In short
Politics and elections in Texas and beyond, focused on Trump’s “deep red state” tour, Texas statewide races (Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott, and Gina Hinojosa), and competitive House races after redistricting; includes discussion of national House/Senate map shifts and a comedic “Two Scandals and a Lie” segment.
Guests
Bobby Pulido (Texas Democratic House candidate running against Monica de la Cruz in the 15th district). Other speakers are Pod Save America hosts John Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, and Dan Pfeiffer (no additional guests named).
Key claims
- Republicans are spending heavily to save Paxton and Abbott; Tallarico is being targeted with massive super PAC spending.
- Trump’s Alabama/Oklahoma stops are framed as damage control for midterms, despite no Texas visit.
- Abbott’s data-center moratorium/pivot is portrayed as election-driven flexibility amid backlash.
- Hinojosa’s strategy: win Latino vote, overperform in urban counties, and target issues like education/charters and data centers.
Notable examples
- Focus group words for Paxton: “crooked,” “criminal,” “corrupt,” “womanizer.”
- Tallarico challenges Paxton to debate on Fox News; Paxton declines.
- Data-center power demand cited as ~5x peak Texas demand.
- “Two Scandals and a Lie” includes fake “ranch dressing” ranch dressing scenario and real Paxton countertop allegations.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOElection Events in Texas
1:44 to 2:05
Discussion about upcoming election events in Texas.
“We're going to be at, we're going to be from one to three, we'll be joining Vote Save America and the Travis County Democrats for a canvas at Pan American Park in East Austin.”
Trump's Campaign Tour Insights
2:11 to 3:19
Analysis of Trump's campaign activities and his absence in Texas.
“Let's start with the number one Texas Longhorns.”
Republican Spending in Texas Elections
3:19 to 4:26
Examination of Republican spending and strategies in Texas elections.
“Like, I did not expect five weeks out, or whatever it is, from the midterms, Trump to be going to Alabama and Oklahoma.”
Voter Sentiment on Paxton
4:26 to 5:32
Insights from focus groups about voter perceptions of Ken Paxton.
“uh you guys heard about it uh senate republican super PAC uh is now committed to spending another $30 million against James Tallarico in the final weeks.”
Challenges for Paxton's Campaign
5:32 to 6:41
Discussion on the challenges and strategies facing Ken Paxton's campaign.
“Do know extremely well Well let's just ask people from Texas us that question, how many ads would you have to see to change your mind about Ken Paxton?”
Tallarico's Bold Debate Challenge
6:41 to 10:03
Exploration of James Tallarico's debate challenge to Ken Paxton.
“but it's probably just going to be Tallarico attack ads.”
Impact of Abbott's Policy Changes
10:03 to 13:07
Analysis of Greg Abbott's policy shifts ahead of the election.
“Going on Fox News, it'll get you attention.”
Hinojosa's Campaign Strategy
13:07 to 14:00
Discussion on Gina Hinojosa's approach to the gubernatorial race.
“So I think he's just trying to get through this without losing people for whom this could be a deciding issue.”
Gina's Strategy Against Abbott in Texas
14:00 to 20:00
Learn about Gina's campaign strategy to win Texas governorship against Greg Abbott.
“And I think Gina is executing on that strategy.”
The Changing Demographics of Texas Voters
20:04 to 22:26
Explore how shifts in voter demographics are impacting Texas elections.
“Now you can have fun and relax without the regrets thanks to Willie's THC-infused social tonic.”
Show all 21 chapters
Political Scandals Game
23:29 to 28:00
Engage with a fun segment about Texas political scandals and lies.
“We come from the land of California to study your ways.”
Election Dynamics and Democratic Strategy
28:00 to 37:02
Learn about the current political landscape and strategic considerations for Democrats as they approach upcoming elections.
“Well, French really loves doing these polls, huh?”
Election Dynamics and Democratic Strategy
37:04 to 38:22
Learn about the current political landscape and strategic considerations for Democrats as they approach upcoming elections.
“You know those pieces in your closet that end up in heavy rotation?”
Election Dynamics and Democratic Strategy
38:25 to 38:35
Learn about the current political landscape and strategic considerations for Democrats as they approach upcoming elections.
“That's Q-U-I-N-C-E dot com slash crooked.”
Senate Race Analysis and Polling Insights
38:35 to 42:00
Explore insights on Senate races, polling discrepancies, and candidate dynamics in various states.
“If you missed some of your favorite Crooked Pods this week, don't worry, you can now catch up on the week's best moments on MS Now on Saturday nights.”
Demographic Shifts in Midterm Elections
42:00 to 43:19
Discussing demographic trends in key states and their electoral implications.
“Maine and New Hampshire are like two of the whitest states in the nation, literally.”
Response to Mary Peltola's Controversy
43:20 to 46:14
Analyzing the reactions to allegations against Mary Peltola and their political significance.
“That's amazing What do you make of the muted reaction?”
Trump's Behavior During Xi's Visit
46:15 to 48:47
Critiquing Trump's conduct during Xi's visit and the implications for U.S.-China relations.
“You have to feed her lizard And you're mad Then quit or shut up It's also just like If it was a dog, no one would have said anything.”
Bobby Pulido on Voter Sentiment and Party Dynamics
52:12 to 56:01
Bobby Pulido discusses voter dissatisfaction and the political landscape in Texas.
“So Trump won handily in this district in 2024.”
Discussing Political Challenges and Strategies
56:01 to 59:22
Learn about the challenges of campaigning as a Democrat in predominantly Republican areas and the importance of community engagement.
“And she said, there's nothing that she could do.”
Fun Game: Choose in Texas or Cowboy Up
59:22 to 1:03:44
Enjoy a light-hearted game featuring rapid-fire questions about Texas culture and politics.
“And even though there are some interlopers who are trying to turn Austin into the godforsaken love child of Nashville and San Francisco.”
Transcript
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1:20welcome to pot save america i'm john favreau i'm john levitt i'm tommy vitor i'm dan pfeiffer We're excited to be here at TripFest. We're going to get into all the big races across the country and here in Texas. Bobby Polito is here. He'll be coming out soon. And before we get to the news, if you guys are free tomorrow and you want to help elect Democrats, we will be doing two events. We'd love to have you out. We're going to be at, we're going to be from one to three, we'll be joining Vote Save America and the Travis County Democrats for a canvas at Pan American Park in East Austin. So come join us.
