The Homestretch Audacy

As we reach the final days before the Nov. 8 elections, control of Congress still seems like it could be a toss-up – even in Georgia, where controversies have plagued the Republican candidate. Two polling experts – Kabir Khanna, deputy director of elections and data analytics for CBS News, and Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, join host Doug Sovern of KCBS Radio on “The Homestretch” for its final episode to get an overview of this and other key races.

Voter fraud myths are, sadly, still alive — in some areas of the U.S., it even appears that election integrity is on the ballot. KYW News reporter Jim Melwert joins “The Homestretch” from Pennsylvania to explain how the issue is playing out there, while election administration expert Amber McReynolds helps us get a national view.

In this episode we talk crime – as seen through the lens of Chicago – and how it might impact the midterms. Chicago has been used as a poster child for violence in recent campaigns, but crime isn’t an issue that impacts that city alone. In fact, there’s been a surge across the country. Why is this? What can fix it? Are any politicians offering viable solutions? Kaitlin Devaney, a criminology professor at Northwestern University outside Chicago, joins the show to help us find out.

Latino voters, once considered reliably Democratic, have started to shift to the right. Communications Director Christine Bolaños of Jolt, a progressive organization in Texas that’s focused on increasing influence among young Latinos, joins "The Homestretch" to explain why political parties shouldn’t take Latino voters for granted.

Michigan voters will decide whether or not to codify abortion rights in November, and reproductive rights are up on ballots in other states as well. UC Davis professor and leading reproductive historian Mary Ziegler discusses how abortion has impacted U.S. elections from past to present.

Soaring gas prices, falling stock markets, and rising interest rates: the midterm elections are an opportunity to address our most pressing economic concerns. But there's something we're all not quite getting right about inflation. KCBS' Doug Sovern breaks it down with economist Christopher Thornberg, founder of Beacon Economics.