Highway to Hill

Charlie Hunt and SoRelle Gaynor

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Get in loser, we're learning about Congress. Each week on the "Highway to Hill" podcast, two experts break down the political science behind the week's biggest story on Capitol Hill in 30 minutes or less. Hosted by Charlie Hunt and SoRelle Gaynor. highwaytohill.substack.com

4d ago

Primary Concerns

Today on Highway to Hill: We’re flying our primary colors today, as round one of the 2026 midterm election season begins to wrap up. Party primaries are deciding the nominees for some of the most important congressional races in the country for both the House and Senate. We’re gonna get into some of the major trends of the cycle, why so many incumbents are losing, and what precisely is dividing the Democrats in these races? This week’s syllabus 📚 * “House turnover jumps as incumbents lose primaries at the highest rate in decades” (Annelise Hanson, NBC News) * Michigan Senate Candidate, a Former Trump Critic, Shifts Toward Election Skepticism (Beth Reinhard, New York Times) * “Mystery super PAC spends big in Michigan” (Ally Mutnick, Punchbowl News) * “Democratic socialists aren’t the only young, progressive Democrats dividing the party” (Charlie Hunt, The Conversation) * “In heated Moulton-Markey debate, Epstein files makes unexpected appearance” (Amanda Keane, WGBH) * “How Troy Jackson went from Maine logger to Democratic nominee for Senate against Susan Collins” (Kimberlee Kruesi, AP) * “North Carolina Republicans pick state legislator to replace Edwards on ballot” (Daniela Altimari, Roll Call) * “10 candidates vie to replace Lindsey Graham in South Carolina” (Daniela Altimari, Roll Call) * “White House officials tamped down efforts to oust Max Miller in final days” (Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Erin Doherty, POLITICO) * “Progressives are on the cusp of a huge win. Their biggest stars are staying away.” (Meredith Lee Hill, Samuel Benson and Tyler Katzenberger, POLITICO) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Aug 7

The stock trades are coming from inside the House (and Senate)

Today on Highway to Hill: Congress is considering, for what feels like the billionth time, a ban on members’ abilities to trade stocks. But will a poison pill addition make it dead on arrival in the Senate? We’ll get into why members of Congress seem to insist on being able to trade while they’re in office, the competing reforms designed to address the issue, and why the real fix might actually go beyond the stock market. This week’s syllabus 📚 * Unusual Whales * “Stock Trades Reported by Nearly a Fifth of Congress Show Possible Conflicts”, (Kate Kelly, Adam Playford and Alicia Parlapiano, New York Times) * “Location, Location, Location: Senate Trading and Seat Proximity” (Dane M. Christensen, Hengda Jin, Beverly R. Walther, and Laura A. Wellman, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis) * “House considers banning stock trading by members of Congress” (Deirdre Walsh, NPR) * “Good faith effort or ploy? U.S. House expected to vote on stock trading ban” (Caitlyn Kim, Colorado Public Radio) * “US President Donald Trump personally invests millions in data center industry firms”, (Matthew Gooding, Data Center Dynamics) * “Trump discloses 21,000 securities trades during first year in office”, (Will Lennon, Nicholas Kerr, Laura Romero, and Peter Charalambous, ABC News) * “White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump’s speeches” (Katherine Faulders, Aaron Katersky, Peter Charalambous, and Nicholas Kerr, ABC News) * “House votes to limit stock trading by members of Congress, elevating a campaign issue” (Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jul 31

Will the two-party doom loop ever end? (w/ Lee Drutman!)

Today on Highway to Hill: We’re so lucky to be joined by Lee Drutman. Lee is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation; he’s the author of the excellent book “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop”; and he’s the co-host of the Politics in Question podcast. Most recently, he was named one of the Washington Post’s “Next 50 people shaping our society in 2026”. This week’s syllabus 📚 * Lee’s “Politics In Question” Podcast * “Why you can’t just ban gerrymandering” (Lee Drutman, Undercurrent Events) * “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop” (Lee Drutman, Oxford University Press) * “The political scientist reigniting interest in a multiparty system” (Patrick Marley, The Washington Post) * “How to End the Gerrymandering Doom Loop Forever” (Ezra Klein, The New York Times) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jul 22