2:07You don't need to sign up, just show up. All right. Let's start with the number one Texas Longhorns. And you know who's excited for the game tomorrow? Donald Trump. But you know what? he's going to Tennessee. And he has no plans to come back to Texas so far. I don't think he's coming back again before election day. He is, however, planning trips to Alabama and Oklahoma. Yeah, I thought I would get some booze there. But no real competitive races in either of those states. He has no plans to come back here. and uh republicans uh meanwhile here in texas republicans are spending uh like the the equivalent of a uh the gdp of like a mid-sized country uh to try to save ken paxton um and greg abbott and maybe even the republican majority in the state uh dan what do you make of this new deep red state tour that Trump is on.
3:19Like, I did not expect five weeks out, or whatever it is, from the midterms, Trump to be going to Alabama and Oklahoma.
3:27Jon Favreau:I think we should just begin by saying it's so funny that Trump, that if Trump wants to see the Texas Longhorns, he could have come to Texas, but he doesn't want to get booed like Ted Cruz. So, I think Trump looks at every problem and sees the solution as more Trump. So he sees his party cratering the midterms. He's like, I got to get out there. I got to get out there. And his party is trying to steer him into the least damaging place as possible, which are the quintessential swing states of Alabama and Oklahoma. And even in Alabama, I actually think he could cause them real problems because he's going to the Alabama two, which is the district that is represented by a Democrat Shemari figures, which is one of the majority minority districts that the Supreme court struck down.
4:10Jon Favreau:This is a district that Trump won by 14 points, but 40 % of the electorate in that district is black and we've seen since post-calay huge turnout among black voters so i think there's a very real chance that trump could actually in trying to do no harm could do real harm even in this very very deeply red district let's hope so shout out harm let's talk about the senate race here in texas uh you guys heard about it uh senate republican super PAC uh is now committed to spending another $30 million against James Tallarico in the final weeks. And one Republican source told Punchbowl today that they think they're going to hit$200 million all in by the time this race is over.
4:55And even though Dems, though, are getting outspent everywhere, here in Texas, they are taking James Tallarico's small but persistent polling lead seriously. And last night, Thursday night They launched a new super PAC Called Texas Forever So cavalry's coming Love it Senate Republican PAC spent more than $20 million supporting John Cornyn In the primary Did not work Do we even think that $200 million can rehabilitate A candidate like Paxton Who most voters here Do know extremely well Well let's just ask people from Texas us that question, how many ads would you have to see to change your mind about Ken Paxton?
5:41And is there enough time to run those ads before the heat death of the universe? How much would they have to pay you personally? Right. So there was a focus group, Kristen Soltis Anderson ran this focus group, Fred of the show. And she had 12 2024 Trump voters who were either considering Tallarico or undecided. and she asked, what is the first word that comes to mind when you think of either candidate? And they were not totally sold on James Tallarico, but these are the words that they said for Paxton. Crooked, criminal, crook, crooked, bad, immoral, disgusting, corrupt, morally corrupt, and womanizer.
6:24Jon Favreau:You know... They're on the fence. You can do a lot of good with an ad campaign for a new restaurant. It doesn't work as well. when everybody's been there and gotten food poisoning. I mean, I assume all the money is just going to go. It's going to be hard to prop up Paxton, but it's probably just going to be Tallarico attack ads. Hard negative, yeah. Speaking of Tallarico, I saw that right here on this stage Thursday, he challenged Paxton to a debate on Fox News. Yeah. No dice, no takers for that debate from Paxton. uh talarico did call paxton's choice low t um tommy do you think there's any chance that paxton takes the bait at some point you know considering like at least fox news is friendlier territory and if you're talarico you're the talarico campaign do you keep pushing this challenge um like maybe by going on fox or is that not the best use of time i think for them there were like a couple pieces to the strategy.
7:29The first was, how do we get through this interview
7:33Jon Favreau:at the Texas Tribune Fest? And there's a couple ways you can do it. You can come in knowing that there's a bunch of national press here, knowing that they're going to write up some headline about what you say, and you kind of white-knuckle it and hope that the headlines are the best version of your response to attacks from Republicans about your record, or you walk up on stage with a bucket full of blood, and you throw chum in the water, and that's exactly what they did here with this debate thing saying like, I'm going to debate Ken Paxton and we're going to do it on Fox News. It worked. Not that you're all fish or anything.
8:02Jon Favreau:No, the press are fish. And it worked beautifully with the National Press Corps. Like that was the headline he got. And they followed up today with this video of Tallarico calling Paxton's number and leaving him a voicemail to invite him. And it was all very clever and I think well executed. I think bigger picture, when your opponent is like his whole message against you is that you're a wimp and you're low T and your rejoinder is like, all right, bitch, debate me on Fox News. Like it's a home game for you. That's a pretty good way to respond. And do I think it'll happen? Probably not. If it does, like, I think Tallarico can hold his own, but we should just be...
8:38Jon Favreau:You think? Well, but at the end of the day, at the end of the day, Fox News is Fox News, and they are an extension of the MAGA media machine, and that is true for Brett Baer, who would host the debate, because we all, I think, saw pictures of Brett and his lovely wife at the state dinner at the White House two nights ago, right? Like, he's very much... You know, people in D.C. treat some Fox News hosts like they are straight newsmen and women, when in reality they're all sort of working for the same master. But I think it was a smart play. I think it's something he'll probably repeat. Tallarica will probably repeat.
9:06Jon Favreau:But I'm not sure it'll be like a focus. I'm skeptical that it'll happen. It's pretty extraordinary, right? Because Paxton needs the debate. He needs the help of a debate. The fact that they are so... That's if he performs at the debate in a way that resembles a human. Well, if you trust that, right. Well, like, if you just, if you believe that Paxton is a little bit behind Tallarico based on all the polls that we've been seeing over and over again, he's got to do something to change it. And the fact that he's so, he is so, has so little confidence in his ability to win that kind of an argument that even from behind, usually the winning candidate, the candidate ahead is not the one demanding an opportunity to have a big stage in which they face the opponent.
9:50That's what a challenger does. I think he should go on, I think Tallarico should go on, like Jesse Waters show and do the challenge there too. And then you get a bunch. Take the Jesse Waters challenge.
