The Latest

First, a listener question so good we did it off the top -- where should the party (and donors) put their resources moving forward? Then, an update on the GA Senate races. Taking all polls with a grain of salt, what is Joe seeing from the early data? What is Trump's role in the race? What would he advise Trump to do? Next, the transition to Joe Biden's presidency is being stonewalled by an angry Trump administration. What should Biden be doing? Is there anything he should be doing differently, politically speaking? Lastly, which party is in more trouble going forward, the Trump-less (or Trump-tethered) GOP, or the Democrats, who face steep odds to hold the House and Senate by 2022? Joe diagnoses the massive problem the Democrats face, and what we can all do to stop it from hitting us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe starts off by explaining exactly why the Republicans and Mitch McConnell continue to stand by Donald Trump, even after he got blown out in the presidential election. (How good does that feel to read?) Then, what the hell do we make of any polling leading up to these Georgia Senate runoffs? What do the lessons of Doug Jones' special election win suggest about how Democrats can win those seats? Without Donald Trump on the ballot, who will show up? Finally, revisiting the fight among progressives and moderates in the Democrats, which continues to spill out into public. Joe reveals a warning related to the US Census, and presents the problem for the party -- and the solution. Finally, an audience question about how Joe Biden will be able to fill up a functioning Cabinet with the obstructionist Republicans potentially overseeing a majority in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Note: We taped on Thursday before Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, or Alaska had been called (only Fox and the AP had called Arizona) and before Trump made his ridiculous speech Thursday night. First, Joe gives his take on what happened. The good: Joe Biden got the most presidential votes ever. We flipped the Blue Wall and Arizona and Georgia became purple states. The bad: Donald Trump got the second-most votes ever. And Doug Jones didn't get the result we wanted. Second, Joe took some heat for a tweet suggesting Democrats need to do a better job reaching conservatives in order to govern and win more votes. He explains his thinking. Finally, what the hell do we make of the entire business of polling now that they missed so egregiously? What does this mean for campaign managers like Joe? Arnon Mishkin profile Alex mentioned: https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-decision-desk-director-election-night-calling-races-2020-10 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe predicted 95 days ago that this election would look like 1980, where Jimmy Carter and the Democrats were wiped out behind an unpopular incumbent. Tonight, we'll see if he was right. First, given the chance, will Joe walk his prediction back? Will Election Day turnout really be dominated by Republicans? What states is Joe looking at now that the polls are locked in? Next, Axios reported Trump will declare victory if he looks to be ahead at any point. Joe explains why he's not worried about that, at least from an electoral standpoint. Then, a quick look at the Senate races (including a potential surprise), and Joe's prediction that the Democrats may win big in the Senate. And then, the exact counties Joe will be watching tonight that will have a big hand in dictating what will happen in the election. (List below) Our listener question is about split-ticket voters. COUNTIES TO WATCH: FL: Sumter, Pinellas, Miami-Dade, Hernando, Duval PA: Lackawanna, Armstrong, Indiana, Lycoming, Schuylkill, Montgomery OH: Stark, Ross, Pike Joe's map pre-election: https://www.270towin.com/maps/3zwK2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, Joe and Alex take a look at the latest polls and talk about where the race stands this late in the game. What does Biden's latest big lead illustrate about who's drifting from one side to the other? What is Joe's map -- more importantly, what surprise swing state is Joe putting in the Dem column? Next, what do the candidates' travel schedules this week show about how they're viewing the race? Is Biden taking an unnecessary risk going to Georgia and Iowa instead of Michigan and Pennsylvania? Finally, what will we know on Tuesday? Many are pontificating that we may not know for weeks who won the race. Joe disagrees, and thinks we may know a lot fairly quickly. Also, are you worrying day after day about the election? Joe quells some of those worries, but also asks you to lean into them. Make a difference. Finally, a listener question about exit polls, which are instrumental for how news organizations make calls. How do they work in the pandemic era? Take a look at Joe's map here: https://www.270towin.com/maps/3zwK2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're joined by one of the Hacks on Tap, Mike Murphy! He's the strategic advisor to Republicans Voting Against Trump, a group working hard to turn out the swing voters who could make a huge impact in this election. Mike joins Joe and Alex to talk about the early vote returns, the huge turnout in Texas, the future of the GOP, and whether civility will return to politics. He also has a suggestion for neurotic return-watchers that we could all probably use. Plus, intel from RNC spies from Air Force One and Mike's primers on which *specific counties* to watch for on Election Night for a harbinger of the whole enchilada. To read Richard Ben Cramer's book Joe references: https://www.amazon.com/What-Takes-Way-White-House/dp/0679746498 To learn more about RVAT, visit https://rvat.org/. To support Joe and Alex, please visit DougJones.com/help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex first recap the debate, which was a remarkably less terrible experience than the previous one. Who watches these final debates? Did any of Trump's meandering conspiracy theories land? Did Biden - or Trump - land any convincing blows? Next, what to make of Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon cautioning campaign staff and supporters that the race is still neck and neck in battleground states? Is that true? A Biden