The Playbook Podcast

A decade after Sen. Bernie Sanders nationalized his brand of economic populism, Democrats are winning on his message. What lessons have they learned since 2016 and could a new progressive movement carry that momentum into 2028? Then the other stories animating Washington: President Donald Trump is taking the GOP's midterm drubbing in a surprisingly Zen fashion, while Vice President JD Vance points the finger at the Iran war, with Trump's blessing.

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The results are in: Democrats scored a massive midterm win, seizing control of Congress. In this special Election Night Playbook episode, co-authors Dasha Burns, Adam Wren and Will Steakin join Senior Political Columnist Jonathan Martin and Senior Executive Editor Alex Burns to unpack the biggest takeaways. Plus, the team speaks with President Donald Trump about why he thinks Republicans suffered such major losses.

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It's Election Day. Both Republicans and Democrats can agree on one thing: The results could reshape the political landscape for years to come. Will the blue tsunami predicted by some polls materialize? And could MAGA face a major political reckoning in the aftermath? Join the Playbook authors for this Election Day preview.

Tonight is POLITICO Elections Live at 9 pm ET. Stream on politico.com or the POLITICO app.

Days before the midterms and the vibes are feeling off. The polls point to a Democratic wave, but neither party seems to believe them. Plus, the final days of campaigning have taken a bizarre turn with Rep. Haley Stevens making a surprise endorsement for Mike Rogers.

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With Election Day days away, Republican strategist T.W. Arrighi and Democratic strategist Lis Smith join Dasha to break down what’s driving a surprisingly competitive midterm map. They discuss the central role of affordability, how candidates are navigating voter frustration with the status quo, and the risks and rewards of tying campaigns to President Trump.

The conversations also look beyond Tuesday: What should each party learn from the results, and what could this cycle signal about the fight for the parties’ futures?

Watch POLITICO Elections Live at POLITICO.com or the POLITICO app, starting at 9pm ET on Tuesday.

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