10:00Jon Favreau:It's all about getting attention. You know what I mean? Like the throwing out the debate idea was a gambit to get attention. It worked. Going on Fox News, it'll get you attention. I mean, it's always to debate. The version of the interview you're going to get on Fox News is likely to be combative. And maybe that's a good thing because your supporters like it. Like I watched the debate, the interview Abdul El-Sayed did with Jesse Waters and I kind of winced a bunch of times and I was like, I don't know about that. But then I went out to Detroit, and he did a town hall, and I saw people yelling to the stage, you whooped his ass, Abdul!
10:30Jon Favreau:You know, so, like, people liked it. Do you think Tommy the Tallarico wants the debate? I think so. I mean, if I had the opportunity to stand physically side-by-side with Ken Paxson and talk about my record, I would do it every day. Talk about mogging. Talk about the governor's race. It wasn't that long ago that National Democrats and media types were saying that Greg Abbott was a lock. Not us, though. We talked to Gina. You know, it was a long time ago. And now she's, yeah, we were ahead of the game there. It happens once in a while. Did we see the pulse coming or did we change the pulse? We don't know.
11:05Yeah, exactly. So Abbott's running scared now. And one way you can tell is he has completely changed his tune from wanting Texas to be a, quote, epicenter of AI development a year ago. and now he's imposing a data center moratorium, or at least on new permits, now that we're getting close to election day. Lovett, what do you make of Abbott's data center pivot, and why do you think the guy who won his race by 11 points last time around is now in such a tight race this time? Yeah, so I think a lot of Republicans have been caught off guard by the backlash to data centers. I can see it being an especially tough issue for someone like Greg Abbott, The latest data is that the request for power for these new data centers in Texas would require five times as much power as is currently peak demand in Texas in a state that, I mean, you all will tell me if I'm wrong.
12:04Have questions, concerns, lingering doubts about Greg Abbott's ability to manage the electric grid? the other, sure. And the other part of this too is, so it's not just that people really don't like the idea of having a data center in their neighborhood. You think about the kind of people that are like maybe older homeowners that might be really bothered by something like this. That's where Greg Abbott has won in the past. That's the one group where Paxton does okay. And an older homeowner is also the kind of person who shows up at a town meeting, fills out the form to provide their feedback, doesn't let something go, and might change their mind when Hossa is the one who came at it for a moratorium first.
12:44I think Greg Abbott wants this to be a pivot. In reality, looking at what he's doing, he is saying that there is a pause. He is allowing a process to unfold that could allow him to have basically complete flexibility after the election in November to either return to the policy as it was or paper over it with some sort of cosmetic changes and allow it to continue. So I think he's just trying to get through this without losing people for whom this could be a deciding issue. We should talk about Ina Hossa's message. She is running an ad where a person who attended the January 6th rally says she's voting against Abbott because he's bought and paid for by the billionaires and the corporations.
13:26Oof, lost to J6er. Oh, there are famously impressionable bunts. And she's running another ad pushing back on the two woke attacks with a page from the Republican script saying, my pronouns are mom, Texan, and soon-to-be governor. Good ad. Good ad. Tommy, what do you think of how Hinojosa has positioned herself and her strategy in general?
13:50Jon Favreau:Sure. I was talking to a guy named Matt Angle earlier today who runs the Lone Star Project. He's a long-term Democratic fan. Some fans out there. He said one of his rules for running successfully as a Democrat in Texas is don't get caught being a liberal. And I think Gina is executing on that strategy. I think, you know, as much as we all loved Beto and were inspired by his campaign, I think, you know, there was, he got a lot of national media attention. I think he became kind of like a national media darling and seen as like the great hope of the Democratic Party. And that probably hurt him back here.
14:24Jon Favreau:And she's not gonna make that mistake. I think Gina is a tougher race because, you know, Greg Abbott is not the most exciting candidate. Doesn't have a lot of riz. but he's got a lot of money and a good ground game that's sort of operating year round. So he's way tougher than Ken Paxton. And so her strategy is basically to win about 60 % of the Latino vote, to blow it out in the five big urban counties, and then to get like double digits with independents and then peel off as many kind of rural Republicans as she possibly can. And the two ways they're trying to do that is through issues. The first is education.
15:01Jon Favreau:So Abbott has a bunch of donors that are big charter school supporters. It's one of them, that guy, Jeff Yass. He's like TikTok CEO or something, right? He's a TikTok investor. And at the state dinner the other night, they just listed him on the, he's the guy who convinced Trump to save TikTok. To save TikTok. And so he just says, Jeff Yass, TikTok. Okay, great. So Jeff Yass is one of them. And so, you know, he gives Abbott a bunch of money. Surprise, surprise. All of a sudden money is getting routed from public schools to charter schools. And that means that schools are closing in these communities.
15:36Jon Favreau:You've got 150 school districts in Texas. The kids are going four days a week. That's crazy to me. Crazy awesome. And then, you know, like, obviously it's like infuriating for parents. But then also if you live in that community, like you're losing the culture, you're losing Friday Night Lights football. You're the biggest employer in the area is shutting down in some cases. So that's an area where she's really targeting like MAGA moms who are pissed about this issue. and then the data center issue is another like big opportunity there's a group called uh breaking ranks or break ranks which is a bunch of like you know rock ribbed republicans conservatives in rural areas who are furious about data centers and gina has gone and met with them and heard them out and made all this really compelling content with them and she's hoping to like get some of those voters because if you can flip somebody that's worth two votes in terms as opposed to just turning someone else out.
16:28Jon Favreau:And so it's a, you know, it's a tall order. I think someone told me today, like he thinks Gina's running dollar for dollar, the best campaign in the state. He's just worried she's going to run out of dollars because you got to do a lot of things. You got to turn out a lot of voters in big media markets. You got to convince Latinos on the border. You have to reach these rural voters. So it's tough, but you know, she's running a smart campaign. I agree with that 100%. She is running one of the best campaigns, not just in the state, but in the country. And the reason that I like it so much is that so often Democrats in red states run to lose by less than the person who ran before them.
17:04Jon Favreau:And she is being aggressive. She is taking bold stances. She's getting out in front on issues like data centers, flock cameras. She's doing these ads like this. She's just being, she is playing to win because she knows that the only way that a Democrat is going to win the governorship in Texas is to run a very high variance strategy, to take real risks, and she's doing that. And that's like a model for what Democrats should be doing around the country in these races. We have in these places we haven't run governance races in a quarter century. So there are a lot of House races in play here as well.
