The Contrarian Pod

How Democrats Can Win the South After 2026

Vote drop after vote drop, Scott Colum is ever so slowly increasing his lead in Mississippi’s senate race. If the trend holds, he will be the first Black senator from the

The Latest in Mississippi and What Should Dems Do Now?

On the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with MSNow political analyst Anthony Coley. April and Anthony looked at the vote count for Mississippi’s senate race, how grassroo

How the Blue Wave Became a Tsunami

After historic midterm victories for Dem candidates, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with political reporter Natalie Fertig. Natalie is the author behind Out of State, h

Sen. Raphael Warnock: ‘The consequences are large, but the electoral margins are small’

For a special edition of the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) ahead of the Midterms. While Senator Warnock isn’t in the middle of an

Texas and Georgia Are Already Seeing Record Early Voting Numbers

We don’t need to remind you that Election Day is just around the corner. On the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with Maya Wiley, the President and CEO of the Leadership

He Called All 50 States Correctly in 2024. Here’s His 2026 Election Prediction.

VoteHub’s head of data science Zachary Donnini is back with his final verdict on the 2026 midterms. With the election less than a week away, Zachary unpacked the data t

Tom Perriello Flipped a GOP District in 2008, Can He Do It Again?

Virginia’s 5th district has been a Republican stronghold for 15 years. But voters have the chance to change that next week. Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate in

Not To Jinx It, But Early Voting Looks Good For Dems

Contrarian editor in chief Jen Rubin and publisher Norm Eisen chatted with pollster and data whiz Simon Rosenberg about what early turnout numbers look like and what that

AI, Fighting Inflation, and Can Government Data Be Trusted?

On Let’s do Lunch, economist and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Jared Bernstein answered your burning questions about economics with Claudia Sahm. She’

Three Keys to the Midterms: Affordability, Healthcare, Turnout

April Ryan spoke with Representative Shomari Figures, one of only two Black representatives in Alabama, who is now fighting for his seat after redistricting in the state

What Does the Constitution Actually Say Anyway?

On Coffee with Contrarians, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with Ben Sheehan, Civics Expert and author of the book, “What Does the Constitution Actually Say?” You might

How MAGA Is Codifying Voting Oppression

With only 20 days ahead of the midterm elections, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King from the Drum Major Institute discussed the importance of building Black

How the ACLU Is Safeguarding Immigrants and Elections

On Coffee with Contrarians, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with Mike Zamore, National Director of Policy and Government Affairs at the ACLU. They discussed the ACLU’s n

The View From Texas: Winning the Latino Vote and ICE Brutality

On Coffee with Contrarians, special guest hosts Maria Cardona and Juan Proaño took the episode to Texas, and chatted with congressional candidate Johnny Garcia in San Ant

‘Notes on a Blacklash’ Reflects On Decades of White House Journalism

On Coffee with Contrarians Jen Rubin, Norm Eisen and April Ryan discussed Trump’s abhorrent comments about sacrificing Los Angeles and San Diego in the war with Iran. Ap

Everything You Knew About Menopause and Estrogen Replacement Is Wrong

Contrarian Editor in chief Jen Rubin sat down with author Jennifer Weiss Wolf. Jennifer is the executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU School

Two Congressional Candidates Fighting for Affordability and Against Corruption

Contrarian senior editor Tim Dickinson spoke with two candidates hoping to flip tough House seats in the November midterms, Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania and Chaz Molder in

Trump’s Illegal Campaign Ad and Senate Races to Watch

On Coffee with Contrarians, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with Adrienne Elrod, Democratic political strategist. The trio talked about Trump’s latest commercial, which

‘Third-Country Removals’ Leave Immigrants Facing Unknown Futures

Contrarian senior editor Tim Dickinson chatted with Sarah Mehta, a deputy director of the ACLU and an expert in immigration policy. They discussed the Trump Administrati

Which Midterm Governor Races Could Decide the 2028 Election?

On Coffee with Contrarians, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with Ben Wikler, a political organizer and the former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin The trio di