The Horse Race

5/8/2019--Derby Day has come and gone, but Steve and Jenn are back in the saddle. They're joined first by The Horse Race's one and only sports correspondent Maeve Duggan to discuss Red Sox manager Alex Cora's decision not to accept an invitation to visit the White House after last season's World Series win. She also shares some little-known facts about the connection between thoroughbred horse rac...

In this special Kentucky Derby edition of The Horse Race, Steve and Jenn have lots of things to discuss. Chief among them, the event of the century: The Horse Race Goes to the Races. Join us June 9 at Suffolk Downs to enjoy an afternoon of food, drink, horse racing and political analysis. Meanwhile, Steve and Jenn brace themselves for what has now officially been thrust upon us all: presidential p...

4/24/2019-- Steve and Jenn are talking all things transportation on this week's edition of The Horse Race, but before they do, they've got to plug the upcoming live show at an ACTUAL horse race, AKA June 9 at Suffolk Downs. Come for the race, stay for the puns. In other news, the partially redacted Mueller Report was released on Thursday, begging the question, to impeach or not impeach? Jenn and S...

4/17/2019-- Listeners, it's happening. The Horse Race is, in fact, going to the races. Mark your calendars for June 9 and join us for a live recording of The Horse Race at Suffolk Downs. Come eat, drink, gamble, watch some races and listen to some political conversation. Really, what more could you possibly want? Keep your eyes and ears open for details to come. Meanwhile in the bunker, Steve and...

4/10/2019--Movie madness abounds this week on The Horse Race as Steve and Jenn collect responses from their Twitter question: "What's one essential Massachusetts movie?" This naturally spurred (pun intended) a conversation about the infamous 2004 romantic comedy Fever Pitch starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon. Sides were taken. Impassioned arguments were put forth. Eye rolls and groans were e...

4/3/2019--This week on the racetrack, Steve and Jenn begin with a familiar topic: the electoral college. Should it stay or should it go? The hosts review results of polling that asked the public this very question. Later, they're joined by Allyson Perron of the American Heart Association to discuss recently proposed legislation that would impose an excise tax on sugary drinks. And, of course, they...

3/27/2019--If you're at all interested in Massachusetts politics, chances are you've seen the hashtag 'mapoli' crop up on Twitter once or twice. Jenn and Steve are back in the bunker to answer the important questions, and top of their minds is this: How do you *pronounce* that hashtag that you see all the time but never say aloud (unless you're Jenn and Steve)? After a pronunciation is agreed upon...

3/20/2019--With polls to discuss, candidates to watch, and bills to break down, Steve and Jenn are joined on this episode by research director at The MassINC Polling Group (and, more importantly, vice president of the political sports polling analysis department at Horse Race Global Media Headquarters) Maeve Duggan. She analyzes results of polling that asked people whether they felt Patriots playe...

3/6/2019-- Steve and Jenn are back in the saddle and boy, do they have a lot to discuss. First, who was that guy with local ties who mentioned running against Trump as a Republican? Oh, yeah. Bill Weld, who has not made a peep in recent weeks. Next up, the hosts have a bone to pick with a certain Atlantic article that's been circulating, which maps levels of political intolerance throughout the co...

2/27/2019--Jenn and Steve are back in the bunker, and one of them has a spooky secret to share. Plus, they're eager to tear open their first-ever mailbag and read your #mapoli comments, questions and concerns in a segment they've dubbed--what else?--The Pony Express. But first, it's time to talk polls. Steve and Jenn chat through the recent round of national and New Hampshire polls centered on the...

2/20/2019-- Steve and Jenn are in the bunker, together again, and back with a special announcement: they want to hear from you, dear listeners. So send in your #mapoli questions to us via the Pony Express, a.k.a. The Horse Race's version of a mailbag. Hit us up on Twitter @The_HorseRace, or email us at thehorseracepodcast@gmail.com. In other news, Jenn and Steve sit down with Luc Schuster of the B...

2/13/2019-- As Steve continues sailing the seven seas, Jenn is joined by State House News Service reporter and opposing podcast host Katie Lannan. Jenn and Katie put their bitter rivalry aside to discuss the global issue of climate change and what state and local leaders and lawmakers are doing to address it. First, Lou Antonellis of IBEW Local 103 joins the show. He explains why the labor union s...