senior advisor told Politico what states they think they need to get to 270; what does Joe think? Then, Biden is raking in unprecedented cash as we near the finish line. How does that translate into actual results? What are some of the impacts of the Biden campaign's massive financial lead over the president? Two listener questions take us home: first, about what kind of turnout to expect, and second, what early Election Night results could be a harbinger for the ultimate result. Please give us a rating on iTunes and subscribe! And support Joe and Alex by making a contribution to Doug Jones for Senate at DougJones.com/help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex are joined by Paul Maslin, the veteran pollster who conducted the poll that had Doug Jones ahead by a point last week. How did he determine that number, and are national Democrats overlooking the Jones race? What are the trends in AL that could speak to national trends? Paul lives in Wisconsin, and shares some insight about the state of the race there, including a potential swing county and a prediction for what will happen in the state Nov. 3. Then, a broader look at the whole race. What feels like the most likely possible outcome at this point? Please subscribe, rate and review the show. See you Friday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, Joe and Alex recap the weird Trump Town Hall and the delightfully normal Biden Town Hall, but then explore more troubling realization of how divided our country is. Plus, a heads up to our listeners to tune into Pod Save America today, Oct. 16, for some breaking news. Please check it out and leave in the reviews that we sent you! Along with that, a look at several key Senate races. What does Mitch McConnell's PAC spending reveal about the state of Senate races in North Carolina, Maine, Texas, and others? Finally, what do we make of this idea the Republicans will show up in droves on Election Day to offset the lead the Democrats are building in early and absentee voting? Our listener question this week is about what happens if Fox calls the presidential race for Trump in a misleading fashion. Link to Pod Save America: https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-america/ Thomas Edsall's column in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/opinion/biden-trump-presidential-election.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Good news: From now till Election Day, you'll get two episodes a week! Today, Joe and Alex quickly touch on: The Biden campaign has sent surrogates to Texas and Biden himself is in Ohio. What does this mean? What do we make of the dueling messages out of the SCOTUS hearings that started Monday? Should Democrats be nervous that the Republicans may be on the verge of a surprise Senate pickup in Michigan? Subscribe, rate and review -- and don't forget to leave a question on the iTunes store or via email at thattrippishow@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, the VP debate was almost quaint in how civil it was. What do we make of Kamala's performance, plus what happens next with Trump's mixed messages on whether he'll show up for future debates, virtual or otherwise? Second, Trump's positive test for COVID-19 upended the entire country, and of course the wild presidential race. What happens now? And what does McConnell pushing forward on the SCOTUS nomination say about the prospects of the race? Next, polls continue to predict a Biden landslide. Joe has been predicting something to that effect for months. But now, Democrats are worried that perhaps the Biden campaign's eyes are bigger than their stomach as they make a play for places like Texas. Are they playing their alleged lead wisely? And how do you reconcile the GOP in registering new voters in swing states? Our listener question is about the wild turns in the North Carolina Senate race in the last week and how they could affect -- or not affect -- the battle for the Senate. Please leave us a question in the reviews on Apple Podcasts -- give us five stars if you're there! -- or submit one via email to ThatTrippiShow@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(Note: this episode was taped prior to the President announced he had tested positive for COVID.) Joe and Alex agree: the debates were a mess, but the result is ultimately good for Biden. The Trump team seems to be aware they're losing, so how bad could this get? Then, a reminder that the election has already started (gulp). Over 2 million votes have already been cast, some in pivotal states like Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. What are the numbers suggesting about who is voting and why? Lastly, Joe has been predicting a 1980-esque result -- the trouncing of an unpopular incumbent -- for months. What if that happens? Where do Republicans (and Democrats) go from there? Our listener question this week asks why none of us saw the country going in the direction it has. But some did. Please leave us a question in the reviews on Apple Podcasts -- give us five stars if you're there! -- or submit one via email to ThatTrippiShow@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First: We mourn the passing of American giant Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But in our 2020 world, her death led to an explosive political conversation immediately. So, what do we do now? What should Biden do to respond to the obvious Republican hypocrisy? How could this impact turnout? Then, concerned progressives donated in record numbers to Senate campaigns last week. What do candidates like Al Gross (I-AK) and Mike Espy (D-MS) do with a sudden influx of cash? Is it too late to make a difference? And then: is it time to get pissed off? Are we supposed to just let Mitch McConnell get away with this? What are Democrats supposed to do now? Joe's take here is critical for all of us to hear. Submit a question by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, then type your question in the reviews. Please leave us 5 stars while you're there! To send us a video or audio from what you're seeing in your state or your campaign - email thattrippishow@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, big news out of South Carolina where Jamie Harrison and incumbent Lindsey Graham (R) are tied in a tight Senate