200 episodes

The 538 team covers the latest in politics, tracking the issues and "game-changers" every week.

FiveThirtyEight Politics ABC News

    • News
    • 4.5 • 19.5K Ratings

The 538 team covers the latest in politics, tracking the issues and "game-changers" every week.

    How Worried Should Democrats Be About The Polls?

    How Worried Should Democrats Be About The Polls?

    The presidential candidates are trying to crowd us out of the polling analysis business with their own takes on the polls! In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew assesses whether President Joe Biden's dismissal of polls because of declining response rates is fair.
    They also reexamine a viral poll from late last year that suggested 20 percent of young Americans think the Holocaust is a myth. It turned out to likely be bogus. And they preview Tuesday's primary in Ohio that will determine which Republican runs against Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
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    • 56 min
    Do Campaign Stops Actually Matter?

    Do Campaign Stops Actually Matter?

    After Tuesday’s primaries, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have mathematically clinched their parties’ nominations. And now, it’s off to the races. Over the past week, Biden has made campaign stops in Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Hampshire, Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump was also in Georgia last weekend and he’ll be in Ohio on Saturday.
    These kinds of campaign stops are a cornerstone of presidential campaigns and we can expect a lot more of them between now and November. There’s only one problem: According to political scientist Chris Devine, they don’t actually work. At least, not all that well and not in the ways you’d expect. In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, Devine talks about his recently published book called, “I’m Here to Ask for Your Vote: How Presidential Campaign Visits Influence Voters."
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    • 48 min
    Does Gen Z Really Care More About That Viral TikTok Than Politics?

    Does Gen Z Really Care More About That Viral TikTok Than Politics?

    The general election has begun in earnest and in this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew assesses how the country is feeling about it with a game of “Guess What Americans Think.” What percentage of Americans think the country is on the right track? Or that their preferred candidate will win?
    They also ask whether a poll suggesting that Gen Z voters are paying more attention to viral TikToks than the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization is a “good or bad use of polling.”
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    • 50 min
    A Very Political State Of The Union

    A Very Political State Of The Union

    In this late night installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew reacts to President Biden's State of the Union speech and Alabama Sen. Katie Britt's rebuttal. Both put top 2024 campaign issue front and center.
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    • 41 min
    Super Tuesday Brings A Couple Surprises

    Super Tuesday Brings A Couple Surprises

    In a late-night podcast, the crew reacts to the Super Tuesday results, including a win by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in Vermont and a win by entrepreneur Jason Palmer in American Samoa.
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    • 37 min
    What To Watch For On Super Tuesday

    What To Watch For On Super Tuesday

    Super Tuesday is upon us. In this installment of the 538 Politics podcast, the crew previews what we can expect and debates whether any of it really matters. Later in the show, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Washington Correspondent Tia Mitchell joins and they turn their focus to Washington, D.C., to discuss Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement that he will soon step down as head of the Senate Republican Conference and how Congress is responding to the recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court regarding in vitro fertilization.
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    • 1 hr 11 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
19.5K Ratings

19.5K Ratings

JgxuekBoc ,

“Hot take”

Love this podcast, but I do have an observation. Almost every episode, one commentator comments on how “average Americans don’t pay attention to this stuff” or “I don’t think your average voter cares about this”. I find it a bit frustrating. They give a take on something then finish it with “but we’re the only ones who pay attention to this kind of thing because we’re so craazyyy” and it defuses the point they’re trying to make.
YOU’RE NOT.
The only political bubble you think you’re in is the one you’ve created.
I love the conversations, but when you say things like that, it can feel really greater than thou.
If someone is listening to 538, they pay attention.

reneinharlem ,

Not a feel-good podcast

Just the cold and brutal truth.

StuScottFan ,

Getting worse

Just a bunch of horserace political coverage masquerading as something deeper. The losses of Claire Malone and Perry Bacon Jr. have been crippling. Getting worse in 2024 than in 2023 than in 2022 … you get the picture. Straining to “both sides” issues which leads to even more horse race coverage, nothing of real substance. I’m out.

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