Sarah Longwell grew up in a small town in central Pennsylvania, a place where they canceled school on the first day of deer season. She finished college not long after 9/11 and went to work for Republicans, the party she saw as being on the side of America. Longwell spent the next 15 years as a party operative and became the first woman to chair the Log Cabin Republicans, a group for gay, lesbian, and bisexual Republicans and their allies.

Then Donald Trump took over her party, and Longwell walked away. She helped start the media company The Bulwark and now spends her time trying to better understand the voters who put Trump in office. Her new book, How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time, is about what those voters have been telling her and what Democrats should do about it.

Sarah McCammon spoke with Longwell about why a “messy guy” like Trump feels familiar to voters, promoting Rick Santorum's book while quietly going to lesbian bars, and why so many Trump voters are angry heading into the midterms.

IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 — Cold open
01:25 — Messy voters, vibes, and why she doesn’t correct them in the room
10:01 — Follow or lead: Trump’s wall, Mamdani, and grand bargains
15:50 — Why the right owns pro-America branding
17:54 — Lesbian bars, Rick Santorum’s book tour, and Log Cabin Republicans
26:01 — What MAGA and the DSA have in common
32:02 — The midterms and Trump voters who “are depressed and they’re angry”
36:03 — Defeating MAGA, leveling with voters, and whether she’d run for president

CREDITS

Unmoderated is a production of Unmoderated News. Our team is Sarah McCammon, Kate deGruyter, Emily Becker, Janae Morris, David Fanto, Alex Kapelman, Kaitlyn Perez, Amea Thompson, Madison Meyer, Harrison Chinchar, Nathan Harnick, Jack Spilles, Alan Haburchak, and Gemma Waters—music by Ṭaus al Chalabi.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Murphy spent decades working for Republicans, including Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, and John McCain. Then came Donald Trump.

It was a turning point for Murphy. He never got on board with Trump, and now he’s one of the Republican Party’s sharpest critics, even while insisting he’s still a conservative. He co-hosts the Hacks on Tap podcast and co-directs the bipartisan USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future.

Before the midterms, Sarah McCammon spoke with Murphy about why Trump’s 2016 campaign was so hard to compete with, the wave he expects to give Democrats more power on Capitol Hill, and how the party can win back voters who make a living with their hands.

IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 — Introduction and Murphy’s First Run-In With Trump
02:38 — Celebrity, Cable TV, and Trump’s 2016 Rise
07:45 — Why So Few Republicans Draw the Line, and Trump’s Economy Promise
11:37 — Midterm Predictions for the House and Senate
15:31 — What Democrats Should Do With More Power, and the DSA-MAGA Parallel
23:50 — Republican Picks and What Democrats Need in a Nominee
27:38 — The New Primary Calendar and Murphy’s “Lunch Pail” Advice
31:14 — Where the Country Goes After Trump

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Cheri Bustos spent almost two decades as a newspaper reporter before entering public life. She served on her city council and then, in 2012, flipped a Republican seat in a working-class stretch of northwest Illinois.

Even when Donald Trump won her district in 2016, Bustos held on to that seat and won by more than 20 points. Her colleagues later chose her to lead the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2020 cycle, where she fought back Republican attacks and protected the Democratic House majority. Since leaving Congress, Bustos has spent her time thinking hard about how Democrats can win in places where the party usually loses, and what makes them successful.

Sarah McCammon spoke with former Rep. Bustos about why she's keeping an eye on Iowa, how “Supermarket Saturdays” helped her hold on in Trump country, and what Democrats should prioritize if they win back Congress.

IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 — Cold open

01:02 — Keep an Eye on Iowa and Making the Midterms Local

04:58 — Recruiting for Swing Districts: Fit, Vetting, and Women Candidates

12:10 — From Journalism to Congress: Health Care and Her Brother's Cancer

15:44 — Holding a District That Swung 17 Points: Supermarket Saturday and Cheri on Shift

21:16 — Affordability at Home: $6.30 Diesel and the Piggly Wiggly

24:25 — Election Night Races to Watch and the Far-Left Trickle-Down Effect

28:39 — Priorities for a Democratic Majority and What She Wants in a Nominee

CREDITS

Unmoderated is a production of Unmoderated News. Our team is Sarah McCammon, Kate deGruyter, Emily Becker, Janae Morris, David Fanto, Alex Kapelman, Kaitlyn Perez, Amea Thompson, Madison Meyer, Harrison Chinchar, Nathan Harnick, Jack Spilles, Alan Haburchak, and Gemma Waters. Music by Ṭaus al Chalabi.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.