The Horse Race

4/29/20-- When Governor Charlie Baker announced the statewide stay-at-home advisory and non-essential business closure, the expiration date was set for May 4 - this Friday. But on Tuesday, Baker announced the order would remain in place until May 18. That’s another three weeks of closed businesses, remote work, and for many, lost jobs and wages. Even after a 3 week period in which hopefully the nu...

4/22/2020-- In case you missed our Facebook Live Happy Hour show, you can watch the full thing here! This week brought forward a handful of notable moments. Namely, President Trump said Tuesday he’s going to temporarily suspend immigration to the U.S., a move that we still don’t know a lot about. Meanwhile in Massachusetts, Governor Baker announced schools will remain closed in Massachusetts for t...

Watch the video version here! https://youtu.be/s7Y8_LaonQI 4/15/20-- Impacts from the COVID-19 outbreak continue to be felt, as it claims more and more lives, axes the economy, and leaves everyone feeling at least a little uncertain and unsafe. The Trump administration and governors throughout the country have, since the beginning of the virus' spread, disagreed on how to respond. For the most par...

Watch the video version here! https://youtu.be/p0FdkUhexBM 4/8/20--Almost a month has passed since Governor Charlie Baker announced a state of emergency, and state officials expect the coming days (April 10-April 20) to produce the peak of coronavirus cases in Massachusetts. As of Wednesday, confirmed cases in Massachusetts are up to 16,790, according to The Boston Globe. But the toll of coronavir...

Watch the video version here! https://youtu.be/tWItbjbzu-Y 4/1/20-- It’s been 11 days since Governor Charlie Baker issued a stay-at-home advisory to the people of Massachusetts, and today, he extended it from April 7th to May 4th. Since then he’s also asked that out-of-state visitors self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival to Massachusetts, or just don’t come here at all. Within the stay-at-home adv...

3/25/20--It's another week of podcasting from our respective bunkers, and another week of coronavirus developments coming at us at breakneck speed. The impacts of the outbreak are even dipping into our elections even, exhibited by the moves to push back the March 31 special elections. Governor Charlie Baker administered a stay-at-home order, shuttering all non-essential businesses. Will Bay Stater...

3/18/20-- The spread of coronavirus has continued to ramp up across the state and the nation at large, and lots of people are switching to remote work. That includes us over at Horse Race Global Media HQ, so bear with us as we transition away from the comfort of our cozy podcast studio and wrangle with the technology that allows us to conduct interviews from a distance. Our first guest is Boston C...

3/11/20-- This week on The Horse Race, we're celebrating International Women's Day with an all-female cast. We begin with the scary news of the ever-growing novel coronavirus that has now been officially dubbed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Here in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency, and as Politico reporter Stephanie Murray can attest, ca...

3/5/20-- Super Tuesday has come and gone, and The Horse Race team is breaking down how it all unfolded. This week on our very special live edition, however, the Horse Racers were not the sole hosts! Gina Christo and Wilnelia Rivera of the Deep Democracy podcast served as special guest co-hosts, bringing insight and no shortage of hot takes to the conversation. Later, Will Rasky of Rasky Partners j...

2/19/20--We're coming at you today sandwiched between two debate nights. The first was yesterday's face-off between U.S. Senate candidates Congressman Joe Kennedy III and incumbent Ed Markey, and tonight's is, of course, the Democratic Primary Debate on the Las Vegas stage, where candidates Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. First, Je...

2/12/20-- The day we've been talking about for months has come and gone: The New Hampshire Primary. It presented few surprises if you've been paying attention for the past couple of weeks. Pete Buttigieg won the Iowa Caucus, and Bernie Sanders has enjoyed first-place polling status in the state. Sanders came out on top with 25.7% of the vote with Buttigieg right behind at 24.4%. Amy Klobuchar pull...

2/3/20-- Earth Day is not for another two months, but there's a lot of talk circling climate change in Massachusetts these days. Steve and Jenn break it down today with special guests, but first, an incident involving national horse race polling broke over the weekend that we at The Horse Race have a duty to address. A Des Moines Register / CNN poll surveying likely Democratic Iowa Caucus-goers wa...