17:35As you'll recall, Republicans famously kicked off the country's redistricting wars here in Texas last year because Donald Trump demanded more House Republican seats. Except now a bunch of the new districts that they drew to elect Republicans are competitive anyway. We'll be talking to Bobby Pulido about his race against Monica de la Cruz in the 15th district There's an open seat in the 35th around San Antonio where Democrat Johnny Garcia is running against Monica de la Cruz's brother Carlos In the 23rd, Katie Padilla-Stout is working to beat that absolute lunatic Brandon Herrera And we've got an emerging race in the 11th where our own Vote Save America recruit Claire Reynolds jumped into the race against August Pflueger and has a really good shot.
18:21Dan, too early to tell, of course, but how much of what we are seeing in the House races here is, and the shift towards Democrats, is due to the national environment? And how much do you think it's something specific changing about the views of Texas voters and different demographic groups of Texas?
18:41Jon Favreau:Obviously, the biggest factor in Texas and everywhere else is the fact that the president is incredibly unpopular. He has launched an incredibly stupid war that everyone hates. It's raised gas prices above$4 a gallon and diesel above$7 a gallon and made mortgage rates at 7%. That is everything that's driving everything. But the forces that are causing the Republicans to possibly bottom out are magnified here in Texas because the two groups who Trump is losing the most ground with across the country have the greatest concentration of taxes. It's Latino voters. who have abandoned Trump in droves.
19:18Jon Favreau:We've seen that not just in polls, we've seen that in special election results here in Texas. And it's working class white women. And so here you have, you know, Texas is a state where, you know, 30 % of voting eligible population is Latino. We expect a quarter of the electorate to be Latino. That shift is going to cause huge, it's a huge problem for Republicans that you're not seeing in other states because here you have both a large working class white population and a large Latino population. And that is sort of all the suburbanites and all this stuff. Trump lost those doors before. These are the ones he's losing now.
19:50Jon Favreau:And so that's why this is a generational opportunity for Democrats to win Texas.
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Read the full transcript
23:28All right, we're going to have more news in a bit, but we have a game first. And we're back. We come from the land of California to study your ways. Brisket, solar power, plastic straws.
23:46There is much for us to learn, but where Texas truly stands apart these days is in your main renewable resource, shocking political scandals. And so it's time for a game we're calling Two Scandals and a Lie, Remember the Alibi.
24:04Here's how it works. I'm going to read my boys here about three scandals, two of which are real, one of which we made up. You have to identify the lie. Here we go. First up, A, stole a$1 ,000 Montblanc pen from a security bin at a courthouse metal detector and was caught on video. Next, B, said while purchasing ham for target practice was expensive, it was still cheaper than a homeless person while firing a gun at a ham. Or C, once gave a sermon at his own church in which he revealed his struggle to forgive Jesus for being Jewish.
24:39Jon Favreau:Oh my God. Which did we make up? I'm guessing B, but it's believable. Is all of the above not an option? No, it is not. These are sincere. There's no tricks. Okay. I kind of think it's the church one. But I don't know. Dan? Decide. The ham is just so specific. Have you been inside Levitt's Brain recently? Let's go with the church That's right, that is the one we made up The ham, obviously Ken Paxton is the pen The ham was Brandon Herrera for Texas 23rd In a YouTube video So he stole the ham to shoot at the ham? No, no, he purchased the ham He bought the ham, shot the ham Shooting the ham was fine It was the homeless person Poor use of ham, but sure Next up, called on his social media followers to vote in a poll asking whether Jews or Muslims are the bigger threat to America.
25:35B, posted a late night video of himself railing against the perverted left, recorded what was from very clearly inside a strip club. Or C, said that a gun rage's dummy's empty head was full of mush, much like the average Austin feminist. Ooh. I think some of them are here. I feel like these are all Brendan Herrera, right? Yeah, it sounds like it. The first one I know is right. I don't know about the next two. What do you think? Is it the strip club or is it the mushy-headed Austin feminist?
26:11Jon Favreau:I'm guessing he wasn't streaming from a strip club, so I'll say that was fake. That's correct. Okay. Actually, the poll between bigger threat Jews or Muslims was Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Beau French. I mix those two up sometimes. And yes, the Austin feminist comment was from Brandon Herrera. Next up. Oh, bonus question. Bonus question. Herrera filmed himself firing a gun at bottles of ranch dressing and after they exploded, rubbing ranch dressing on himself and declaring that the ranch would make him irresistible to whom? Who would be irresistible to a ranch-covered Brandon Herrera?
26:56The answer Fat bitches Don't I'm just reading it Don't boo vote That was a good Yeah don't boo vote Next up Use campaign donations To pay for his wife's Hair extensions Horse breeder And psychic visits In a social media post Asked If you believe Harris's policies Are better for Americans Than Trump's policies You are is the poll, ignorant, a liar, retarded, or gay. Or C, was impeached in part over$20 ,000 worth of kitchen countertops. Kitchen countertops. Corrupt kitchen countertops. I think that's right. Which is it? What do you think? I guess an A. I don't even remember what A was. It was the donations for the psychic.
27:48And you're right. It was Beau French with the poll. And it was Ken Paxton, who the House articles allege that Austin real estate developer Nate Paul paid for those countertops. Wow. I bet they were fucking ugly, too. Well, French really loves doing these polls, huh? Yeah. Yeah, he just wants to get a vibe check on the people. And that's two scandals and a lie, colon, remember the alibi.
28:20Wow. All right. Well, Texas isn't the only place freaking out Republicans right now. We are now a little over five weeks from Election Day. And here's the latest headline from the best in the business forecasters at Cook Political Report. GOP on track to lose House majority as 15 race ratings shift toward Dems. That was today.
28:45Here we go. Standing ovation for the Cook Political Report, for those of you listening.
28:50Jon Favreau:Dave Wasserman fans here. Okay, so they say that the most likely outcome at this point is that Democrats pick up anywhere from 5 to 15 House seats, which even at the low end would mean no more Speaker Mike Johnson.
29:09Dan, it seems like this is where money really makes the difference at the end of a campaign like this, where suddenly there's a bunch of seats potentially in play that neither side really thought were going to be the most competitive districts. If you are sitting at the DCCC right now or an affiliated super PAC, how are you making decisions about where to invest in the final stretch, knowing that you can't do everything?
