Safe Senate Seat Scuffles

About this episode

Jessica Taylor discusses close Republican primaries and Senate races in the South, while Henry Olsen analyzes recent political events.

The old rhyme promises that May brings the flowers, and sure enough we're seeing early bursts of the election season bloom! This week, Jessica Taylor of the Cook Political Report guides us through three surprisingly close Republican primaries in the reliably red South. Get to know the candidates chasing open Senate seats in Alabama and Kentucky, and take a gander at Bill Cassidy's feverish fight in Louisiana to survive Trump's retribution for his 2021 vote in favor of Trump's impeachment. Expect strong weather and prepare for runoff. Plus, Henry looks at Tuesday's bloodbath in Indiana and Ron DeSantis's gerrymander and sees signs that Trump's bare-knuckle style might secure another title for the heel. And lastly, we glance at dueling ads between California's top Democratic gubernatorial candidates.

People in this episode

Host: Henry Olsen

Guest: Jessica Taylor

Topics covered

• Republican primaries
• Senate seats
• Trump's influence
• election season
• gubernatorial candidates

Keywords

• Republican primaries
• Senate seats
• Trump
• Bill Cassidy
• Jessica Taylor
• election season
• Indiana
• Louisiana
• gubernatorial candidates

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cook Political Report, Trump

Places: Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Indiana

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
• Beggars Can't Be Hoosiers · April 30, 2026 · 50 min