders hopes her service on behalf of Donald Trump will help her win the governorship in Arkansas. Meanwhile, while Democrats are unlikely to prevail in next week's Senate trial of the former president, Republicans are split over what Marjorie Taylor Greene is doing to the party. Similar intra-GOP struggles are visible in Arizona, which now has two Democratic senators for the first time in nearly 70 years. And a retirement of a popular senator in Ohio guarantees a dogfight for the seat in 2022.
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2/6/2021 • 1 hour, 4 minutes, 19 seconds
Episode #358: Shame. And Hope.
January 2021 is the final month of Donald Trump's presidency. It also was the month where he was, for the second time, impeached by the House ... this time for inciting an insurrection. And we remember the 1954 attack on the House by Puerto Rican nationalists.
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1/17/2021 • 30 minutes, 23 seconds
Episode #357: For All The Marbles
We look at what's at stake in Tuesday's Senate runoffs in Georgia. And a former senator explains why she took part in an electoral certification protest in 2005 and what it doesn't compare to what Republicans are doing this time.
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1/3/2021 • 38 minutes, 18 seconds
Episode #356: The 2020 Remembrances Special
It's the Political Junkie 2020 Remembrances Special, where we celebrate the lives of memorable politicians who left us this year.
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12/30/2020 • 42 minutes, 29 seconds
Episode #355: The Electoral College vs. Trump University
A new book examines why "faithless electors" are faithless, why they break from their parties' nominees in the Electoral College. And we speak to one such elector, a 1976 Ford elector who nonetheless voted for Reagan.
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12/20/2020 • 37 minutes, 20 seconds
Episode #354: David Dinkins and the Harlem Gang of Four
A former Republican congressman argues that 2020 was a great year for the GOP, despite Trump's defeat. And a former New York state comptroller discusses the life and legacy of the late David Dinkins, NYC's only black mayor, and the past and future of African-American politics in the city.
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12/9/2020 • 55 minutes, 23 seconds
Episode #353: You Never Forget Your First Runoff
Georgia will be experiencing two Senate runoffs next month. Back in 1992, Senator Wyche Fowler was forced into a runoff of his own -- where he lost his seat. Fowler offers similarities and differences between now and then.
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12/2/2020 • 30 minutes, 50 seconds
Episode #352: Georgia On Everyone’s Mind
The two Georgia Senate runoffs on Jan. 5th will determine which party gets control. Democrats must win both if they are to claim the majority; if they don't, Mitch McConnell will remain as majority leader.
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Joe Biden may have won the presidency, but he'll serve without the expected Democratic Senate victory, and with a smaller House majority as well. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom will have a tough decision to make in naming a successor to Sen. Kamala Harris.
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11/12/2020 • 46 minutes, 3 seconds
Episode #350: This Is Us
A look at the key battles for the Senate, with Democrats needing a net three (or four) seats to win the majority. And whither the Republican Party in the aftermath (or the continuation) of Trump?
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10/30/2020 • 51 minutes, 15 seconds
Episode #349: One Will Be Muted On Nov. 3rd
Joe Biden's problems with articulating a coherent policy on court reform has brought comparisons to what FDR faced when he tried to pack the Supreme Court in 1937. And a White House correspondent talks about why he asked President Trump at a news conference why he continues to lie to the American people.
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