Latest Episodes
The Vote
November 10, 2022
- 24:49
David unpacks the 2022 midterm election cycle and discusses what it means for the parties, the 2024 presidential election and democracy...
Ohio
November 3, 2022
- 51:44
David is joined by Anna Staver of the USA Today Network's Ohio Bureau to talk about the key races and what the voting results that come...
Texas
October 27, 2022
- 1:06:10
Evan Smith of The Texas Tribune discusses what it would take to turn Texas blue, and why the demographics of the state suggest the Dobbs...
About The Show
David Plouffe, former President Barack Obama’s campaign manager and White House Senior Advisor, takes a deep dive into key states in the crucial midterm elections - and what it will take to win them. Plouffe’s guests are key operatives, local political reporters and independent pollsters, who don’t just have opinions about what is happening–they know what is happening, because they are the ones in the arena.
More Episodes
The Vote
November 10, 2022
- 24:49
David unpacks the 2022 midterm election cycle and discusses what it means for the parties, the 2024 presidential election and democracy...
Ohio
November 3, 2022
- 51:44
David is joined by Anna Staver of the USA Today Network's Ohio Bureau to talk about the key races and what the voting results that come...
Texas
October 27, 2022
- 1:06:10
Evan Smith of The Texas Tribune discusses what it would take to turn Texas blue, and why the demographics of the state suggest the Dobbs...
North Carolina
October 20, 2022
- 52:58
David is joined by Will Doran who covers North Carolina politics for the News & Observer. Will provides a look at some important races...
Wisconsin
October 13, 2022
- 1:01:56
Wisconsin, as always, is a pivotal state.David is joined by Patrick Marley who writes about voting issues in the Upper Midwest for The...
Michigan
October 6, 2022
- 58:37
Jonathan Oosting is the Michigan Politics Reporter for Bridge Michigan. Jonathen takes us on a tour of all the key races and how the...
Arizona
September 29, 2022
- 1:02:38
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez is the Democracy Reporter in Arizona for the Washington Post. Yvonne takes a look at how some Republican voters...
Nevada
September 22, 2022
- 1:04:23
Jon Ralston, expert on all things Nevada, takes us on tour of the many key Nevada races , discusses how Nevada has changed electorally...
Georgia
September 15, 2022
- 1:05:54
Greg Bluestein is a political reporter and author who covers Georgia politics for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is a MSNBC...
Pennsylvania
September 8, 2022
- 1:07:14
First, Julia Terruso, political reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, gives us an overview of the key Pennsylvania races.Then, Brendan...
Welcome to Campaign HQ Season 2
September 7, 2022
- 01:13
David Plouffe, former President Barack Obama’s campaign manager and White House Senior Advisor, returns for a new season on September...
Joe Biden’s campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon
November 13, 2020
- 55:46
Description: As Joe Biden’s campaign manager in 2020, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon became the first woman to manage a winning Democratic...
Where We Are
November 5, 2020
- 49:34
David takes a look at Tuesday Night’s election, when Joe Biden received the most votes in history. Why was there a difference between...
Will Biden win Texas?
October 29, 2020
- 57:51
Beto O’Rourke is organizing on the ground in Texas and joins David while on his way to join Senator Harris on the campaign trail. Beto...
The Ground Game
October 22, 2020
- 51:13
Cindy Lin is a field organizer for the Biden campaign’s efforts in Michigan. Cindy discusses the challenges and opportunities of doing...
Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield
October 15, 2020
- 48:36
Kate Bedingfield is the deputy campaign manager and communications director for Biden For President. Kate and David discuss how Biden...
The Early Vote
October 8, 2020
- 40:05
Dr. Michael P. McDonald heads The United States Elections Project and discusses what we can learn so far from early vote turnout, how...
Can Trump Steal The Election?
October 1, 2020
- 55:21
Barton Gellman’s recent piece in The Atlantic, The Election That Could Break America, opened eyes to the lengths Donald Trump could go...
Kamala’s Strategy
September 24, 2020
- 56:06
Karine Jean-Pierre, Kamala Harris’ Chief of Staff discuses the upcoming debate vs. Mike Pence, her campaign approach and the Supreme Court fight
The Hispanic vote
September 17, 2020
- 57:22
Fernand Amandi is the President and CEO Bendixen & Amandi International. Their recent poll in Miami-Dade County showed Donald Trump and...
Claire McCaskill
September 10, 2020
- 57:58
Claire McCaskill, a two term U.S. Senator from Missouri and now a political analyst for MSNBC, talks voters the midwest, how Joe Biden...
David Axelrod
September 3, 2020
- 1:02:22
David Axelrod was a senior strategist to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and later a Senior Advisor to the President. Currently David is...
Voting is not an errand you run at the last moment
August 27, 2020
- 49:55
Bob Bauer was general counsel of both Obama for America presidential campaigns and served as White House Counsel. He presently serves as...
Susan Rice
August 20, 2020
- 52:41
The former ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor to Barack Obama discusses the damage which the Trump...