1/29/20--Believe it or not, we are less than a week away from the Iowa caucuses, and the podcast bunker is filled with anticipation. Especially because after Iowa comes New Hampshire, and after New Hampshire, Super Tuesday when we all get to exercise our right to vote and revel in the democratic experience. In other news, the impeachment trial continues, and we turn to our very own pollster Steve...

1/23/20--On Tuesday night, Governor Charlie Baker delivered his annual State of the Commmonwealth address, promising aggressive action to address climate change, a partnership with vocational schools and, in a breakaway from his usual stance, additional funding for the MBTA to the tune of $135 million. Stepping right into the chaos of Budget Day, Steve and Jenn drop by the State House to grill rep...

1/15/20--Tuesday's Democratic debate left Steve and Stephanie with little to discuss save a symbolic handshake snub that points to a breakdown of the Warren/Sanders alliance. The pact between the two Senators had previously established a no-attack zone. But news broke Monday that the Sanders campaign allegedly dispensed a canvassing script to staffers containing talking points that were negative t...

1/8/2020-- After a long winter's nap, The Horse Race is back up and running, starting the new year with a bang. The first guest of 2020 is former Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential candidate Deval Patrick. Patrick announced his candidacy this November, long after his fellow contenders, throwing his hat into the already crowded ring in a self-described 'long shot' of a campaign. He...

12/18/19-- The holidays are upon us here at The Horse Race (The Reindeer Race?), and we're wrapping up our last episode of the year, sticking on a bright, shiny bow, and presenting it to you. Thanks for listening in 2019! We begin with the news of the day, and that of course, is the House vote on articles of impeachment. And, further from the limelight but relevant both to U.S. Congress and to us...

12/11/19--It's a big day for polls here at The Horse Race, and we begin the discussion with one that surveyed New Hampshire voters on the Democratic primary contenders. It finds Pete Buttigieg in the lead among registered voters in the state with 18% support. Meanwhile, Joe Biden sits at a close second place with 17%. As Steve points out, it's important to note how close this race remains. The top...

12/4/2019--The first snowfall has officially landed in Boston, which means cozy sweaters, romantic tree lightings, and of course, more MBTA dysfunction. In other news, the People's Pledge is making a reappearance after its first installation during the 2012 Elizabeth Warren/Scott Brown Senate race. The pact aims to limit outside spending. While Senate candidates Joe Kennedy and Shannon Liss-Riorda...

11/27/19--Happy Thanksgiving, #mapoli! In today's holiday bonus episode, Stephanie Murray calls in from Manchester, New Hampshire with a quick recap of Deval Patrick's appearance at Politics and Eggs. What questions did reporters have? Is he covering enough ground to make a name for himself in this race? Enjoy this small bite of political coverage while you enjoy many, many bites of turkey and stu...

11/20/19-- If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times. Traffic in Boston is bad. As we've mentioned on the show before, it's so bad, it makes commuters consider quitting their jobs or moving elsewhere. This week, the Boston Globe's Spotlight team published the first two installments of its three-part series on traffic in Massachusetts. Regular host and this-time guest Steve Koczela...

11/13/19-- Massachusetts elected officials -- both current and former -- just can't seem to resist the pull of the Presidency. Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is running for the Democratic nomination for president, sources tell CNN. He's scheduled to officially announce on Friday. That will bring the tally to 3 Bay Staters who've competed in the 2020 race. Perhaps these candidates feel...

11/6/19-- Communities scattered throughout Massachusetts held elections on Tuesday. One of those communities was Boston, whose newly elected City Council makes history as its most diverse yet, with 7 people of color and 8 women making up the majority of the 13-person council. The fourth-highest vote-getter among the at-large candidates, Julia Mejia, won her seat by a margin of only 10 votes, promp...

10/30/19-- Happy Halloween, #mapoli, and welcome to the Headless Horse Race. Steve and Stephanie are donning their witch hats and digging into the latest news in the Commonwealth. We begin with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley's endorsement of the former head of the Massachusetts Alliance for Business Leadership Jesse Mermell in the District 4 House race. Pressley’s endorsements have been the subject...

10/23/19-- On today's episode of The Horse Race, Jenn and Steve tackle news on the local, state, and national stage. Beginning with local, Jenn provides updates on the Boston City Council forum that took place last night, noting that one of the biggest points of daylight among the candidates were their responses to Operation Clean Sweep that took place back in August. Upon the release of a WBUR po...