House Talk with Ali and Liesl

Episode 20: Midterm Update with Washington Post's Paul Kane

Hi House Talkers! This week, we decided to do something new. The two of us took out excel spreadsheets, opened up our laptops, and came up with our own list of toss-up races and races with a slight Democratic or slight Republican edge. And in case you're wondering -- well, we mostly agreed on the list! With the elections just six months away, we wanted to really dive in to the national landscape, why this cycle is so hard to predict, and what's really competitive and what isn't. Please @ us (@housetalkpod) or let us know on Facebook if you agree or disagree with our assessments! We'll be back in two weeks to discuss the exciting May primaries and runoff elections! As always, don't forget to subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review! Thanks for your support! Ali & Liesl

Hi House Talkers! We are so excited to share this episode with you, which is on a topic near and dear to our hearts: how to get more women to run for office! Joining us are two fabulous women who spend their time doing exactly that (sometimes even against one another!). Emily Cain is the Executive Director of Emily's List, and a former state legislator and Congressional candidate. Emily's List mission is to elect Democratic women to federal, state, and local office. Julie Conway founded and runs VIEW PAC, which helps elect Republican women to office. You'll hear about some of our favorite female candidates (special shout-outs to Martha McSally, Kristin Gaspar, Chrissy Houlahan, Gina Ortiz Jones, among others!), the question all women candidates get asked that men candidates never do, and why women are so eager to run in 2018. We'll be back in a few weeks with another new episode!

Hello House Talkers! In our latest episode we talk with Kyle Kondik, the Managing Editor for Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, all about the exodus from the House of Representatives. Over 50 Members of Congress, Republican and Democratic, are retiring at the end of this cycle. How does this affect the 2018 cycle? Tune in to find out.

This week's episode is our first ever live stream with Abby Livingston from the Texas Tribune. The first primary of 2018 is in the books. We broke down all the top races and took some questions from online viewers. We covered everything from the contested primaries to the upcoming runoffs and beyond. You can watch the video portion here: https://www.pscp.tv/w/1nAKERwlrenGL

Episode 15: Crowded Democratic Primaries, Blessing or Curse?

Ali and Liesl talk to Republican pollster Robert Blizzard about Republicans’ improving poll numbers.

Episode 13: Let's Talk About Pennsylvania!

Hi House Talkers! If you're following the 2018 midterms (which we know you are), you're hearing a lot of discussion about whether or not this is a "wave" election -- is it like 2006 when the Democrats picked up 30 seats and the majority? Is it like 2010 when the Republicans picked up 63 seats and took the majority back? Stu Rothenberg, the founder of the Rothenberg Political Report (now known as Inside Elections) and truly one of Washington's sharpest political minds and election handicappers, joins us this week to talk about what a wave is and whether or not we're headed for one this November. As party strategists, we can tell you that identifying a wave early is really important. It helps inform resource allocation decisions and gives each side insight into which incumbents are likely to lose no matter how hard you fight, and what kinds of sleeper races are worth paying attention to in the final months -- or even weeks -- of the campaign.

Ali and Liesl talk to the New York Times’ Jonathan Martin about voters in the suburbs and how they will vote - and why - in the 2018 House elections.

Hi House Talkers! Happy holidays! In this season where we gather with friends and family, we're bringing you an episode that may shed some light on the voting patterns of the younger people around your holiday table...you know, the ones who voted for Ron Paul or Bernie Sanders (or maybe both!). Kristen is one of the country's foremost experts on the millennial vote, and in this episode she helps us understand what's going on with the youth vote and why she's worried for the future of the Republican party. Our guest this week is Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson, co-founder of Echelon Insights and author of The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up). She's also the co-host, along with Democratic pollster Margie Omero, of her own fantastic podcast, The Pollsters, which you should definitely be listening to! We'll be back after the New Year with an episode focusing on what we think is the most important battlefield for 2018 House races: the suburbs. Happy New Year, and may 2018 bring you great happiness and joy! Thanks for your support! Ali & Liesl

Hi House Talkers! Our guest this week is one of the true House race experts in the country -- and it all began when he was just 11 years old in New Jersey! Dave Wasserman, the House editor of the Cook Political Report, joins us this week to talk about the 2018 landscape. Dave has a distinguished record of knowing what's happening in House races: in 2006, he correctly predicted that Democrats would pick up 29 seats in 2006. We get Dave's expert take on how 2018 is shaping up, and how it is (and isn't) like the most recent midterm wave elections 2010 (Republicans gained 63 seats) and 2006 (Democrats ended up picking 30 seats -- 29 on Election Day and one more a few weeks later).

Following Tuesday's elections, we wanted to take a deep dive into the state of the Republican Party, and we talked to John Boehner's former Chief of Staff, Mike Sommers! There was a great profile of Boehner in POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/29/john-boehner-trump-house-republican-party-retirement-profile-feature-215741) that we talked with Mike about, in addition to hearing his thoughts about the current state of Republicans in the House. Our ad of the week is a 2016 spot from Minnesota Democrat Rick Nolan, who is one of the dozen Democrats who carried a Trump district. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=30&v=bywwTaJe5Xo)!

We couldn't wait to share our thoughts with you on what last night's election results may mean for the 2018 House races, so we recorded a special bonus episode! Does Democrats' suburban strength mean they're on their way to winning the House in 2018? Was there any silver lining for Republicans in the numbers last night?

Hi House Talkers! In the last few weeks, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) have announced their hires to run their respective committees' Independent Expenditure campaigns (congrats, Jessica Mackler and Joe King!). We thought it was perfect timing to bring in someone who has been in their shoes to talk about what's often called the "loneliest job in politics." And that someone is the DCCC's 2016 Independent Expenditure Director, Ty Matsdorf! He joins us this week to talk about I.E.s and how they *really* work. Ty is a native of southern Oregon who got his political start with former Montana Senator Max Baucus. Whether you think you know all about how I.E.s work or this is the first time you've ever of them, we promise you'll learn something new in the half hour we spend with Ty! In our Ad Spotlight, we'll share an ad that aired in northern New Jersey last cycle -- set to the tune of "Dixie." Huh? Yeah, it worked. Check it out. Ali & Liesl