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

  1. 1d ago

    More money, more problems? 💸

    Today on Highway to Hill: The 2026 midterms are shaping up to be the most expensive in history. Both parties are raising and spending boatloads… but are any of these dollars making a difference? What is all this money telling us about which seats the two parties are targeting, and which they’re triaging? Finally, the Republicans have a big spending advantage, but are their dollars going as far as the Democrats’ are? This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Republicans enter triage mode as their election hopes continue to dim” (Andrew Howard, Erin Doherty and Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO) * “Top G.O.P. Groups Pull Support From First House Incumbents” (Shane Goldmacher, The New York Times) * “John Thune hopes to flood a ‘big map’ with a GOP money wave” (Jordain Carney, POLITICO) * “Big Money Breaks Records, Boosts GOP: 5 Things to Know About the Midterms” (Ian Vandewalker, Brennan Center for Justice) * “Why the GOP’s spending advantage is nowhere near as big as it looks” (David Nir, The Downballot) * “The Multipath Money Trail: Financing Congressional Elections from 1990 to 2024” (Charlie Hunt and Jaclyn Kettler, The Forum) * “Omar home search raises fears about election season probes” (Michael Macagnone, Roll Call) 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

    More money, more problems? 💸

  2. Oct 9

    The President stole our purse!

    Today on Highway to Hill: It’s time to talk about money, and I don’t mean the gobs of cash being spent in the midterm elections — maybe another week on that one. We are talking about all of the unorthodox ways the Trump administration is spending, or not spending, taxpayer money in ways ranging from questionable to downright illegal. Diverted Ukraine aid, weird cult-y campaign ads, and recissions are all being tossed around; and Congress, sadly, is nowhere to be found. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Homeland Security spending $20M in taxpayer funds for pro-Trump ads” (PBS NewsHour) * “Trump diverts Ukraine aid to authoritarian countries in Latin America” (Andrew Feinberg, The Independent) * “Trump chooses the worst way to cut federal spending” (Editorial Board, The Washington Post) * “GOP lawmakers challenge Trump’s nearly $1B funding clawback” (Helen Huiskes and Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill) * “The Obscure Tool Trump Is Using to Snatch the Power of the Purse” (Gabe Fleischer, Wake up to Politics) * “Russ Vought Insists He Has a Neat Trick to Override Congress. It’s More ‘a Confession,’ Experts Say” (Emine Yücel, TPM) * “Time for yet another debate over daylight, spurred by Trump” (Mike Magner and Mark Schoeff Jr., Roll Call) * “Dennis Hastert, Powerful Politician Disgraced by Child Sexual Abuse, Dies” (Carl Hulse, New York Times) * “Surge in Taxpayer-Funded Ads from Congress Blurs Campaign Lines” (Chris Cioffi, Jon Meltzer and Irfan Uraizee, Bloomberg) 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

    The President stole our purse!

  3. Oct 2

    Elections, political violence, and Jimmy Carter’s legacy

    Today on Highway to Hill: Charlie is joined by Avery Davis Roberts and Sarah Cooper of The Carter Center. Avery and Sarah are the director and associate director respectively of the Carter Center’s Democracy program. We talk about the work the Carter Center does around the world, their crucial nonpartisan election observation program, and why democracy and nonviolence still matter in a polarized age. This week’s syllabus 📚 * Carter Center website: https://www.cartercenter.org/ * Avery and Sarah’s work on democracy: https://www.cartercenter.org/programs/democracy/ * We don’t have to agree to get along, PSA: https://www.cartercenter.org/news/international-day-of-democracy/ 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

    Elections, political violence, and Jimmy Carter’s legacy

  4. Sep 25

    Nerding out on Downballot data (with David Nir!)

    Today on Highway to Hill: The midterms are just a handful of weeks away, and that means it’s time to bring in the big guns (if the guns you are interested in are smart data analysis). We are so lucky to be joined this week by David Nir. David is the publisher of The Downballot, which is absolutely required reading if you’re an election nerd like we are. The Downballot is a nonpartisan source of information and analysis for the thousands of elections that take place below the presidency, from Senate to city council. David also co-hosts The Downballot podcast with David Beard. This week’s syllabus 📚 * David’s website, The Downballot * The Downballot Podcast * The Downballot’s Ultimate Data Guide * “Massive primary turnout points to biggest year for Democrats since Watergate” (Daniel Donner, The Downballot) * “The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way” (William Turton, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Molly Redden and Kirsten Berg, ProPublica) * Sen. Curtis letter to Senate Judiciary chairmen/ ranking member 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

    Nerding out on Downballot data (with David Nir!)

