Decision Desk HQ Podcast

Decision Desk HQ
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Every day is Election Day. Our weekly show talks votes, polls, trends, campaigns, and more. A show by election nerds for fellow election nerds, novices, and everyone in between. decisiondeskhq.substack.com

  1. Episode 32: 2026's Maine Event, with Michael Shepherd of the Bangor Daily News

    1d ago

    Episode 32: 2026's Maine Event, with Michael Shepherd of the Bangor Daily News

    One 2026 election seems to keep grabbing all the headlines: Maine’s U.S. Senate race. There, Democrat Graham Platner keeps making news, and usually for the wrong reasons. Reports recently surfaced that reported that Platner had sent sexually explicit texts to women who were not his wife. This is just the latest in a drip, drip, drip of controversial stories about Platner, the likely Democratic nominee to face Sen. Susan Collins. This is one of the most important Senate races in 2026, as Collins is the only Republican senator from a state carried by Kamala Harris in 2024. To help make sense of what’s happening in Maine, Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley spoke with Michael Shepherd, politics editor at the Bangor Daily News. They opened by talking about what people are saying on the ground and how the race got to this point (2:11). In the Democratic primary, Platner rose quickly and bested Gov. Janet Mills in polls and fundraising, prompting her to drop out (5:44). Platner has generated crowds in every corner of Maine and has been more willing to aggressively attack Collins, calling her “corrupt” — a campaign Mills would not run against her (10:00). But with Platner’s difficulties, Collins has ample material to use against him — and a ton of money at her campaign’s disposal to inform voters about his problems. Collins is an institution in Maine, having even won reelection in years when the state voted handily for Democratic presidential candidates in 2008 and 2020 (16:17). She’s used quality constituent services and a very town-by-town campaign apparatus to boost her standing. And her effectiveness as a senator has helped her consistently win over independent-minded voters and the persuadable middle. Given Platner’s difficulties, Democrats in D.C. and Maine are worried that there will be more skeletons in Platner’s closet that will sink him against Collins (25:55). If things do get worse for Platner, Maine Democrats could replace him as the Democratic nominee by choosing another candidate at a party gathering — but only if he first agrees to withdraw. Were Collins to win reelection, this would greatly constrict Democrats’ path to winning a Senate majority, perhaps making it impossible. Michael and Geoffrey closed by talking about two other races (37:58). Maine’s crowded Democratic primary for governor is unpredictable, especially with the use of ranked-choice voting. On the Republican side, former federal prosecutor Bobby Charles looks like the favorite, although the GOP also has an even more crowded field (43:38). They then discussed the competitive 2nd Congressional District, which is open following the retirement of Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (48:43). Republican former Gov. Paul LePage may have the upper hand to take back the red-leaning seat, while Democrats have a competitive four-way primary. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    58 min
  2. Decision Desk 2026: California & More Primaries

    2d ago

    Decision Desk 2026: California & More Primaries

    June is here and so are more primaries! On June 2, six states held their regular primary elections: California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Our election night program was Decision Desk 2026: California & More Primary Livestream, presente by Decision Desk HQ, The Chuck ToddCast, and Chris Cillizza! We started at 9 p.m. Eastern and were joined by guest experts throughout the night. Check out Decision Desk HQ's new Discord. It's a great place for online election nerds, and a place to talk about tonight's primaries and every other election coming up this yea This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    3h 26m
  3. Episode 31: Tense Times in Texas's Senate Race, with Patrick Svitek of CNN

    May 22

    Episode 31: Tense Times in Texas's Senate Race, with Patrick Svitek of CNN

    In the past eight years, Georgia has become a critical battleground state. That’s the case once again this year as the Peach State hosts highly competitive contests for U.S. Senate and governor. To talk about all things Georgia ahead of the state’s May 19 primary election, Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley was joined by Greg Bluestein, the chief political reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They started with Greg’s thoughts on Georgia’s overall political situation (2:31). Greg noted some warning signs for Republicans, including the Democrats’ sweeping victories in a pair of 2025 special elections for Georgia’s Public Service Commission. They then dug into the Senate race, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is the only Democrat seeking reelection in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 (7:20). Republicans have a three-way Senate primary that looks headed to a runoff (13:51). Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins are running, but so is former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who has the backing of outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Collins looks likely to make the prospective runoff, while Carter and Dooley are fighting for the second spot. Should Ossoff defeat the eventual GOP nominee in November, he could be a potential 2028 presidential contender (23:03). Greg and Geoffrey then turned to the gubernatorial race, where both parties have primaries likely to go to runoffs (26:45). In the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has Trump’s endorsement, but healthcare executive Rick Jackson has shaken up the race with at least $83 million in self-funding (28:40). In the Democratic primary for governor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is the favorite (38:04). However, she could find herself in a runoff against one of a number of other Democrats in the race. They closed by talking about the consequences of Georgia’s gubernatorial race as well potential redistricting at a special legislative session (47:56). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    36 min
  4. Episode 30: Reading Georgia's 2026 Peach Leaves, with Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    May 14

    Episode 30: Reading Georgia's 2026 Peach Leaves, with Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