race. Meanwhile, challenger Sara Gideon is up big against longtime Senator Susan Collins (R) in Maine. What does this tell us about these races and the race for president? Next, Mayor Bloomberg is firing $100 million into Florida, and his public announcement is a signal. What does Joe make of the move and what happens from here? Meanwhile, why are Pence and Trump talking about Minnesota when the Democrats are pulling ahead in Arizona? Then, Joe answers a question we're all too scared to ask... what if Biden is actually winning this thing? Do we need to be as anxious as we all undoubtedly are? Is there a historical precedent for this crazy election? Finally, a listener question about door-knocking in a pandemic. Listen to Joe on Hacks on Tap: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hacks-on-tap-with-david-axelrod-and-mike-murphy/id1467297559 Read Al Hunt on The Hill re: Democratic Handwringing: https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/516647-the-polls-the-electoral-college-and-democratic-hand-wringing New Republic article by Walter Shapiro read by Alex: https://newrepublic.com/article/159355/democrats-fear-biden-upset-trump-repeat-2020 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex start with -- what else? -- the damning quotes from the President to Bob Woodward proving he knew how dangerous COVID-19 was. How should the Biden campaign use it? How can it impact the undecided voters across the country? Is Trump's support slipping -- and does Woodward's reporting accelerate that slide, or does it not move the needle? Next, a poll this week showing demographic weakness with Latino support in Florida had Democrats panicking. Is this as alarming as it liberal Twitter thought it was? Does Joe see a silver lining in this very poll? Then, the Trump campaign is reportedly running out of money, despite raising $1 billion. And, worst of all, they're still losing by 10 points and Biden raised $365 million last month. Joe breaks down what's next for the Trump campaign, and why another $2 billion may not matter unless something changes. Plus, Donald Trump has reportedly skipped debate prep - how could that factor into the closing stretches of the race? Finally, Alex asks a question about Facebook's odd new political ad policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Joe and Alex are joined by Stuart Stevens, author of It Was All A Lie: How The Republican Party Became Donald Trump. He was the lead strategist for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign for President, and is currently a member of the Lincoln Project. Joe and Stuart met during simpler times (summer '16), and they start by trying to figure out how we got here from there. First, they talk about the state of the GOP, which Stevens calls a collapse unparalleled in American history. He has some very strong words for those in the party who continue to enable Donald Trump, and some insight into what Republicans close to the President say behind the scenes, including those at The Lincoln Project. Next, Stevens wrote a Washington Post op-ed this week arguing Biden will win Wisconsin despite the President pushing for it in recent weeks. Are we buying Republican enthusiasm about the Midwest? Then, we all saw the speculation of a "Red Mirage" where Trump claims victory on Election Night before all of the mail-in ballots are counted. Stuart thinks that scenario is, well, quaint. How the hell do we stop it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Jerry Brown, the three-term former Governor of California, knows we have a lot to fix. In this conversation with Joe and Alex, Gov. Brown discusses the threat the current president poses to democracy, what problems keep him up at night, and even under a President Biden, if things can truly return to "normal." Plus, what to do next time a pandemic comes along, how to craft a winning message around climate change, impressions up close of Kamala Harris, if he considered running for president in 2020, and his stance on the athletes standing up for social justice around the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe and Alex start by teasing another big guest Monday, walking through the messaging on display at the GOP convention (1:00), and discussing which party is doing a better job courting the independents and moderate Republicans that traditionally swing elections. Plus, should Democrats be panicking when we see polls showing Biden trailing Hillary in swing states at the same time in 2016? Then, we take a look at some of the biggest Senate races this fall (10:00), mainly Arizona, North Carolina and Maine. In general, is it possible Democrats could win states that still vote Trump? How do you thread that needle? A listener asks, is there a chance to push for a split-ticket voter (14:10)? Plus specific analysis on Susan Collins' race in Maine (19:10). Finally, what's next? Democrats reportedly have a large lead in mail-in ballot requests and Biden is outspending Trump massively on TV ads. Are these good signs, or in the world of Donald Trump, does nothing matter? (20:00) Lastly, a quick discussion about the protests around the Jacob Blake tragedy, and how the RNC didn't address it at all. (27:00) Please check out #Unfit, the film sponsoring this episode, at unfitfilm.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our first guest: Sen. Doug Jones, who defeated Roy Moore in a memorable special election in Alabama in 2017. Trippi and Jones share the story of how they first started working together and how the echoes of their '17 campaign popped up throughout last week's DNC. Sen. Jones is running for re-election this fall, and Joe (and Alex) are doing all they can to get him back to the Senate. First, Joe and Doug discuss the Democratic convention and Doug's personal relationships with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Then, Doug talks about his re-election campaign, the role Mitch McConnell and Super PACs are playing in Alabama, and what their actions mean about how close the race truly is. Finally, some war stories from the campaign trail in '17, and why the Trippi/Jones relationship works. If you read this far: Joe and Doug need all the help they can get. Please visit DougJones.com/help to make a difference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices