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The Focus Group Podcast

The Focus Group Podcast

Written by: The Bulwark
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About this listen

 Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast/focus-group/Bulwark Media Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • S6 Ep19: What a Difference a Year Makes (with Jonathan Chait)

    S6 Ep19: What a Difference a Year Makes (with Jonathan Chait)
    Jan 10 2026

    The United States just captured Venezuela's dictator, and we needed to get some quick voter reactions. Is this REALLY what the newest members of Trump's coalition voted for? We're also sensing growing discontent from them with the state of the country, and with the Trump administration governing more for its friends than for them. Atlantic staff writer Jonathan Chait joins the show to break down voter sentiment nearly a year into Trump's term.

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    54 mins
  • S6 Ep18: Sarah’s First Focus Groups

    S6 Ep18: Sarah’s First Focus Groups
    Jan 3 2026
    Sarah started doing focus groups in 2018 and 2019 hoping to save the Republican Party from Trump—by finding a primary challenger who wouldn’t embarrass themselves. Instead, she discovered voters who were fine with Trump, and she picked up a years-long addiction that turned into this show. We listen to audio from Sarah’s earliest focus groups with reluctant Ohio Trump voters, and not-so-reluctant New Hampshire Trump voters. Then, Sarah and producer Conor Kilgore take some listener questions and look ahead to 2026 races.

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    47 mins
  • S6 Ep17: America on Tape: A Brutal (and Hopeful) Year

    S6 Ep17: America on Tape: A Brutal (and Hopeful) Year
    Dec 27 2025
    A year in review from The Focus Group Podcast: the revealing moments, toughest conversations, and warnings that hit a little harder with hindsight—from swing voters to Democrats to cracks inside MAGA.

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    Original episodes:

    Nothing is True, Everything is Possible (with Anne Applebaum):
    https://audioboom.com/posts/8711563-nothing-is-true-everything-is-possible-with-anne-applebaum

    Do the Next Right Thing, Change the World (with Heather Cox Richardson):
    https://audioboom.com/posts/8741588-do-the-next-right-thing-change-the-world-with-heather-cox-richardson

    The GOP's Life After Trump (with Robert Draper):
    https://audioboom.com/posts/8806639-the-gop-s-life-after-trump-with-robert-draper
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    3 hrs and 3 mins
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