Barack Obama
August 14, 2020
- 34:26
President Obama offers his take Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate and what it says about his decision making as a...
A look at the Senate races
August 12, 2020
- 52:17
Scott Fairchild is the Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Scott and David take a tour of the top Senate...
Paul Begala’s guide to beating Donald Trump
August 6, 2020
- 58:60
As chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign, Paul Begala helped Clinton become the first Democrat to occupy the White House in...
Get Your (Virtual) Hat On
July 30, 2020
- 54:14
Veteran strategist Stephanie Cutter is in charge of producing this year’s Democratic National Convention. David and Stephanie discuss...
Real Polls
July 23, 2020
- 1:03:24
Is Biden at his ceiling? Does he have more room to grow? Does Trump have a path back with seniors? David is joined by John Anzalone, one...
John Heilemann on how Trump hasn’t thought things through
July 16, 2020
- 1:00:03
John Heilemann is the Executive Editor of The Recount and host of Showtime’s The Circus. John and David discuss how Trump’s inclination...
Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau
July 9, 2020
- 47:56
Jon Favreau is one of the hosts of Pod Save America and the former speechwriter for Barack Obama. Jon discusses what Joe Biden needs to...
Robby Mook
July 2, 2020
- 1:06:54
As Joe Biden seeks to make the election a referendum on Trump, Robby Mook, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager in 2016, joins David for a...
Communication Challenges and Opportunities
June 25, 2020
- 1:13:48
Jennifer Palmieri, former White House Director of Communications from 2013 to 2015 and Director of Communications for the Hillary...
Biden Campaign Manager Jen O’Malley Dillon
June 18, 2020
- 1:09:25
Jen O’Malley Dillon is the campaign manager for Biden for President. She discusses the recent poll numbers, the battleground picture,...
Michigan’s Secretary of State Joceyln Benson
June 10, 2020
- 47:52
Ballot delivery, automatic registration, and voter education: Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson discusses the ways we can...
Trump and Nixon
June 4, 2020
- 54:43
Rick Perlstein, author of Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America, joins David for a comparison of Trump’s...
Occupy Democrats
May 28, 2020
- 49:12
Omar and Rafael Rivero are the founders of Occupy Democrats, a political organization and news website that aims to create a more equal...
Fight Like a Mother
May 21, 2020
- 49:39
Candidates are finding they can run on gun safety and win elections. Shannon Watts is the founder of Moms Demand Action. The day after...
The Rule of Law is on the Ballot
May 13, 2020
- 48:10
Former Attorney General Eric Holder explains the ways we can make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote despite the pandemic, how...
The Man In Trumps Head
May 7, 2020
- 56:21
The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson joins David to discuss the Lincoln Project’s Mourning In America ad, and Trump’s reaction. The Lincoln...
Presidential Historian Jon Meacham on lessons from the past.
April 30, 2020
- 54:10
Presidential Historian Jon Meacham joins David for a look at what history tells us about the current election. Jon’s new podcast Hope...
Battleground Bonanza
April 23, 2020
- 1:10:38
Dan Wagner, CEO of Civis and Analytics and Chief Analytics Officer on Barack Obama's 2012 election campaign joins David to discuss his...
The Economy
April 16, 2020
- 1:04:09
How bad will it get and what can be done to prevent the worst? What was smart about the CARES act, what was lacking and what needs to be...
The Incumbent Advantage
April 9, 2020
- 1:06:52
Longtime Democratic strategist Jim Messina, who served as the campaign manager during Barack Obamas re-election bid in 2012, discusses...
What you can do online right now
April 2, 2020
- 1:00:09
Is your candidate on Pinterest and TikTok? What about World of Warcraft? Stefan Smith was Pete Buttigieg’s online engagement director...
“Will We Vote?”
March 26, 2020
- 52:27
Will we vote in November, how will we vote, and what will it take to protect elections this year and in the future? David is joined by...
Gangster Capitalism Season 2: The NRA
March 25, 2020
- 05:25
Gangster Capitalism is back. This season, the NRA is in the crosshairs. This past year has rocked the country’s most powerful special...
Ron Klain, Obama’s Ebola czar on COVID-19, and Presidential debate.
March 19, 2020
- 53:31
Ron Klain, chief of staff to two U.S. vice presidents – Al Gore and Joe Biden, served as the United States Ebola response coordinator...
The CAFE Insider Podcast - the SCOTUS Showdown (with Preet Bharara and Anne Milgram)
March 16, 2020
- 11:43
CAFE Insider helps you make sense of law and politics. In this excerpt from the CAFE Insider podcast, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara...
Andrew Gillum and how to win Florida
March 13, 2020
- 1:06:25
As the campaign begins to shift toward the general election, David checks in with Andrew Gillum, the Chair of Forward Florida Action, on...
The Biden Surge
March 4, 2020
- 45:41
Anita Dunn senior adviser for Biden for President about what happened Super Tuesday, their plans for the upcoming states, and how they...
