About this episode

The episode discusses the dynamics of the Michigan Senate race and the implications of various candidates' performances.

I’m in Atlanta for Dragon Con, and normally that would give me a chance to see what the campaigns are putting on television. But I don’t expect to see many political ads while I’m in the Peach State, because Georgia’s Senate race wasn’t supposed to look like this. It was supposed to be Brian Kemp against Jon Ossoff — a heavyweight fight if there ever was one. But Kemp didn’t run; Mike Collins won the Republican primary, and plenty of Georgia Republicans really, really hate him. Ossoff has made himself more palatable and taken enough tough votes to argue that he’ll side with Georgia when his party doesn’t. I’ve been an Ossoff skeptic, but right now you can’t argue with it. I think this race is a wrap. Republicans have two exceptionally weak Senate challengers in states where they should perform well: Collins in Georgia and Michael Whatley in North Carolina. I’ll eat the L on Whatley because I thought he’d do better. I expected the environment to be bad for Republicans, but we’ve reached the point where nobody not named Donald Trump feels comfortable telling voters how awesome everything is. Trump’s secret is that you always say it’s awesome. Sometimes people believe you, sometimes…

More episodes of Politics Politics Politics

• Why Trump’s $5,000 Check Won’t Happen. How the Internet Mixed Politics with Fandom (with Katherine Dee) · September 10, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Why It’s So Hard to Make Sense of These Midterms (with Chris Cillizza) · September 8, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Will the GOP Leave DC Already? What You Should Be Watching For in Iran (with Riley Blanton) · September 1, 2026 · 1h 17m
• Trade War with Canada, Explained! (with Evan Scrimshaw) · August 27, 2026 · 1h 53m
• Is Darlene Graham Already Done in South Carolina? US Hackers vs. Foreign Gangs (with Eric Geller) · August 25, 2026 · 1h 12m
• The THREE Ways the 2026 Midterms Could Go (with Kirk Bado) · August 20, 2026 · 1h 10m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Politics Politics Politics podcast page.