    In the past eight years, Georgia has become a critical battleground state. That’s the case once again this year as the Peach State hosts highly competitive contests for U.S. Senate and governor. To talk about all things Georgia ahead of the state’s May 19 primary election, Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley was joined by Greg Bluestein, the chief political reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They started with Greg’s thoughts on Georgia’s overall political situation (2:31). Greg noted some warning signs for Republicans, including the Democrats’ sweeping victories in a pair of 2025 special elections for Georgia’s Public Service Commission. They then dug into the Senate race, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is the only Democrat seeking reelection in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 (7:20). Republicans have a three-way Senate primary that looks headed to a runoff (13:51). Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins are running, but so is former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who has the backing of outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Collins looks likely to make the prospective runoff, while Carter and Dooley are fighting for the second spot. Should Ossoff defeat the eventual GOP nominee in November, he could be a potential 2028 presidential contender (23:03). Greg and Geoffrey then turned to the gubernatorial race, where both parties have primaries likely to go to runoffs (26:45). In the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has Trump’s endorsement, but healthcare executive Rick Jackson has shaken up the race with at least $83 million in self-funding (28:40). In the Democratic primary for governor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is the favorite (38:04). However, she could find herself in a runoff against one of a number of other Democrats in the race. They closed by talking about the consequences of Georgia’s gubernatorial race as well potential redistricting at a special legislative session (47:56). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    57 min
  5. Episode 29: Redistricting Chaos After Callais, with Nathaniel Rakich from Votebeat

    May 7

    Episode 29: Redistricting Chaos After Callais, with Nathaniel Rakich from Votebeat

    Last week, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened the power of the Voting Rights Act to adjudicate claims of racially discriminatory redistricting. In the wake of this ruling, Republican-controlled states in the South have quickly moved to redistrict their congressional maps. Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley discussed these developments with Nathaniel Rakich, the managing editor of Votebeat. They looked at the partisan shakeup ahead of the 2026 midterms and the longer-term ramifications of the decision. They began by talking about the overall picture following the Callais decision (2:55). The ruling is part of a redistricting “perfect storm” that combines the ongoing redistricting conflict and adds in some Southern states with majority-Black seats that could now redraw as well. The partisan consequences of the prospective new maps in the South will bring about some Republican gains in 2026. The overall redistricting arithmetic could increasingly favor the GOP, although Democrats could ameliorate this damage thanks to a blue-leaning midterm electoral environment (10:20). Nathaniel and Geoffrey then went through the Southern states that are set to redistrict or could redraw. They started with Louisiana, which is the only state with a map that the Callais decision actually deemed unconstitutional. Louisiana Republicans sound inclined to draw a map that would give them a 5-1 edge, up from 4-2 under the current lines. But surprisingly, the early scuttlebutt is that Republicans may draw one blue seat around Baton Rouge rather than New Orleans, which could endanger Democratic Rep. Troy Carter (16:20). Nearby, Alabama is positioning itself to potentially re-implement the map the state used in 2022, which gave Republicans a 6-1 edge. This would remove the second majority-Black seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures that the state used in the 2024 election (24:19). Meanwhile, Tennessee Republicans are proceeding with a new map that will dismantle the state’s only Democratic seat, a majority-Black district around Memphis held by Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen (28:30). The map is drawn surgically, such that President Trump would have won 59% or more in all nine of Tennessee’s districts. From there, they discussed how South Carolina Republicans have opened the door to possibly redrawing the district held by longtime Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn — though it is unclear if they will actually do so (33:27). They closed by talking about the long-term implications of the Callais decision and the further ratcheting up of the national redistricting conflict (38:52) Democrats are looking for ways to respond to these Republican redraws. But many Democratic-led states would need to pass constitutional amendments to enable remaps, which means they would not be able to redraw until before the 2028 election. At the same time, other Republican-run states could also respond in 2028, including Indiana, where a cohort of GOP state senators just lost primaries after opposing the Trump-backed congressional redistricting effort. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    52 min
  6. Decision Desk 2026: Ohio + Indiana Primaries

    May 6

    Decision Desk 2026: Ohio + Indiana Primaries

    On Tuesday, Indiana and Ohio voters went to the polls for their regular primary elections. This included contests for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, and a whole lot more. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern that evening, we covered the results as part of Decision Desk 2026: Virginia Redistricting Livestream from Decision Desk HQ, The Chuck ToddCast, and Chris Cillizza! We were joined by guest experts throughout the night.Among this cornucopia of elections happening on May 5, the most-watched races were a slate of state Senate primaries in Indiana. There, President Donald Trump endorsed primary challengers against seven Republican state senators who last year helped foil legislation that would have redrawn Indiana’s congressional map to make it more favorable to the GOP.AdImpact reported that ad spending in Indiana’s state Senate primaries had totaled around $13.5 million, around $13 million more than any other recent cycle. That spoke to the outside money that had poured into these seven primaries. Two of the highest-spending groups, Hoosier Leadership for America and American Leadership PAC, targeted the incumbents who opposed redistricting. Both organizations were associated with Republican Sen. Jim Banks and led by Andrew Surabian, a longtime member of Trump’s political circle. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    3h 4m
  7. Episode 28: Why Ohio is pivotal in 2026, with Jeremy Pelzer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