South Carolina: What to Watch For
February 28, 2020
- 54:38
Jaime Harrison served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017, and is an associate chairman of the...
Dan Pfeiffer Speaks. And Writes.
February 21, 2020
- 48:28
In this bonus episode, my old friend and Obama colleague, Dan Pfeiffer, talks about his terrific new book, Un-Trumping America and much more.
California Love
February 20, 2020
- 41:48
With the political world focused on NV and SC, the biggest delegate prize looms. And people are voting there in big numbers right now....
Heavyweight Battle in Nevada
February 13, 2020
- 36:44
Jon Ralston has covered politics in Nevada for more than 30 years and will be one of the moderators of Wednesday’s Democratic Debate....
A Winner in New Hampshire
February 12, 2020
- 13:53
David presents an update on New Hampshire, covering Sanders narrow victory over Buttigieg, as well as all the action heading into...
Steve Schmidt on New Hampshire and the general
February 5, 2020
- 47:49
David explains where the campaigns stand coming out of Iowa’s delayed results as the candidates head to New Hampshire. Then, Steve...
The Managers Speak
January 29, 2020
- 1:50:34
The campaign mangers for Sanders, Biden, Warren and Buttitigeg join to talk Iowa, the other early states and what the race may look like...
John Kerry’s warnings
January 23, 2020
- 47:40
Secretary John Kerry, a former Iowa caucus winner, talks the end game in Iowa, from a nominee who has been there, the challenges of...
Iowa draws closer and a check in with the #yanggang
January 16, 2020
- 54:48
David breaks down the race with two and a half weeks until Iowa. Then, Zach Graumann, Campaign Manager at Yang2020 joins to talk about...
Dividing our country and uniting Iran
January 8, 2020
- 1:08:12
How might the campaign affect President Trump’s decision making regarding Iran? Would Trump want more troops on the ground, or would he...
Watch their feet and watch their wallets
January 2, 2020
- 51:40
Jonathan Martin, national political correspondent for The New York Times, on how the Times plans to cover the race, and where to keep...
We don’t want another Meadowlands disaster!
December 26, 2019
- 1:05:36
A lot of little details have to be covered while the candidates are out on the road. Alyssa Mastromonaco shares fun stories from her...
Someone who can beat Donald Trump
December 19, 2019
- 42:27
Justin Buoen, Campaign Manager at Amy for America joins David for a look inside the Klobuchar campaign, and the upcoming challenges of...
Using Jiu-Jitsu to defeat Donald Trump
December 12, 2019
- 58:49
What’s the best way to defeat Donald Trump in the general election? David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, senior...
Bloomberg is running because Trump is winning.
December 5, 2019
- 53:41
Kevin Sheekey, campaign manager for Bloomberg 2020, discusses the reasoning behind the timing of Michael Bloomberg’s entry into the...
Tommy Vietor from Pod Save America
November 26, 2019
- 48:22
Tommy Vietor, host of Pod Save America was President Obama’s Iowa Press Secretary during the 2008 campaign. Tommy is back from recently...
The Digital Wars
November 21, 2019
- 1:05:54
David is joined by Tara McGowan, the founder and CEO of ACRONYM, a nonprofit organization committed to building power and digital...
Life After Beto
November 14, 2019
- 1:01:17
Jennifer O’Malley Dillon served as Campaign Manager at Beto for America, and previously was the Deputy Campaign Manager for Obama for...
Booker’s Path
November 7, 2019
- 1:00:41
Cory Booker’s campaign manager, Addisu Demissie, on how he sees Booker navigating the early primary states and emerging post South...
Iowa’s Big Stage
October 31, 2019
- 1:03:10
The campaign enters a new phase this weekend. The big Iowa Democratic Party dinner has historically played a key role in determining the...
Delegates, Delegates, Delegates
October 24, 2019
- 1:05:30
It's not about how much money you raise, how funny your tweet was or even how many states you win. It’s about how many delegates you...
Hillary Clinton
October 17, 2019
- 56:34
Impeachment. Facing Trump. Debates. No one has a more unique perspective on these ripe topics than Hillary Clinton. Hear her take on...
Can Mayor Pete get the Edge?
October 10, 2019
- 51:32
David is joined by Mike Schmuhl, campaign manager for Pete Buttigieg for a look at Mayor Pete’s potential road to the White House, not...
How hot can the Bern get?
October 3, 2019
- 1:00:54
Bernie Sanders’ campaign manager Faiz Shakir discusses the road to the nomination, how people should kick the tires on all the...
Warrenmentum
September 26, 2019
- 59:53
Joe Rospars, Chief Strategist for Warren for President, gives insight into Elizabeth Warren’s potential path to the White House, the...
Inside the Biden Campaign with campaign manager Greg Schultz
September 19, 2019
- 48:59
A look inside Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign with his campaign manager Greg Schultz. David and Greg talk about campaigning in Iowa,...
Introduction to Campaign HQ with David Plouffe
September 9, 2019
- 02:51
David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s campaign manager, digs into what the candidates are trying to accomplish in their messaging, why...