  5. Sep 18

    Artificial intelligence, authentic stupidity

    Today on Highway to Hill: It might be the end of the world as we know it, so we’re just gonna podcast through it. Alarm bells are ringing across the tech world about the potential extinction-level dangers of artificial intelligence. But with so much uncertainty in the air, Congress doesn’t seem likely to rise to the occasion and do something about it. What explains Congress’s lack of action, and who is going to pick up the slack? You’ll absolutely hate the answer! This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Trump tries to kill regulations on ‘HOAX’ AI dangers” (Elleiana Green and Owen Dahlkamp, POLITICO) * “House Republicans must decide whether they want to pass Trump’s AI loyalty test” (Mia McCarthy, POLITICO) * “AI threats confront a Congress far from erecting guardrails” (Allison Mollenkamp and Savannah Behrmann, Roll Call) * “How Popular Is A.I. With Voters? Not Very, a New Poll Finds.” (Tim Balk and Caroline Soler, New York Times) * Acton refuses to debate Ramaswamy in Ohio governor race: Election 2026, Dayton Daily News * “McGuire refuses to debate until Perriello apologizes for insider trading remarks”, The Daily Progress, September 13, 2026. * “Republican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war” NPR. 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

    Artificial intelligence, authentic stupidity

  6. Sep 11

    Big tent, bigger problems

    Today on Highway to Hill: It’s almost time to close the book on 2026 primary elections to Congress; but don’t worry, an excruciating general election has only just begun. Charlie and SoRelle wrap up some primary season by taking stock of some final contests in Charlie’s beloved native New England, and try to measure just how big of a tent of candidates the Democrats have built in their quest to take back one or both chambers of Congress. Plus, we take stock of “Trump-a-palooza”, and whether the Republicans’ midterm convention will help or hurt their chances to hang onto control of Congress. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “Trump puts himself on midterm ballot during Dallas spectacle” (John T. Bennett, Roll Call) * “‘Waste of energy’: Senate Democrats are sitting out the John Fetterman pile-on” (Jordain Carney, POLITICO) * “From the Freedom Caucus to the democratic socialists, small groups inside parties can wreak havoc with leaders’ agenda in Congress” (SoRelle Gaynor and Charlie Hunt, The Conversation) * “Republicans lose SCOTUS bid to use new Missouri map” (Michael Macagnone, Roll Call) * “House GOP cuts 2 weeks from its schedule” (Finya Swai, The Hill) 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

    Big tent, bigger problems

  7. Sep 4

    Covering Congress (with Nina Heller!)

    This week on Highway to Hill: SoRelle and Charlie are joined by a very special guest; our first journalist we’ve ever had on Highway to Hill, and someone whose name you will already know if you’ve ever read our show notes, because we are constantly relying on her great reporting. Nina Heller is a features reporter at CQ Roll Call, our very favorite Congress-focused news outlet, and she’s been nice enough to join us today to talk about what it’s like to be a hill reporter in 2026, about what Congress has been up to (or not up to) lately, and some of the other important stories she’s been following. This week’s syllabus 📚 * “‘A forever project’: Congressional modernizers look to next phase” (Nina Heller, Roll Call) * “Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid after Ethics panel recommends censure” (Nina Heller, Roll Call) * “DC’s delegate candidate plans to target federal lawmakers challenging the city’s autonomy” (Matt Brown and Gary Fields, Associated Press) * House Resolution on Socialism * “Influencers Have a Lot to Say About Politics. Many Are Quietly Paid for It.” (Ken Bensinger and Stuart A. Thompson, 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

    Covering Congress (with Nina Heller!)

  8. Aug 28

    The conference committee is in session

    Today on Highway to Hill: Congress is still in recess, but SoRelle and Charlie are busier than ever, because next week is (hold onto your hats) the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association. But it won’t just be schmoozing and cocktail parties; SoRelle and I are both presenting new research at this conference. So while Congress is away, we thought we’d share some new findings about them, from both the lawmaking and representation sides of things. 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

    The conference committee is in session
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Charlie Hunt and SoRelle Gaynor
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Charlie Hunt
  • Show Website
    Highway to Hill

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