Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen

production@ricochet.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Southern Bellwethers?

June 11, 2026

We've got Senate runoffs in the Deep South next week, and that means we already know what's in the bag... right? Wrong! Jessica Taylor, Cook Political Report's Senate and Governors Editor, returns to update us on a couple of surprisingly close Republican primaries. Tune in to hear about an Alabama outsider's formidable challenge to the Trump-endorsed candidate and the Republicans hoping to unseat a relatively strong John Ossoff in the increasingly purple Peach State. The duo also looks ahead ...

Mapmaker, Matchmaker

June 04, 2026

Though election watchers generally have to make some peace with selfish motives and unpleasant truths, there is more to democracy than the cynics would have you believe. Sean Trende is back for a chat on this theme as it applies to the redistricting wars. In 2020, the Virginia Supreme Court tasked Sean with helping draft the commonwealth's congressional map—the very map that state Democrats unsuccessfully tried to replace this year. He and Henry talk through the labor involved in drawing fair...

This Year's Model

May 28, 2026

America is a change agent. Just this week, we witnessed another sign of that as unstoppable MAGA momentum pushed notorious Ken Paxton to a walloping victory over party loyalist John Cornyn. So how does one gauge public opinion in such a dynamic terrain? To answer that, Henry sits down with James Kanagasooriam of the research firm Focaldata. The duo discusses the history of polling and the current methods for addressing new challenges, such as response rate collapse and demographic biases towa...