Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen

 Cook Political Report's Amy Walter returns to the podcast to break down the latest findings from her 2024 Swing State Project. She explains voters' thoughts and expectations on the economy; provides analysis of the low Undecided/high third party numbers; and offers her take on the Democrats' scramble to keep its diverse base on the party premises. Plus, Henry dives into a multi-decadal series of...

As Donald Trump leads on the backstretch of the 2024 presidential race, Biden makes use of his whip, challenging his opponent to an unconventional debate. Henry takes a deep dive into this necessary bold strategy. Then he's joined by NBC's national political correspondent Steve Kornacki. The two discuss the president's failure to gain traction as Trump maintains momentum.  Plus, Henry takes a clos...

Henry’s back after a brief hiatus as election season heats up! He's joined by National Review's Jim Geraghty to parse out the parties’ business-as-usual dysfunction from the special brand of it we've gotten used to recently. They consider whether the Republican Party even knows what it wants; what they’ll do if they pull off the trifecta in November; and what we should make of tight polls consider...

Patrick Ruffini of Echelon Insights joins to discuss his new book, The Party of the People : Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP . He and Henry consider why the shift has occurred, why so few saw it coming, how sustainable a working class Republican Party really is, and what to make of it as a global phenomenon.  Plus, Henry brings back the dueling ads of the week, this time...

What to make of the astounding, worldwide coalition shifts we've seen over the last decade? There are few better to pose the question to than Ruy Teixiera. He and Henry dive into the Democratic Party's abandonment of the white working class and the Republican Party's clumsy attempt to win them over. Plus, Henry takes a look at a well-made ad from the Lauren Boebert team

Beyond the Polls listeners are all about the little details, and this week Henry's joined by Jacob Rubashkin, Deputy Editor at a premiere nonpartisan political analysis outfit, Inside Elections. They take us through a trip across the country to dig into the approaching Senate primaries in West Virginia & Maryland, along with House primaries in Pennsylvania’s 12th, Indiana 5, Maryland 3, Oregon...

We take a long look at both sides of the pond this week, accompanied by Director of polling firm JL Partners Scarlett Maguire. She takes us through her team's innovative polling methods which have made them among the standouts for accurate predictions. She also takes us through their latest efforts in following the Trump/Biden rematch in the States and the crisis facing the Tories in Britain.  Plu...

AEI's Senior Fellow Emeritus Karlyn Bowman returns to answer some questions and poses others on one of the essential political puzzles of the day: the growing separation between the sexes. Plus Henry speculates on how Donald Trump might blunt Joe Biden’s cash edge, and breaks down the latest attack ad against Mike Braun. 

Peter Robinson drops by for a detailed discussion with Henry about the road away from The Gipper's GOP. They consider the ways even acolytes misunderstood Reaganism and why that resulted in the extraordinary coalition shifts we're witnessing today.

The Ohio primaries are fast approaching, so we're off to the Buckeye State. Longtime Republican strategist Mark Weaver breaks down the top contests, including the tight, three-way race to take on incumbent Senate Democrat Sherrod Brown. Plus Henry covers Biden’s SOTU address. What does he make of this preview of Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign strategy, and how will the partisan messaging fare as the De...

The primary season is over; a second Trump/Biden presidential race is all but certain. Transitioning to the general, CNN psephologist Harry Enten joins to explain the notable demographic shifts and electoral patterns that have taken shape since 2020. Plus, Henry takes us through Donald Trump's unique success at building out from the party base; and we stop by purple Wisconsin to see how Tammy Bald...

Those hoping for a sign that a 2020 presidential rematch could be averted will be disappointed by Tuesday's primaries in the Wolverine State. National Review's Rich Lowry joins to explore what Donald Trump's grip on the GOP means for the future of conservatism. Plus, Henry takes a look at the effectiveness of the Michigan Democratic Party's "Uncommitted" pressure campaign against Joe Biden.

Donald Trump is set for another smashing victory on Saturday, this time against his lone challenger in her own state of South Carolina. But Nikki Haley's announced that she won't stay down. Charleston Post and Courier Political Editor Schuyler Kropf joins to conduct a close examination of the campaigns. Plus, Henry considers Team Haley's post-South Carolina strategy, and he makes a quick trip up t...

