It's Primary Season!

About this episode

Henry Olsen analyzes the results of the first primaries for the 2026 midterms, discussing key victories and polling trends.

The first primaries for the 2026 midterms came last week, and Henry's flying solo to survey the results. Tune in for analysis on James Talarico's victory over TX-30 Rep. Jasmine Crockett for the Democratic Senate nomination; incumbent John Cornyn's top-finish against Ken Paxton in the runoff-bound Republican bid; House seats in the Lone Star State and North Carolina; along with thoughts on President Trump's recent approval ratings bump and polling on condition-based sentiments about the sudden onset of war in the Middle East. Plus, this week's dueling ads provide a contrast in style and sensibility that overshadows even the partisan divide.

People in this episode

Host: Henry Olsen

Topics covered

• primaries
• midterm elections
• political analysis
• polling
• advertising

Keywords

• primaries
• 2026 midterms
• James Talarico
• Jasmine Crockett
• John Cornyn
• Ken Paxton
• Donald Trump
• polling
• advertising

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Texas, North Carolina

More episodes of Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen

• Southern Bellwethers? · June 11, 2026 · 57 min
• Mapmaker, Matchmaker · June 4, 2026 · 52 min
• This Year's Model · May 28, 2026 · 1h 8m
• Waving Cane in the Lone Star State · May 21, 2026 · 54 min
• Peachy Primaries and Commonwealth Commotions · May 14, 2026 · 59 min
• Safe Senate Seat Scuffles · May 7, 2026 · 53 min