29:38Jon Favreau:Yeah, you can tell the Republicans know the House is gone because they've moved much of their money to districts that Trump won by 10 to 15 points. So there's three districts that Trump won by 15 points that they're investing in right here in Texas. They're doing all across the country. And the goal here is not to preserve the majority. It's to limit the size of the Democratic majority to make it easier for them to potentially get it back in 2028 or 2030. So this is where having basically unlimited money matters because it allows Republicans to play in a whole bunch of races to shore them off that Democrats cannot.
30:09Jon Favreau:We do not have that money. So Democrats have to be incredibly disciplined about how to do it. And it's like, we want to win as many seats as possible. We want the largest majority possible. It allows us to do the most stuff. It also sends the most powerful message to the country, the post-Trump Republican Party, to the CEOs, law firms, media companies who have kowtowed to Trump that politics has changed in America. But Hakeem Jeffries is speaker, whether we have a one-seat majority or a 50-seat majority. And so you have to be very disciplined in how you spend your money. And if I was there, the way I would think about it is, I think you can assume that given this political environment, Democrats will win all nine seats that Kamala Harris won.
30:51Jon Favreau:They currently have Republicans. And some of those are, we're already going by a lot because they're the seats in California that Gavin Newsom redistricted. And then as you think about where are you going to place your bets in other races around the country? There's a number of seats, I think it's 11, that are in districts that Trump won by less than five points. And some of those are, he won by like 0.1%, like or.02 % like in Virginia 2 or Virginia 1, I can't remember which. And so where I would place my bets is I would look very heavily at districts of the following kind. One with large Latino populations.
31:23Jon Favreau:This is where there's the greatest possible swing in the electorate. So I would look very, obviously invest a lot here in Texas, but also in Florida. Because prior, up until a few weeks ago, you'd seen this real split between how the Latino vote around the country was performing and how it was performing in Florida. But that has changed basically since gas prices went even higher. And so now there are districts like Florida 27 and Florida 13 that were thought to be likely Republican that are now very well within play. Florida 27 is Mary Elvira Salazar who ran the ad attacking Trump over immigration.
31:54Jon Favreau:Then I would look at some of these districts in the south that have large black populations. I really do think one of the driving things here is going to be a huge surge in black turnout as a response to the Supreme Court just eliminating potentially a third of the Congressional Black Caucus. And then you want to, I really think that, and this is counterintuitive, but I think you're going to make some real ground in rural districts like North Carolina too, where it is rural areas, which is why Iowa's on the map, Ohio's on the map this time, and frankly why Texas is on the map, is that the rural parts of this country that have been the most pro-Trump have been hammered the most by the trade wars, tariffs, the agriculture policy where Trump's response to high beef prices was to import beef from Argentina, which tends to make American ranchers not particularly happy.
32:38Jon Favreau:And then diesel, right? The cross-field, like the agriculture economy runs on diesel, and$7 diesel is crushing these people. So I think there's some real opportunities in some districts. This is why we have a couple districts in Iowa that are in play. It's the North Carolina Convention. You've got to just pick your opportunities because we can't play everywhere because we have so little money compared to the Republicans. I think those spending restraints compared to the opportunity are why you're starting to hear some sort of operatives and candidates It's like voicing concern and frustration that some of the traditional like big, big donors to the Democratic Party are not viewing this as the generational opportunity that it could be.
33:12Jon Favreau:Because I was talking to someone today who was like, let me paint for you the like extreme optimistic picture, which is Democrats are not only winning on the generic ballot. But if you look at the top, like most salient issues, we are crushing in those areas as well, which was not the case in 2024. right? When Republicans made immigration really salient, Democrats were viewed as on the wrong side of it, and we were getting hammered. Then there's the Latino vote element that you talked about. And then if you look at the special and off-year elections and the Democratic over-performance, it's like 14 points on average as compared to 2024, and it's held.
33:51Jon Favreau:And that over-performance is better than 17 and 18. And so in a scenario where the results on election day look more like the overperformance in those specials, which we all stipulate is a different electorate and they're weird and whatever, but if it does, it is like truly a historic opportunity to win statewide races, congressional races, down ballot, up and down. And it just feels like a moment when all the biggest donors in the party should be pushing all their chips in the table as aggressively as possible and not holding back for, I don't know what reason, Trump bothering them? Yeah, I think there has been a huge shift in the funding approach in the large donor community since 2024.
34:33Jon Favreau:Part of it is people still angry about how that election went and feeling like they won a billion dollars on fire in that election, which is a fair quibble in some ways. And then there are a lot of people who are very afraid of being targeted by Trump. Like, just that your business is going to be targeted, you're going to have all of a sudden, the FBI is going to show up at your door, you're going to have regulatory scrutiny you wouldn't have before, and so that has limited the money. You're exactly right, Tommy, because the average polling error on the generic ballot in a House race is about three points.
35:06Jon Favreau:And there's a very real possibility it is three points in the right direction, where you're looking at one of the largest swings in American history, something where Democrats could pick up races we've never even thought possible. We've been using 2006 as the most relevant example of an election because it's an unpopular president, unpopular war, all of that. But it very well could be a little more like 94, where everything changes, where it's a realigning election. And the other, I mean, you were saying earlier that, you know, if Keem Jeffries is speaker, he's speaker. And it doesn't matter if there's like another 10, 15, 20 seats, Trump's still president.
35:40But the important thing is to not just look at what this means for the next two years, but to look at 28 and beyond. Because if this is an opportunity to win a bunch of House seats that Democrats couldn't win in a normal year because the environment's so bad for Republicans, and we pick up a whole bunch of seats and then win the presidency in 2028, then that's going to make it more likely for that Democratic president to actually be able to pass a real agenda through Congress because we got all these seats in 2026, knowing that in 2032, then you have a typical midterm year that the party in power loses seats.
36:15And so you're building up more seats now. Not to mention the possibility of picking up Senate seats in places that in a more typical year we'd have no chance of getting, right? Like all the doomer version of this shift, right, is there is this shift in places that have been hurt the most, right, in places like Iowa, Kansas. People are talking about Nebraska, right? But if we almost win those places while kind of doing as well as 2006 and a bunch of other places, we don't get extra credit at the end for having not picked up those seats in this one moment where we had the chance.
36:47Jon Favreau:The Senate matters even more because you get it for six years. you get to live through when the wave recedes. So, yeah.
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39:37Well, let's talk about the Cinemap. Republicans started the cycle, you know, hoping to hold North Carolina and beat John Ossoff in Georgia. And now their campaign committee is asking donors just recently for$9 million in emergency money to defend Alaska, Iowa, Ohio. Cook also moved Kansas where J.D. Vance was sent to campaign from likely Republican to lean Republican. Send him three more times. I know. And South Carolina, they moved from solid Republican to likely Republican. Republican Senator John Kennedy, who's been campaigning in Iowa and Nebraska, told Reuters that six months ago, he never imagined he'd be spending his time campaigning in states like these because they should be, quote, fat guy layups.
40:28Does anyone know what that means? That was my question. It's when you don't jump. Yeah, you don't have a good jump. You kind of just lay it in. You don't have a big vertical leap because of your heaviness. Does that make it easy? Right. No, that's the question.
40:41Jon Favreau:It's supposed to be easy is what he's saying. Yeah. And a fat guy doing a layup is not necessarily easy. That was my question. You know what? I don't know. Anyway. Now, Tommy, Dan and I talked about this on yesterday's show, but, you know, the New York Times polls show Susan Collins ahead three points in Maine, Democrats in Michigan and New Hampshire are ahead, but still underperforming the generic ballot. How do you reconcile those two pictures of the Senate map where Cook is moving all these red state races towards Democrats, but then we saw those polls. We got the fat guy layups and a dual-estad dunk.
41:19Jon Favreau:What I like about John Kennedy is he had to get degrees from Vanderbilt, UVA, and Oxford to sound that folksy. You know that about him? Yeah. If you go look at old videos of John Kennedy are amazing because it wasn't his voice. He really learned the folksy thing later. He's just a really smart guy. Yeah, no, he's like, I'm Yosemite Sam accent thing. I think, you know, the states that came out, the concerning polling were, let's start with Maine and New Hampshire. Maine, like Susan Collins, has overperformed in a bunch of elections. She may very well do so again. She's a known quantity there. She drives us crazy, but they like her.
41:56Jon Favreau:Also, Maine and New Hampshire, like Dan talked about this historic swing of Latino voters that we're seeing nationwide and that's showing up in these polls. Maine and New Hampshire are like two of the whitest states in the nation, literally. So you're just not going to see that demographic shift showing up there. Old too. Old too. And then, you know, Michigan, I think, is a little more complicated of a story. You've got Abdul Asayyad emerging from a primary where$70 million worth of attack ads were dumped on his head and that obviously left a mark. You have got a candidate in Abdul who is pretty progressive and a state that has in recent years been more purple or swingy.
42:33Jon Favreau:And maybe there's a bit of a penalty there. Although you also see Abdul winning on issues like Medicare for all, like 60 % majority support Medicare for all. And then just old school Islamophobia could be a piece of it. You guys, I'm sure, were forced to endure the midterm mini convention here in Dallas. Their entire focus when they talked about Abdul was to basically blame him for 9-11 and, you know, accuse him of being a terrorist. So it's just gross. He was 14, I think. Yeah, he was literally 16 years old. And so, you know, we'll see if those things add up to significant headwinds for him on election day or if you know maybe it's temporary maybe it's maybe it's gone but i think those are the factors um one update on another senate story from this week uh so the reaction to the new york times story about mary peltola's alleged poor treatment of her staff offensive language forced chameleon feeding uh that's not like a weird euphemism like feeding her pet chameleon The crickets, you know, feed the crickets to the chameleon Anyway, the reaction has been considerably less Pearl clutchy from Democrats Than you might have expected Even a couple years ago Here's a good example from Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego When he was asked about this Also a combat veteran And he said, quote When I was 25, I had a really bad boss He made me run across an open fucking field Of raking machine gun fire to breach a door
44:08That's great Meanwhile, Peltola's opponent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan Called the allegations very disturbing A character issue And the Republican Campaign Committee Called her dangerous and unhinged Stupid Love it, how about those fucking snowflakes, huh? That's amazing What do you make of the muted reaction? Like, signs of growth? Just desperate to win? A little bit of both? Yeah, sure Look, I think there was a moment where, especially when people were in their homes and there was a lot of toxic online culture, people were afraid to say what they thought, which is like, do I think it's great if a boss calls an employee a f***?
44:47No, but I think the Senate's more important. But now we're like, no, the stakes are too high. And we've just been through too many rounds of this. and the fact that there are people that would be working for a Democratic member of Congress who may have been rude and mean at the darkest moment in her life, by the way, like after experiencing incredible tragedy, and then six weeks before an election to leak that to the Times. It is a privilege to pretend you don't have to think about the stakes. Everybody has to think about the stakes. And whether or not Donald Trump can appoint right-wing anti-choice judges for two years, whether or not we have genuine investigations in the Senate, Like, these are the stakes in the election.
45:27And there's not a gay guy from Austin to underneath the docks in Provincetown who wouldn't be happily called a c***ing guzzling f***er to have a Democratic Senate. Just a mincing, butt-munching ass pirate. And if we have to get Mary Peltola, honestly, we could knight her. Go to find the gayest f***ing person you can find in the state of Texas, in the state of Alaska. Have her kneel and have a sword Go to both sides And say you may call us Wherever the fuck you want Mary Peltola If you win this seat
46:08Anyway if you're listening Mary Peltola come on Pod Save America That'll help That'll help in the home stretch You have to feed her lizard And you're mad Then quit or shut up It's also just like If it was a dog, no one would have said anything. It's just because it was a chameleon and they ate crickets.
46:28Jon Favreau:I had lizards growing up. It's not hard. You give them like one cricket a week. They're fine. What kind of lizards did you have, Tommy? A bunch, man. What were they called? No, they weren't really chameleons. Anyway, they were cool. You let them go in the yard. They'd free range for a summer. Later on, subscribers will get a chance to hear about Tommy's lizards. Yes, that is a subscriber benefit. Cricket.com slash friends. I can't believe Mary Peltola won't come on Pod Save America. It was shocking You'll be seeing Lovett fish with her soon Finally Before we bring Bobby Polito on In case you were all wondering What critical issues The world's two biggest superpowers And competitors focused on During Chinese President Xi's Visit to Washington The answer is Donald Trump's home renovations Trump gave Xi A personal tour of his Brand new White House helipad And then told reporters that Xi has a, quote, great interest in granite, loves granite.
