Press Advance with Johanna Maska

Congress had a big week as President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address in front of the chamber, but most of the talk surrounded Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt's rebuttal. We break down Britt's response with former Hill staffer Naysa Woomer, plus a panel discussion with Punchbowl congressional reporters Andrew Desiderio and Max Cohen on predictions for the Senate and House race...

It's Super Tuesday, and voters head to the polls in multiple states, including Colorado, North Carolina, California, Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and American Samoa. On this week's episode, Johanna Maska talks to Hill veteran staffers Naysa Woomer and Nandini Narayan on which races are key to watch, predictions for...

Republicans gathered this weekend for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where President Trump told supporters there would be "a judgment day" if he returned to power. On this episode of Press Advance, Johanna Maska talks with Dmitri Mehlhorn, the founder of Investing in US, an investment fund he founded with Democratic donor and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Mehlhorn...

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis on the southern border just weeks after Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a bipartisan Senate border security package. Janet Napolitano, who served as the nation's third Homeland Security Secretary, had joined her Republican predecessor Michael Chertoff to warn th...

Longtime Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel plans to step down from her role leading the RNC as Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, pushes for new leadership. One of the top candidates to replace her is North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley. But who is Michael Whatley, and how would he shape the national party? On this...

Paul Tewes, the architect of President Barack Obama's first Presidential victory in Iowa and ultimate victory for the White House, joins Johanna Maska to discuss lessons from the 2008 campaign's winning strategy. They talk about why Democratic support has eroded in rural America, what the Biden campaign could be doing better to drive voter enthusiasm, and rumors that Michelle Obama is considering...

Republicans are rallying around presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump after his victory over challenger Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary. Regardless of who ultimately makes it to the general election, many organizations like America First Policy Institute are already planning policy strategies for a Republican president. Marc Lotter, a key advisor in the Trump administration, serve...

Voters in New Hampshire are casting their ballots today for the state's first-in-the-nation presidential primary. The contest has come down to two candidates: former President Donald Trump and the last woman standing—Nikki Haley. Johanna convenes a panel of three White House alums—fellow Obama White House veteran Ameshia Cross, former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, and former...

Press Advance is back for the 2024 election season. And while the Republicans start their process for nominating a presidential candidate, the Democrats are following precedent giving the incumbent the advantage. Congressman Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Minnesota, says that's dangerous. Phillips tells Maska that Democrats need a next-generation leader and that he wants a robust primary. That's e...

The first presidential contest of 2024 kicks off with the Iowa Caucuses on Jan 15, 2024. GOP candidates are busy making their final case to voters. In this episode, Congressman Bob Good, the freshly elected House Freedom Caucus Chairman, talks about the state of the race, including his choice to endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis, and addresses recent Politico reporting on a recording of him saying why Ron...

This week, Republican presidential candidates will take the stage at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa for the 4th primary debate hosted by NewsNation. The front runner in the race, Donald Trump is expected to skip the debate to host a fundraiser in Florida. For a preview of what to expect, Johanna Maska speaks with fellow NewsNation contributor Mick Mulvaney, former South Carolina Congressm...

Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who serves as Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, joins Johanna Maska to discuss his work on the committee and what he's doing to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable. They discuss disinformation on TikTok and its national security threat, failures in the Trump administration's trade policy, and the biggest threat from the CCP he worries...

NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas, who will serve as a moderator at the next Republican presidential debate in Alabama on December 6, leads a Concordia summit panel featuring host Johanna Maska and Republican Morgan Ortagus. The discussion focuses on this trying political time and how one might build trust and make progress, especially important ahead of the holidays.  Learn more about your ad choices...

Ohio Republican strategist Mehek Cooke was mentored by former South Carolina governor and presidential candidate Nikki Haley when Cooke ran for office in the Buckeye State. Mehek had started the podcast saying don’t underestimate Nikki Haley. Mehek returns to the podcast to analyze Haley's continued strong debate performance, what she'll need to do to win the nomination, the economic argument Repu...

The third Republican Presidential Debate will be held Wednesday in Miami, but the frontrunner, Donald Trump, has yet to appear on the stage. For insight on concerns within the party about Trump winning the nomination, Johanna Maska spoke to Sarah Matthews, who resigned from the administration after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. They discuss Trump's still strong support with the base...

We now have a Speaker of the House of Representatives—Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson— who most of America doesn't know, but finally got the entire Republican caucus to vote for him. For some insight into how Johnson might govern, Johanna Maska spoke with Denver Riggleman, a Former Congressman from Virginia's 5th congressional district, who served with him and knows him well. They talk about the...

As Republicans struggle to find a Speaker of the House, bipartisan budget conversations have paused. With another government funding deadline fast approaching, the crazy thing is if there's a shutdown, congressional officeholders, not military members, continue to receive their pay. Johanna Maska talks to Congressman Wiley Nickel from a swing district in North Carolina about what he's seen since h...

House Republicans have failed to nominate a Speaker of the House who can get the needed support from their caucus. The stakes couldn’t be higher—war has broken out in the Middle East—war continues in Europe—yet Republicans have been unable to work through their differences to come to a consensus. To discuss the problems in Washington, Johanna Maska talks with Conor Lamb who won a congressional sea...

Last week, a small band of Republicans led by Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz voted to oust Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, bringing legislative business in Washington to a screeching halt in the middle of a government funding battle and pushing important issues that should have our attention to the sidelines. Johanna Maska talks to two people who might have a path forward—Andrew Yang, an entrepreneu...

This week, we flipped the script on host Johanna Maska with Press Advance producer Christine Baratta, asking her questions posed by listeners about the second Republican debate in Simi Valley, California. Maska shares insights on Nikki Haley's performance, whether Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott stepped up their debate game, what issues the candidates should have discussed to connect better with GOP vo...

Johanna Maska looks at the Republican presidential nomination process in Nevada, an early nominating state. Under the new rules, campaigns must pay 55K to participate in the GOP-run caucus where delegates are apportioned, but they would effectively be prohibited from participating in the state-run primary. Now, candidates face a dilemma—organize supporters to caucus in a process seen as designed b...

On this episode of Press Advance, we're talking about political relationships—not the kind you think—politician's personal relationships. A Washington Post article posed the question of Senator Tim Scott’s relationship status—now with the inside scoop that he has a girlfriend—to a lot of people, campaign staff, Republican operatives, and Iowa voters - to get an idea of whether it mattered. Maska t...

Johanna Maska talks to Tomi Lahren, a Fox News contributor and host of "Tomi Lahren is Fearless" on Outkick. Lahren is known for telling the truth regardless of what others think and shares her thoughts with Maska on hot-button issues like abortion and solving the border crisis. Lahren also talks about why she supports Ron DeSantis over every other Republican presidential candidate, her beef with...

Johanna Maska speaks with Naysa Woomer, the former Communications Director for New York Republican Congressman George Santos. Woomer, a Capitol Hill veteran who worked for multiple congressional leaders and former Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, found herself caught up in a media storm after a New York Times investigative story detailed that Santos lied about his employment, college educatio...

Johanna Maska talks to Jennifer Horn, former Chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. Now a registered independent, Horn left the GOP believing the party under President Trump took a turn she could not support and actively worked to defeat him. So, after a debate without Donald Trump on the GOP stage, Maska asks Horn what she thought of the debate and whether any of the candidates could b...