Lost in the Middle

So what did the political orphans do in the Presidential election?  Check this out. Self-identified independents accounted for a larger share of voters than Democrats and were tied with Republicans, Edison Research exit polling data showed. The independent turnout share was up 8 percentage points from 2020, when it was at 26%.  Here at the Lost in the Middle podcast we are not surprised. We told y...

When you keep looking at polls that say Trump is up one here, Harris up 2 there—you need to keep one fact in mind. It’s not uncommon for pollsters to push undecided voters and leaners to pick a candidate. To say, “if you were going to vote today who would you choose?” It distorts the true state of the race. If you live in a swing state like I do in Wisconsin we have been carpet bombed for months....

There are a zillion political scientists at colleges around the country, most are dry and mind-numbing. Seth Masket is one of a handful who is both entertaining and insightful. He’s a perfect guest for our Lost in the Middle Countdown series because he manages to cut through the clutter and spin. He is the director of the Center on American Politics and his column at Substack is a must read. In ou...

Frustrated by the media coverage of the election? Boy, am I with you. Look, I spent a third of my career working as a journalist. And then became a Republican Congressman. Add in an MBA and that makes me unicorn of sorts. What is frustrating you with media coverage today is not driven by some weird cabal of the right or left. It is driven by economics. And by a demographic and geographic bubble. F...

60% of Americans say they are worn out by so much coverage of the 2024 presidential election (Pew research). And then there are the nagging questions of fairness when only 7% of journalists identify as Republicans. Since I spent 8 years as a Member of Congress and 13 years as a journalist, listeners and readers ask me all the time where can I find solid political coverage that is not slanted? Nobo...

For the last year we’ve been tracking America’s bewildered 71 Million voters who are lost in the middle and can’t abide today’s politics. They are frustrated by the partisan hatred swirling around the political class. Join me tomorrow for an appearance on 5 things I learned about America. Part Ted Talk/Master Class. And better yet, it’s free. 7 p.m. We’ll talk about the 44% of American...

Justin Young, host of the podcast “Politics, Politics, Politics,” is a comedian, magic aficionado, and the inventor of the card game “The Contender” about how to run a presidential campaign. In our second episode of the Countdown, we arm wrestle over the debate, what is the key state to watch election night and the eerie echoes of the ’16 race. This is a public episode. If you would like to discus...

In our first episode of our election countdown special, political podcaster and comedian Andrew Heaton files his observations from Scotland from a phone booth in Edinburgh. He’s the host of “The Orphanage” podcast where some of my fellow political orphans happily live. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklu...

The United States has 3,242 counties. But we will tell you the seven to watch on Election Night, which are loaded with political orphans. Episode 13, “Tips to win a bar bet on Election Night.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklug.substack.com

Today, everyone has an election reform idea. A noble cause, or just trying to change who wins? Episode 12 of Lost in the Middle: America’s Political Orphans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklug.substack.com

Better maps, open primaries, more parties, ranking candidates–a roadmap to a souped-up democracy with the same clunky, beat-up sedan. Hear all about it in part one of Lost in the Middle, America’s Political Orphans’ series on election reform, “Improvements or Illusions?”  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

If you are a Democrat Texas makes you scream in outrage at the sight of pickup trucks, cowboys boots and open-carry guns. If you are a Republican the vegan-lecturing, global-warming, charter-jet-flying Hollywood red carpet speeches tell us everything we need to know about California. Political stereotypes make governing harder, but comedy easier. A proposal for a bowling league to heal America. Th...

With half of US election oficials quitting in the last two years it is a scary scenario this November. We still haven’t figured out guard rails for social media, much less AI and its ability to create deep fakes and penetrate the election infrastructure. More in our podcast episode From hanging chads to deep fake videos, American democracy wobbles lostmiddle.com This is a public episode. If you wo...

Once upon a time working as an election worker was a badge of honor, a commitment to democracy. Now nobody wants the job. And now here comes AI. From hanging chads to deep fake videos, American democracy wobbles in this episode of Lost in the Middle. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklug.substack.com

Scientists will tell you that if they scan people's brains while listening to negative campaign ads, it will light up a spot that triggers disgust and revulsion. Did they have to spend a lot of money to figure that out? You can just talk to any one of America's 71 million political orphans. Ugly campaign ads and car wrecks. Why we can't turn away in this month's Lost in the Mid...

If Republican and Democrats were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, I would sell right now. The two legacy parties are tied at 27% in January polling. And dropping. And the buy signal is flashing bright green on independents. Now at 44% of voters —most members of the lost political middle. Can a surge of candidates for statewide office be far behind? Lessons from the pro wrestling ring. ...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklug.substack.com

Former Congressman Scott Klug, host of “Lost in the Middle: America's Political Orphans,” joined “The Martha Zoller Show” on North Georgia radio station WDUN to talk about ticket-splitting. Listen to the ticket-splitting episode and subscribe here . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Political Scientists tell us ticket splitting is disappearing. But it sure didn’t in the '22 elections where voters in Kansas, Nevada, Georgia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Wisconsin shopped around. We focus on two states: Wisconsin, where ticket splitting seems to be wired into the state’s DNA, and Georgia, which switched from deep blue to deep red 20 years ago and is now fading to purple. Fie...

Meet an old friend of mine from my broadcasting days in Seattle who we are going to blame for the long slow decline of TV news. And have you ever checked out a website called Newspaper Death Watch? You should before all the papers are out of business. And in Palm Springs, California, you’ll meet a brave editor who came up with a formula to undercut partisanship in her community. See more informati...

I actually dragged a high-school girlfriend to a George Wallace rally. It was not exactly her dream date. This year, a coalition of bi-partisan political leader plan to launch a bi-partisan presidential ticket in 2024. Nearly half of Americans say they are interested in the No Labels idea. Important questions linger.  Can an independent Unity Ticket win the White House in 2024?  Did I get a second...

Former Congressman Scott Klug, host of “Lost in the Middle: America's Political Orphans,” joins Steve Scully, host of “The Briefing with Steve Scully,” on SiriusXM POTUS 124 to talk about the podcast and the ousting of now former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episo...

Meet Tami, a Utah special-ed teacher, Mormon Tabernacle singer and mom of five who launched a civility index web site to grade America’s politicians. And then had to take it down because of comments we will say weren’t remotely civil. She’s not the first. A decade ago, a Georgia evangelical Republican and Jersey Jewish Democratic attack dog didn’t have any luck with a civility pledge either. And w...

 71 million American voters define themselves as centrists. So why is nobody listening to them? We do. Focus group guru Frank Luntz discusses what he calls commonsense voters. And we find a ton of them in Rockford, Illinois, a blue-collar city that has voted for the winning presidential candidate in 7 of the last 8 elections. And finally, we tell you about the Ohio bipartisan speaker election that...

Lost in the Middle creator Scott Klug, a former U.S. congressman and Emmy award-winning reporter, discusses the story behind the podcast with Civic Media's Todd Allbaugh. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scottklug.substack.com