    Apr 30

    Episode 28: Why Ohio is pivotal in 2026, with Jeremy Pelzer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

    Ohio may not be the swing state it once was in presidential elections. But it will still pack a punch in the 2026 midterms. The state has a pivotal U.S. Senate race that will help decide the majority, a number of competitive U.S. House contests, and a gubernatorial contest that could also be very close. Ahead of the Buckeye State’s May 5 primary, Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley spoke with Jeremy Pelzer about all things O-H-I-O. Jeremy is the chief politics reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, where he’s covered Ohio politics and government since 2013. They started out by discussing Jeremy’s overall view of the state of play in Ohio (2:37). Digging into the races, they looked at the Senate race between appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, which appears quite competitive (4:25). Husted has a long career in GOP politics and has done much of what he needs to do to keep the Republican coalition behind him. Brown’s an even-better known figure, which could make it tough for him to make a case for change, though he’s been a stronger fundraiser than Husted. Jeremy and Geoffrey explored Ohio’s geography and what will matter to the electoral math, beginning with Brown’s stronger showing in 2024 compared to Kamala Harris, even as he lost reelection (12:57). Formerly Democratic-leaning blue-collar areas that have moved right, like Mahoning Valley in the eastern part of the state, will be pivotal to the hopes of Brown and other Democratic statewide candidates. But Democrats will also need to keep improving in suburban areas in and around places like the state capital of Columbus. They then talked a bit about why Ohio is a key piece of the 2026 Senate math (17:14). They then dove into some of the state’s key U.S. House contests (19:33). Longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is running in a seat that’s even redder after redistricting, which understandably drawn many GOP contenders hoping to face Kaptur in November. Republicans also aim to seriously challenge Democratic Reps. Greg Landsman and Emilia Sykes, but both could be fine in a blue-leaning midterm environment (27:49). Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping to make inroads in red-leaning seats like the 15th District, held by Republican Rep. Mike Carey (32:16). They closed by looking at the likely gubernatorial matchup between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a 2024 presidential candidate, and Democrat Amy Acton, a former state health director (36:45). Despite not having a state-level track record, Ramaswamy pushed aside many potential GOP aspirants to become the party’s preferred candidate. He has been a gangbusters fundraiser who has also self-funded to a large extent, which gives him an important edge. Still, Acton has proven to be a stronger candidate than some expected and has raised a lot money herself. They then talked about the case Ramaswamy is making to Ohioans as a state leader after having become a national figure during the 2024 presidential race (45:05). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    55 min
  8. Episode 27: What Will Matter in 2026, with Chris Cillizza of So What

    Apr 24

    Episode 27: What Will Matter in 2026, with Chris Cillizza of So What

    We are about six months out from the 2026 midterm elections. That means some of the larger environmental factors that will impact the electoral playing field are getting clearer. But plenty of things are not fully settled, including public attitudes toward President Donald Trump and the economy, or the candidates that each party will nominate for key races in 2026. And as Virginia’s redistricting vote showed us this week, even the congressional maps for the midterm are not finalized. To discuss what will matter in 2026 — and just how much — Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley was joined by Chris Cillizza, a longtime political journalist and independent news creator who runs the Substack and YouTube channel “So What.” Chris regularly delves into major political topics of the day, from what’s going on with the president, to the latest happenings in Congress, to major electoral developments. Chris is also part of the election night livestream team with Decision Desk HQ and Chuck Todd, which is covering results throughout 2026. Geoffrey and Chris started out with a broad overview of where things stand with the election roughly six months away (2:09). They then turned to the nationwide redistricting conflict, with the back-and-forth across the country exemplifying the nationalized nature of contemporary American politics (6:05). While redistricting will have consequences from state to state, in aggregate the changes driven by each party may roughly cancel each other out. But redistricting seems likely to make Congress even more polarized. They then moved to the president and the economic picture (18:05). They discussed how rising gas prices look likely to hurt the Republican brand in November, especially because Trump won in 2024 in large part because he was seen as a better choice for economic growth. Chris and Geoffrey then talked about Trump’s overall approval and on specific issues, including losing support among Republicans in some cases (24:35). In connection with Trump’s worsening ratings, consumer sentiment is at a modern low. Yet the president and his team may be putting its collective head in the sand when it comes to acknowledging broad economic concerns — much like President Joe Biden’s administration before it (30:27). From there, they shifted to some specific events and candidate choices that could impact the midterms. They started with a discussion of the rumors about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s potential retirement and how an event like that could affect Republican turnout (37:00). They then closed by talking about candidates in some key races, such as Maine Democrats’ likely choice to nominate Graham Platner for Senate and the Democrats’ three-way primary race in Michigan’s Senate election (41:38). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com

    1h 3m
See All (38)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Every day is Election Day. Our weekly show talks votes, polls, trends, campaigns, and more. A show by election nerds for fellow election nerds, novices, and everyone in between. decisiondeskhq.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Decision Desk HQ
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Decision Desk HQ
  • Show Website
    Decision Desk HQ Podcast

You Might Also Like