The Focus Group Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Focus Group Podcast

The Bulwark

News

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/10d. Total Eps: 156

Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - politics
03/06/2026
#95
🇺🇸 USA - politics
03/06/2026
#59
🇨🇦 Canada - politics
02/06/2026
#68
🇺🇸 USA - politics
02/06/2026
#38
🇨🇦 Canada - politics
01/06/2026
#63
🇺🇸 USA - politics
01/06/2026
#24
🇺🇸 USA - news
01/06/2026
#63
🇨🇦 Canada - politics
31/05/2026
#73
🇺🇸 USA - politics
31/05/2026
#34
🇺🇸 USA - news
31/05/2026
#91

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https://www.oneskin.co/
3602 shares
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436 shares
https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-america/
139 shares

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Score global : 32%

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S4 Ep48: DNC Part 2: The Dems' Defibrillator (with John Anzalone)

Season 4 · Episode 48

samedi 31 août 2024 • Duration 48:25

The Democratic National Convention was a respite from Democrats' summer of despair, and a lot of the good vibes filtered down to swing voters...but are good vibes enough? Democratic pollster John Anzalone joins Sarah to listen to how the new ticket looks to swing voters...and even some former Trump voters who are now Harris-curious.

S4 Ep47: DNC-Palooza, Part 1 (with Joe Perticone)

Season 4 · Episode 47

samedi 24 août 2024 • Duration 43:14

The Bulwark is ON LOCATION at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and we've got quite a lot to talk about! National Political Reporter Joe Perticone joins Sarah to recap the sights and sounds from the convention. They also walk through swing voters' reactions to the Harris-Walz ticket, and how plugged in they were to convention coverage generally (not very much).

S4 Ep38: Utah: The Least MAGA Red State (with McKay Coppins)

Season 4 · Episode 38

samedi 22 juin 2024 • Duration 52:35

Utah has been something of a bulwark (pun intended) against Trumpism, but even they haven't been immune to sliding into MAGA. And now, with Sen. Mitt Romney retiring, Republican voters are poised to pick a new U.S. senator there. The Atlantic's McKay Coppins joins Sarah to break down how Utah Republicans are different, and where they might go from here. They also discuss voters' assessments of Romney as he prepares to leave office.

S4 Ep37: Is The GOP 'Happy With Losing'? (with Isaac Arnsdorf)

Season 4 · Episode 37

samedi 15 juin 2024 • Duration 48:25

One of the Republican Party's biggest long-term problems is that their base is demanding behavior that swing voters won't tolerate, and few things have brought out this gap better than Donald Trump's recent conviction. The Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf joins Sarah to discuss what the MAGA base expects out of politicians these days, and how swing voters are reacting.

show notes:
Isaac Arnsdorf's Book: Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy

S4 Ep36: Former Trump Voters Say 'Lock Him Up' (with Laura Barrón-López)

Season 4 · Episode 36

samedi 8 juin 2024 • Duration 40:37

When Donald Trump's 34 felony convictions were handed down, we had focus groups ready to talk about them. PBS Newshour's Laura Barrón-López joins Sarah to listen to swing voters' reactions to Trump's conviction, and to the start of Hunter Biden's federal trial.

show notes
PBS Newshour: How Republican voters feel about Trump and the election after his conviction

S4 Ep35: It's Just About Feelings, Man (with Jonathan V. Last)

Season 4 · Episode 35

samedi 1 juin 2024 • Duration 31:50

We have five months to go until Election Day, and nobody's happy. So we're bringing you some catharsis. Jonathan V. Last joins Sarah to let out a primal scream and preview the home stretch of this presidential campaign through the lens of Trump '16/Biden '20 voters.

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Focus Group Podcast listeners can get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/thefocusgroup

S4 Ep34: The Holocaust Denier from North Carolina (with Zach Montellaro)

Season 4 · Episode 34

samedi 25 mai 2024 • Duration 37:16

North Carolina Republicans have nominated a candidate for governor who might be crazier than all of the Republicans who ran in 2022. And that's saying something. POLITICO's Zach Montellaro joins Sarah to walk through Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson's political rise, and how his supporters and GOP detractors feel about him.

show notes:

Zach Montellaro in POLITICO: The most important governor’s race of 2024 is about to have its own version of Trump
Jessica Piper and Zach Montellaro in POLITICO: Trump’s weaknesses with GOP voters go beyond the suburbs

S4 Ep33: Unlearning Their Hermit-ness (with Tim Miller)

Season 4 · Episode 33

samedi 18 mai 2024 • Duration 46:34

2024's college graduates started their college careers with COVID, and ended them with encampments on most of their campuses. Tim Miller joins Sarah to discuss how America's youth have dealt with a turbulent few years, how they view the recent protests on their campuses, and their thoughts on November's election.

S4 Ep32: Larry Hogan: The Most Democratic Republican (with Michael Steele)

Season 4 · Episode 32

samedi 11 mai 2024 • Duration 48:54

One of Sarah's favorite Republicans, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, is running for the U.S. Senate. So how are Sarah, and her fellow Maryland voters thinking about this race? Former Maryland Lt. Governor (and RNC chairman) Michael Steele joins Sarah to discuss how left-leaning Marylanders who've voted for Hogan before are thinking about his Senate bid, and his Democratic challengers.

S4 Ep31: Trump's 'F*ck You' Strategy (with Marc Caputo)

Season 4 · Episode 31

samedi 4 mai 2024 • Duration 36:16

Donald Trump said that Nikki Haley's supporters would be "permanently barred" from the MAGA camp...and he's keeping that promise in the general election. Bulwark MAGA-world correspondent Marc Caputo joins Sarah to listen to Nikki Haley's base...those that are abandoning Trump in the general election, and those that are sticking with him.