Congress’s Purge Era

Congress’s Purge Era

From What Next | Daily News and Analysis by Slate Podcasts

April 23, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses recent changes in Congress, including the departure of several representatives and the implications for the upcoming midterms.

Representatives Eric Swalwell, Tony Gonzales, and now Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick are out; Virginia is redistricting and Republicans are bracing for a tsunami of a blue wave in the fall midterms. What’s gotten into Congress all of a sudden? Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.  Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Madeline Ducharme, Rob Gunther, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips

Guest: Jim Newell

Topics covered

  • Congress
  • redistricting
  • midterms
  • politics

Keywords

  • blue wave
  • Republicans
  • Virginia
  • Eric Swalwell
  • Tony Gonzales
  • Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Slate Plus

Books & works: What Next

Places: Virginia

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