Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen Ricochet

Chuck Warren of the Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast joins Henry for a close inspection of the ever-interesting state of Utah. They get into the characteristics that make it a red state like no other as they dig into the primaries for Mitt Romney's Senate seat and congressional districts 2 and 3.  

Plus, Henry takes a look at Trump's sustained lead in the polls; later he compares the ad strategies of South Carolina CD 3 primary candidates Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs.

J. Miles Coleman, Associate Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, returns to peer into the contested primaries in Virginia's 5th, 7th and 10th congressional districts. These deep dives into the respectively red, purple and blue territories, Coleman and Henry survey this microcosm of the national stage. 

Plus, Henry unpacks Emmanuel Macron's snap election gamble to head off his populist archfoe Marine Le Pen; and he looks at two finely crafted ads for Democrat Mary Peltola's tough reelection bid in Alaska. 

The verdict is in but it's still early to tell exactly what it means for Donald Trump's bid to take back the White House. To weigh the possibilities, The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway joins Henry. They also cover Joe Biden's innumerable vulnerabilities to an electorate whose minds may remain unchanged; they parse through the criteria Trump might consider for his VP pick; and appraise the conservative brand in the counter-revolutionary era. 

Plus, Henry takes a close look at Josh Stein's ad attacking Mark Robinson's fervent anti-abortion statements in hopes of pulling ahead in the tight North Carolina Governor's race.

 Cook Political Report's Amy Walter returns to the podcast to break down the latest findings from her 2024 Swing State Project. She explains voters' thoughts and expectations on the economy; provides analysis of the low Undecided/high third party numbers; and offers her take on the Democrats' scramble to keep its diverse base on the party premises.

Plus, Henry dives into a multi-decadal series of "Right Direction/Wrong Track" polling results to give us a sense of what it might mean for  November; and he takes a look at John Avlon's deft pitch for partisan Ds and moderate Rs in New York's red 1st Congressional District.

As Donald Trump leads on the backstretch of the 2024 presidential race, Biden makes use of his whip, challenging his opponent to an unconventional debate. Henry takes a deep dive into this necessary bold strategy. Then he's joined by NBC's national political correspondent Steve Kornacki. The two discuss the president's failure to gain traction as Trump maintains momentum. 

Plus, Henry takes a close look at two ads for Tony Gonzalez — one from his campaign, the other from the RCJ SuperPac — against challenger Brandon Herrera in Texas 23.

Henry’s back after a brief hiatus as election season heats up! He's joined by National Review's Jim Geraghty to parse out the parties’ business-as-usual dysfunction from the special brand of it we've gotten used to recently. They consider whether the Republican Party even knows what it wants; what they’ll do if they pull off the trifecta in November; and what we should make of tight polls considering the Biden/Harris ticket’s historic unpopularity.

Plus, Henry delivers his first ever Bad Ad of the Week, in response to Don Blankenship's clunker spot; and he makes a quick stop in Maryland to explain why Angela Alsobrooks' personal touch won out over David Trone's big money.