The days of landline polling are gone forever, the internet has changed everything. This week Henry is joined by Chief Scientist at YouGov and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Douglas Rivers to discuss the innovative methodological approach he uses to find representative polling samples when much of the electorate is unwilling to respond to polls. Henry also takes a closer look at Tuesday’s specia...

Henry may be off in paradise to cover the Virgin Islands' Republican presidential caucuses, but he's back for another deep dive into American politics. He enjoys what looks at first glance like a nothingburger in Nevada, and lays out what it means for Joe Biden, Nikki Haley and the man who wasn't on the GOP primary ticket. He also breaks down Adam Schiff's tricks to face a Republican for Californi...

To anyone who seriously follows electoral politics, today's guest will need no introduction. Nate Cohn joins Henry to cover the ins and outs of the polling world: everything from the voter file to polling aggregation; plus Nate's precinct analysis and the “Election Needle”. They also discuss the problems with issue polling and the demographic warning signs for the Democratic Party. And Henry's got...

Hugh Hewitt joins Beyond the Polls for a rousing discussion of politics at home and abroad. They search for common threads and draw distinctions among the nations seeing populist waves; and they dig in to the Trump-Haley race for the Republican nomination. Plus, Henry reminds us that the Republican primary wasn’t the only contest held in New Hampshire. Listen to his rant about Joe Biden’s mediocre...

Nikki Haley's trying to make a stand in New Hampshire. But she has her work cut out for her. Henry reconvenes with his Granite State pal Danta Scala to discuss the turnout Haley needs and the challenges she'll have trying to drive two messages—one to moderates, another to conservatives—in New Hampshire's paid media blizzard. Plus Henry rants professorially this week to anatomize the Iowa results,...

One can’t help but wonder if Iowans are really going to go out in droves on a night with expected -35 degree wind chill to cast their votes for Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley or Vivek Ramaswamy? President of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Steve Scheffler joins to remind us that the Hawkeye State is made up of hardy people. He and Henry cover the remaining candidates and what they mi...

The election year has arrived and the quest to defeat Donald Trump continues, but there's a growing suspicion that this journey's heroes are living in a fantasy land. Henry sits down with Spectator Editor-in-Chief Ben Domenech to discuss these interesting times the country finds itself in—and be sure to stick around for Ben's placement of the candidates in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons and pop...

It's our last episode of the year. Before we head into 2024, Henry airs his grievances with the wannabe heavyweights of this cycle. From Joe Biden’s dismal performance, Ron DeSantis' inept campaign, the perpetually grumpy Freedom Caucus that can’t execute on squat, and ambitious progressive Democrats who lack the chutzpah to challenge their party’s unpopular leader: Mr. Olsen's got a lot of proble...

While it would probably be unwise to bet on Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley winning the Republican nomination, Henry's back to remind you that it ain't impossible. This week's rant will get you up to speed on what to look out for. David Wasserman joins to break down a number of key tossups in the House and Senate, and to discuss whether last midterm’s resurgence of emphasis on regional candidate quali...

As promised, Beyond the Polls is back after just one week away! Henry sits down with RCP's Senior Elections Analyst Sean Trende to discuss the scenarios in the Iowa Caucus that could leave a path for Donald Trump's many Republican challengers. Then he and AEI's Senior Fellow Emerita Karlyn Bowman consider whether and how an extremely unpopular Joe Biden can overcome his grim numbers and win in Nov...

You’ve had your fill on turkey, now it’s time to get back to the races! In fact, we’re so eager to get back in that Beyond the Polls will be coming out weekly going forward. This week Henry sits down with John Hood of the Pope Foundation for a tour of North Carolina, a state set for competetive elections for both GOP contenders and in the general. Then James Johnson, cofounder of JL Partners, take...

We're hearing that voters prefer a "generic candidate." Today Henry and his polling buddies consider this ideal alongside the less popular incarnate candidates before us. Kristen Soltis Anderson covers interesting shifts in Trump voter demographics and the weak challenges by his primary opponents; Spencer Kimball joins to discuss Biden's waning support with key Democratic blocs and his trailing Re...