Ken Rudin's Political Junkie

Claremont McKenna College professor Jack Pitney talks about the power of Donald Trump endorsements, which propels many — but not all — candidates to …

Journalist Tom Fiedler reports on the latest antic of freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican with a history of embellishing …

Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media reports on the death of Rep. Don Young, the senior member of Congress and the longest serving Republican in congressional history.

Howard Wilkinson of radio station WVXU recaps the zany …

Mo Elleithee, a longtime Democratic Party insider and member of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, talks about plans to rewrite the presidential …

Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune sets up Tuesday’s primaries, the first in the nation.  GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is all but assured of renomination, and will likely face Democrat Beto O’Rourke in November.  But the main …

With the Senate tied at 50-50 and a crucial Supreme Court confirmation vote coming up, the last thing the Democrats wanted, politically, was to see …

With Democrats holding on to their Senate majority until the rest of the year, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his resignation this …

Carl Hulse of the New York Times dissects the decision by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin to oppose President Biden’s Build Back Better bill, citing …

Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, author of the new book, “The Centrist Solution,” argues that the only way to get things done in this bitterly …

Jim Galloway, the retired political columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, remembers Max Cleland, the former Georgia Democratic senator who …

Tuesday's gubernatorial contest in Virginia is being watched nationwide for a possible clue about what might happen in the 2022 midterms ... and how to deal with Donald Trump. And former Sen. Harry Reid makes the case …

A book by a longtime Republican strategist says his party has become indistinguishable from Donald Trump -- and all that's wrong with Trumpism. We look ahead to next month's historic Boston mayoral race. And we talk …

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema may be driving progressives nuts by thwarting much of President Biden's agenda, but her actions may be popular back home. And we …

The decision by anti-Trump Republican Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio not to seek reelection next year is seen as a victory for the former president, who retains deep loyalty among GOP voters. And we discuss the meaning of …

We set up what's at stake in Tuesday's California gubernatorial recall election. And we replay an interview from last summer with former Illinois …

An awful month. A disastrous exit from Afghanistan. And we lost Neal Conan to cancer.

The post Episode #372: Remembering Neal Conan appeared first …

The resignation announcement by New York's Andrew Cuomo means many things, not the least of which it will lead to the state's first female governor. A look at the hopeless complaint by Democrats that their party is the …

Texas Democrats have fled the state to hold up legislation that could make voting more difficult. But how long can this tactic work? And we …

We are replaying an interview we had six years ago with Mike Gravel, the former Alaska senator who died this week, about his decision to read …

Christine Chabot of Loyola University weighs the arguments of getting Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire early, before Republicans have a …

By insisting on "bipartisanship," Joe Manchin (D-WV) is jeopardizing President Biden's agenda in the Senate. And a new book explores John Glenn's …

We replay an interview with the late Sen. John Warner (R-VA) from 2018. And we set up this year's gubernatorial contest in the Old Dominion.

The …

Liz Cheney is out. But a former member of Congress won't stop fighting to rid the GOP of the Trump influence. And while the recall against …

Liz Cheney is about to lose her House leadership position because she refuses to go along with Donald Trump's lies and misstatements. Meanwhile, President Biden needs to be cognizant of his barebones majority in the …

A replay of our 2015 interview with Walter Mondale, who died this week at the age of 93.

The post Episode #363: Walter Mondale Fought The Good Fight …

A look at the recall effort in California aimed at Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Sen. Roy Blunt's (R) unexpected retirement in Missouri is likely to open the door to a fierce battle among Republicans for the seat. And Marvin …

Two politicians, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) have been hit with allegations of sexual harassment. In addition to …

A look at how her history of snarky tweets may jeopardize Neera Tanden's chances of becoming the next head of OMB. And we talk to three journalists covering a trio of Republicans who voted against Donald Trump in the …

Sarah Huckabee Sanders hopes her service on behalf of Donald Trump will help her win the governorship in Arkansas. Meanwhile, while Democrats are unlikely to prevail in next week's Senate trial of the former president, …

January 2021 is the final month of Donald Trump's presidency. It also was the month where he was, for the second time, impeached by the House ... this time for inciting an insurrection. And we remember the 1954 attack …

We look at what's at stake in Tuesday's Senate runoffs in Georgia. And a former senator explains why she took part in an electoral certification protest in 2005 and what it doesn't compare to what Republicans are doing …

It's the Political Junkie 2020 Remembrances Special, where we celebrate the lives of memorable politicians who left us this year.

The post Episode …

A new book examines why "faithless electors" are faithless, why they break from their parties' nominees in the Electoral College. And we speak to …

A former Republican congressman argues that 2020 was a great year for the GOP, despite Trump's defeat. And a former New York state comptroller …

Georgia will be experiencing two Senate runoffs next month. Back in 1992, Senator Wyche Fowler was forced into a runoff of his own -- where he lost his seat. Fowler offers similarities and differences between now and …

The two Georgia Senate runoffs on Jan. 5th will determine which party gets control. Democrats must win both if they are to claim the majority; if …

Joe Biden may have won the presidency, but he'll serve without the expected Democratic Senate victory, and with a smaller House majority as well. And California Gov. Gavin Newsom will have a tough decision to make in …

A look at the key battles for the Senate, with Democrats needing a net three (or four) seats to win the majority. And whither the Republican Party …

Joe Biden's problems with articulating a coherent policy on court reform has brought comparisons to what FDR faced when he tried to pack the Supreme …

Two Senate races in the Carolinas are the focus this week, as incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is trying to hold off a stiff …

Selected and limited information from the White House about the president's health has continued with Trump and the coronavirus. And we look back at …

Republicans are being accused of hypocrisy, but at the end of the day there will be a new, very conservative Supreme Court justice to succeed the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And remembering the hoopla behind Bill …

Ron Elving analyzes the state of the presidential race with less than eight weeks to go. Plus, could Minnesota, which hasn't voted for a Republican …

On this special episode, we look back at many great moments from the history of presidential and vice presidential debates, with commentary from several journalists and historians on how those moments may have helped …

The Republicans wrap up their convention, setting the 2020 election into full swing. We hear from a Republican who avoided Trump in 2016 explain why …

The Democrats hold a convention like no other. We review the moments that highlighted an emotional and historic week. Plus, unpacking President …

Far from the coronations they are today, political conventions used to be filled with moments that were contentious, memorable and historic. We …

We review the latest scorecard of Joe Biden’s running mate hopefuls. Plus, a look ahead to next week's Minnesota primary and a recap of …

We discuss what President Trump might do if Joe Biden is declared the winner in November. Plus, in his new biography of Joe McCarthy, Larry Tye …

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia recounts her long relationship with the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Plus, …