47:28Then at the state dinner, Trump went off script to invite Xi and the entire room, the entire dinner, to, after dinner was over, walk behind the curtain and become, quote, the first people to step foot on the ballroom construction site. Very exciting. Which we learned this week from the Washington Post was not originally designed with sufficient emergency exits and fire containment measures. What? But when the original architect pointed out that the ballroom wouldn't meet building codes, Trump reportedly said, I am the code. That's real. Tommy, a lot of places we could go with this. Yeah. What do you think she thinks of Donald Trump?
48:12Jon Favreau:He's just, he thinks he's a clown. The whole thing was so embarrassing. Usually a bilateral meeting between two great superpowers has like a purpose or an outcome that you're preparing to get to um this one was a joke like they just they they continue to punt the trade war they didn't really figure out anything real about artificial intelligence um super intelligence super intelligence that's how i know trump tried to curry favor with xi by by with all this protocol and pomp and circumstances to include meeting him at the airport which like chinese are big on protocol. And I can just assure you that that made them think that Trump looked like subservience.
48:54I didn't go to LAX to pick up my wife. No one. Don Jr. is like, oh, you're going to pick up G at the airport. Cool. Yeah, for sure. No. But all those years you pick me up from camp,
49:06Jon Favreau:dad. The one time Obama met someone at the airport was the Pope and he reports to a higher power, as we all know. So like it kind of made sense in that context. The whole meeting was a joke. Trump looks like an absolute clown in front of Xi. Xi's got him over a barrel with like rare earths and all these like trade issues. And so the whole thing was just stupid. He's got a thing for commies. Yeah, he does. Xi, McDonny. That's just Trump's kink. All right. When we come back, we'll be talking to Texas Democratic House candidate Bobby Polito.
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52:00He's running against a Trump-backed Republican in Texas's 15th district in one of the most competitive races in the country. Could determine control of the House. He's also won a couple of Latin Grammys. Please welcome Bobby Pulido.
52:25Thank you for being here. Sorry, the Catholic came out in me. Yeah. Oh, I don't know. It's me. I'm Jewish too. We're fine. Congratulations. Totally fine. So Trump won handily in this district in 2024. But something is changing. Your race is one of the races, I believe, that got moved to the toss-up category. Yes. And your opponent, in a recent leaked audio, said of a poll, Oh, sweet Lord Jesus, that's not good. What are you hearing from voters about why people who may have voted for Trump are sort of turning away from him and his allies? Okay, there's two questions there. That part where she said that was like really early in the year.
53:28It's gotten a lot worse since then. But I'll tell you, you know, people don't like getting lied to. How about a novel idea there, right? They said there was going to be no new wars. And now when they put gas and diesel now that's$6 a gallon, they're reminded that they got lied to. Still waiting for a health care plan since 2017. It's been one lie after the other, really. The only thing that he can probably hang his hat is that the border is secure. But now there's no chaos on the border. It's chaos in the streets. And there's people really living in fear down there. You know, the Rio Grande Valley is 94 % Hispanic.
54:08And now that they allowed them to racial profile based on, you know, race or language, imagine what that does to a community. Any community, I don't care which one that's living in fear cannot function properly. And people are really angry. You got to understand a lot of these voters were voting Republican because of, you know, Chamber of Commerce Republicans, lower tax cuts. they're finding out right now that those policies are actually bad for business. And that's the biggest break that I've seen. I think people right now, both parties are not popular because nobody represents the people. And we ran with a platform based on, I'm not here for the party, I'm here for you.
54:53And does that mean that, I don't think people fit into the heterodoxy of either party, especially Hispanics. So, speaking of what's been happening with ICE, your opponent was originally very supportive of the Trump immigration crackdown, back cuts to Medicaid, back the huge increase in funding for ICE and detention centers. She's now running ads about getting someone out of detention, the detention she voted to increase by billions and billions of dollars. It's amazing what happens when they think they're going to lose. Right. What was your reaction to that? What is your response to her claim that she's sort of been looking out for people that have been grabbed by ice?
55:39Oh gosh, it's completely disingenuous. I mean, everything started like right after I won the primary. There was a group of mariachis and a couple of kids that got, that had gone, she took them to Washington to go play for her. and she was actually like showing a selfie. Look, I'm here with mariachi kids. And then they got detained and they asked her to go help them. And she said, there's nothing that she could do. So on a Saturday, I called her out for her hypocrisy. I showed the video. And by Monday, she hauled out, I'm not lying, a big podium out at the detention center and pulled one of them out like as if she was Joaquin Castro.
56:22I would have never thought if you had told me in 2024 that a Republican would be out there saying, look what I'm doing for the immigrants. I would have told you you're crazy. But she absolutely wants to have it both ways. And you can't. Now, we're going to play a game in a moment. But one last question, which is you've talked about sort of people feeling dissatisfied with both parties. One of the challenges, it seems, is you're dealing with a caricature people might have of somebody running as a Democrat. First of all, what does that feel like to you? And what are the questions you get about that?
56:57And then how do you go against that? Just honest. I mean, there is a caricature. But, you know, you got to understand, like, they gerrymandered the district so much that for a long time, the Democrats would not go campaign in these rural areas because they could win it with a vote in the RGV, in the Rio Grande Valley. So we were kind of negligent in not going and showing up. I'm not making that same mistake. We've gone to every single county, the reddest counties, counties that don't have a Democratic Party. And the people need to trust you and you can't show up with three months or with a commercial to earn their vote.
57:34And the polling shows that it's been working because we're actually showing up. And I think that's the secret. That's the secret sauce is we got to get out there. It's a lot of work. We're not going to win an election based on commercials or mailers.
57:48Jon Favreau:probably doesn't hurt that you played concerts in a lot of places well before you were ever in politics that must be nice look um that's the foot in the door but it doesn't close it i mean it absolutely there's a lot of people that want to know like are you uh you know the scary democrat that we keep hearing about and you got to show them that i just want you to have affordable health care i you know i want you to i want people to be able to live their life without fear and once they hear that, they're like, well, I agree with that. Well, so do I. And so it's not that hard to be honest with you.
58:24The one thing I don't do is I don't go shame them for how they voted. We don't talk about the past. We're looking at the future and we're running that kind of race. We're running against somebody that's really trying to, the same old smear tactics. They call me a quinceanera singer, right? Like on primary night and like trying to be like Trump. and we got invited to over a thousand quinceaneras in one day.