2/6/2019-- Jenn returns unhappily to Boston after having spent a blissful week in the Utah mountains basking in the sun and snow and artistic films. Steve and co. are here to bring her back to reality. Matt Murphy of the Statehouse News Service stops by to talk about Right to Repair, which determines who should be able to fix your car, and billionaire Tom Steyer's effort to impeach Trump as well a...

1/30/2019-- With Jenn living it up at Sundance, Steve is joined by guest host, friend of the pod and #mapoli enthusiast Sam Hammar. The two sit down to talk about the future of Massachusetts politics, and who better to offer their thoughts and predictions than a trio of thinkers and insiders from across the political spectrum? Ed Lyons, Massachusetts GOP insider, is hopeful but unconvinced that th...

1/23/2019-- As the government shutdown rages on, Steve and Jenn lament the issues it's inflicting upon local employees of the federal government. With hope for a speedy resolution, they look ahead to bills coming up before the Massachusetts legislature. One such bill has to do with sports betting. State Sen. Brendan Crighton drops by The Horse Race to discuss his proposed bill that would allow for...

1/16/2019 -- Amidst the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith chat with Congresswoman Katherine Clark of Massachusetts' 5th congressional district, who is co-sponsoring a bill aimed at protecting federal workers from such hardships as eviction, foreclosure and loan default. Politico reporter Stephanie Murray joins to discuss Elizabeth Warren's recent trip to...

January 9, 2019: We're LIVE from WeWork at 1 Beacon! While Massachusetts is sending two new members to the US Congress where Democrats control the House, the State Legislature will be gaveling in a new session after a tumultuous year, and Charlie Baker will be starting his second lap around the gubernatorial track. Oh, and the first group of presidential candidates are out of the gate and charging...

12/26/2018 -- Happiest of Holidays from The Horse Race! Joining Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith on this special holiday edition is Congresswoman-elect, Lori Trahan, of Massachusetts' 3rd congressional district. She takes us back through the highly contested race for the House and looks ahead at what we can expect from the new cohort of members. We'll take a short break and see you all in the new...

On this special episode of The Horse Race, Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith continue their quest to speak with every MA member of the House of Representatives. Joining us this week is Congressman Jim McGovern from the state’s 2nd congressional district who is also the incoming chair for the House Rules Committee. With a new incoming class, whispers of presidential impeachment, and another election...

December 12, 2018: Just one more week until our 2018 #mapoli horse racing season comes to a close! Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela take a look at what work is already being done by new members of Congress, namely, the plan for Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal" and which MA legislators are supporting it. Then, we check in with Katie Lannan of the State House News Service for a look ahead at potenti...

December 5, 2018: Just as one election ends, another one begins! On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the art of political moderation in Massachusetts campaigns with Will Keyser and Eileen O’Connor of Keyser Public Strategies who have helped advise Governor Baker's campaign and newly elected Congresswoman Lori Trahan's campaign respectively. Then, we look to Elizabeth Warren and the 2020 Pre...

With just a couple of episodes left for the 2018 season, Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith break down the post-election roll out both locally and nationally. With the vote for Speaker of the House today, Anthony Brooks, political reporter for WBUR, walks us through Congressman Seth Moulton's opposition to Nancy Pelosi and how this reflects on other MA legislators. Then, State Representative from Ca...

We've got a special Thanksgiving treat this week! Co-Host, Jennifer Smith, of the Dorchester Reporter, caught up with Congresswoman-Elect, Ayanna Pressley, over the phone for a behind the scenes look at the road to D.C. What are we thankful for? You! Our loyal listeners. We'll be back next week for our regularly scheduled lineup of trivia, polls, and bad horse puns.

We're back for the post-election run down to get caught up on the races we couldn't cover at last week's live event. Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith take a look at election outcomes and what we can expect next. Dan Cence, who oversees government relations at Solomon McCown and is a key advisor to the No on 1 group joins us to go over the results from Question 1. Here to fill us in on a round up o...

We're LIVE from WeWork at 1 Beacon St. bringing you the best of horse racing puns to the Post-Election Winner's Circle. Your hosts, Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith wrap up what just happened and what we can expect next locally, state-wide, and nationally. First we check in with Representative Katherine Clark from MA's 5th district about what we can expect now that Dems have taken the House. Then,...