Heavy lies the lawmaking crown

This week on Highway to Hill: We’ve been a little distracted by a lot of important but symbolic stuff over the past few weeks -- A250, reflecting pools, UFC fights, etc -- but Congress is still a lawmaking institution, so SoRelle and Charlie get to the bottom of all the lawmaking Congress did and didn’t do in between all the 4th of July fireworks; and whether fireworks on the House and Senate floor will continue to make the lives of party leadership a waking nightmare. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Trump will let bipartisan housing bill become law without signing in protest over GOP voter ID law” (Associated Press) * “Republicans control Congress, so why is Trump’s SAVE America Act stuck?” (SoRelle Gaynor, The Conversation) * “Capitol agenda: Johnson’s rocky sprint to recess” (Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Calen Razor, POLITICO) * “Four competing priorities bog down Republicans ahead of midterms” (Jarrell Dillard, The Washington Post) * “Darline Graham Nordone inherited her brother’s Senate seat” (Nadia E. Brown, Good Authority) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jul 17

The age-old question for Congress

This week on Highway to Hill: Congress seems like it’s getting older by the hour, and some health and age issues from some high-profile members is giving us a fresh opportunity to talk about the age-old question: why is Congress so old? We’ll get into the polisci of why it’s so hard for young people to get elected; and with more than a few members serving well into their 80s and 90s, is it time to consider some age-related reforms? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jul 10

Where is Congress on AI policy? (w/ Jessica Seale!)

This week on Highway to Hill: This week, SoRelle chats with Jessica Seale of the Coastal Strategy Group, a consulting firm for Capitol Hill to talk about how Congress has (and hasn’t dealt with policy around artificial intelligence. Jessica has led comms departments and digital efforts in the US Senate and House of Representatives, and has held formal positions in the executive branch, including the Department of State and the Small Business Administration. SoRelle and Jessica dive into the current state of AI legislation in Congress, international standards, and how Congress can better prepare for rapid technological changes. This week’s syllabus 📚 Find Jessica Seale here: * https://coastalstrategygroup.com/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnseale/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jul 3

A very confusing birthday to you, America

This week on Highway to Hill: A co-opted commission, a cage match at the White House, and the saddest state fair in history: It’s America’s 250th birthday this weekend, but exactly how we’re celebrating is getting a little confusing, and a lot upsetting. Charlie and SoRelle raise a very tentative glass to America by diving into how an anniversary we was really looking forward to has devolved into yet another stomping of Congress at the feet of the Executive -- just, we’re sure, as the founding fathers intended. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Trump-backed ‘Freedom Trucks’ tell a sanitized story of the country’s founding” (Laura Meckler, The Washington Post) * “Inside the Partisan Battle Over America’s 250th Birthday Celebrations”, (Luke Broadwater and Eileen Sullivan, New York Times) * “Planners Battle Over Marking U.S. 250th Anniversary” (Jess Bravin, The Wall Street Journal) * “Congressional Commissions: Overview and Considerations for Congress” (Karen Shanton and Jacob Straus, Congressional Research Service) * Letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum from Democratic Senators * “Executive Order: Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday” (Freedom250) * “PEER Sues Department of the Interior Over Department’s Refusal To Release Key Freedom 250 Documents” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com
Jun 26

Money, money, money (must be funny)

On this week’s episode of Highway to Hill: We are talking all about the boogey man of congressional politics: money. We’re joined by Michael Kistner, an assistant professor at the University of Houston, who has a wonderful new book out with University of Chicago Press titled, “Paying for the Party.” Michael’s research looks at how parties have institutionalized fundraising, evolving how Congress and state legislatures use their time. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Paying for the Party” by Michael Kistner (University of Chicago Press/Amazon) * Michael’s Website! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit highwaytohill.substack.com

5

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Get in loser, we're learning about Congress. Each week on the "Highway to Hill" podcast, two experts break down the political science behind the week's biggest story on Capitol Hill in 30 minutes or less. Hosted by Charlie Hunt and SoRelle Gaynor. highwaytohill.substack.com

Creator

Charlie Hunt and SoRelle Gaynor
Years Active

2026
Episodes

31
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Charlie Hunt
Show Website

Highway to Hill

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Society & Culture

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Comedy

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