
Chris Rufo: the California project
From Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning by Razib Khan
May 8, 2026 · 20 min
About this episode
Razib Khan interviews Christopher Rufo about California's governance and cultural issues.
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.razibkhan.com On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib talks to Christopher Rufo . Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. A contributing editor at City Journal , author of the New York Times bestseller America’s Cultural Revolution , and 2025 Bradley Prize recipient, he also serves as a New College of Florida board member and Distinguished Fellow at Hillsdale College. He is also co-host of the podcast Rufo and Lomez . Raised in Sacramento, California, Rufo graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2006 and a Master of Liberal Arts in Government from Harvard Extension School in 2022. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children. Razib and Rufo first discuss his California upbringing and the idyllic environment of the Golden State. They discuss what they both love about California and why it matters for the US as a whole. Razib brings up the contrast with Texas, where the weather and scenery are less attractive, but pro-business and pro-housing regulatory framework has attracted many migrants from California. Rufo…
People in this episode
Host: Razib Khan
Guest: Christopher Rufo
Topics covered
- California governance
- political analysis
- migration trends
- cultural commentary
- state politics
Keywords
- California
- Gavin Newsom
- migration
- politics
- cultural revolution
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, City Journal, New College of Florida, Hillsdale College
Books & works: America’s Cultural Revolution
Places: California, Texas, Pacific Northwest
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