58:50And no, I'm serious. Like we've had 5 ,000 invites since and we've done 75 of them. That's amazing. Yeah. And we actually send them, you know, we ask, we have one ask. Can we have volunteers there to sign people up? And they go, yeah. That's our grassroots movement. That's awesome. Nice. Well, you've graciously agreed to stick around for a game. Austin, bring out the game hat.
59:23Wow.
59:29So, Texas. We love it here. And even though there are some interlopers who are trying to turn Austin into the godforsaken love child of Nashville and San Francisco.
59:41You said it, I didn't. No, I'm just kidding. It still rules. I got a giant plate of brisket last night, and they just threw some extra on there for fun, and maybe because there was some sadness in my eyes because Tommy didn't come with me. And even though I was stuffed, I got a dipped cone on my way back, and then I died, and then I saw Mitch McConnell, and now I'm here. For a game we're calling Choose in Texas or Cowboy Up. Here's how it works. We have questions in this hat For Bobby Polito Each of us will reach in and grab a question They're either ors And it's rapid fire You just gotta go with your gut Are you ready?
1:00:18I'm ready John, you wanna kick it off? Yeah, sure Try to get through as many as we can Beef brisket or pork ribs? Brisket Tear down the Trump ballroom Or leave it up and host a massive Record-breaking quinceañera there in 2029 What? Are we going to tear down the Trump ballroom or leave it up and you'll host a quinceañera there during the night? We'll tear that mother down. Okay. Nice.
1:00:45Jon Favreau:California or New York? Oh. Oh. I hate you. New York. Nice. If you hated him, you're going to hate me. Greg Abbott or Beau French?
1:01:03Why? Oh, my God. It's like gonorrhea or syphilis, right? That's a good answer.
1:01:14Bajo sexto or tolo loche? Ooh, bajo sexto. All right. Yeah, that's a good one. J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio?
1:01:28Neither, but Marco Rubio if I had to pick. Yeah, that's the right answer. Aggies or Longhorns?
1:01:38I have a UT son right now. Hook them horns, man. That's right. Yeah. All right. That was easy. Houston or Dallas? I'm a Houston Texan fan.
1:01:55Texas sheet cake or pecan pie? I don't even know what the first one was. What was that? Texas sheet cake? Never heard of that. I haven't either. I'm from the Valley. Excuse me, man. What do you guys think? Did you say cheesecake or sheet cake? Sheet cake. Sheet cake. I've never heard of that. Pecan pie. Pecan better? What do you guys think? Oh, people want the sheet cake answer. Ken Paxton or Beau French? They're different. Really, man? Shit. Gosh. No, man. That's Paxton, right? Yeah. I mean Over both French
1:02:36Jon Favreau:Yeah over both French For sure It's a tough choice Yeah it's a tough choice Dan or someone named John
1:02:45That's not I wrote this And that is not what it said I said I punched you up Dan or Tommy Go with your gut
1:02:56Well Tommy You were the first one To interview me on podcast Oh there we go Fair enough
1:03:01Jon Favreau:Fair enough Grammys or Latin Grammys oh gosh I have two Latin Grammys I don't have a Grammy Grammy there you go oh wow last one Ted Cruz beard or Ted Cruz no beard
1:03:24oh no this is and that was the last we ever saw of Bobby Pulido we broke him he was like that's it I'm going back to music You're asking me about Fat Wolverine? Sorry, man. No, no. Beard.
1:03:40Jon Favreau:Beard, right? I think the less of Ted Cruz's face you see, the better. Yeah, that's good. All right. Where can people go to sport your campaign before we wrap this? Bobby Bolido for Texas. And, you know, we're down to stretch. We definitely, you know, they have more money than we do, and we need to compete. So, you know, we'd be really gracious if people could go in there and donate. Thank you so much. Go, go. And that's our game. Thank you to Bobby Polito for joining us. Thank you all for joining us. And that's our show. We'll see you all later. Pods of America is a Crooked Media production. Our show is produced by Austin Fisher, Saul Rubin, McKenna Roberts, and Faris Safaris with Ree Cherlin, Elijah Cohn, and Adrian Hill.
1:04:20Our team includes Matt DeGroat, Ben Hethcote, Jordan Cantor, Charlotte Landis, David Tolles, Mia Kelman, Ryan Young, and Naomi Single. Our staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.
1:04:33Jon Favreau:If you missed some of your favorite Crooked Pods this week, don't worry. You can now catch up on the week's best moments on MS Now on Saturday nights. MS Now is streaming an episode of highlights from your favorite Crooked Pods, packing as much analysis, funny moments, and 100 % correct opinions into 40 minutes as humanly possible. Crooked on MS Now airs every Saturday at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific.
1:05:02Jon Favreau:This January, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship takes over the ocean. The inaugural Brews Cruise sails from Miami to the Bahamas aboard the Norwegian Jewel. Three straight days with pool deck bare knuckle fights in the Caribbean. Massive parties, beach events, DJs, cigars, tequila tastings, and non-stop action. The lineup reveals coming soon. Cabins are disappearing fast, and the prices won't stay this low. Reserve your spot with just$200 down at BKFSEA.com. At QVC, fall shopping is more than just checking out. It's discovering the brands you love across beauty, fashion, home, and culinary, all in one place.
1:05:44Whether you're getting ready for crisp mornings, cozy nights, or everyday moments, QVC has what you need for the season ahead. With brands like Laura Geller, Philosophy, Ninja, and so many more. Shop now at QVC.com.
From the publisher
Live from the Texas Tribune Festival, Jon, Tommy, Lovett, and Dan discuss the dream of a blue Texas and how the campaigns there are doing, from James Talarico's debate challenge to Ken Paxton, to Gina Hinojosa's momentum in the governor's race, to Donald Trump's decision to stay away entirely.
Then they discuss Trump's special welcome — and ballroom tour — for Chinese President Xi Jinping and an assorted cast of tech oligarchs, and the Republican Party's growing frustration with their underperformance in typically purple states like North Carolina and Georgia.
Then, award-winning Tejano artist Bobby Pulido, the Democratic nominee in Texas's must-win 15th district, stops by to talk about his race to unseat Trump-backed Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
Hate listening to ads? Become a Friends of the Pod subscriber for ad-free episodes of Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, Lovett or Leave It, Runaway Country, Offline with Jon Favreau, and more—plus exclusive content, including bonus episodes of Pod Save America. Subscribe now at crooked.com/friends, on Apple Podcasts, or through the Pod Save America YouTube channel.
You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.




