Two Very, Very Different Strategies For Winning The Senate

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.5 • 24.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2022

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are 34 Senate races this November and any one of them could decide control of the evenly-divided chamber. Democrats in Pennsylvania are slogging through a crowded primary, pitching similar progressive economic policies and distinct personal brands to voters. And Republican presidential hopeful and Florida Senator Rick Scott put out a blueprint encouraging GOP candidates to double-down on the culture war issues in order to save a country he describes as imperiled.

This episode: congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell, national political correspondent Don Gonyea, and acting congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Caroline in New Orleans, Louisiana. I just started my day with a piece of kingcake and
0:04.4	pepper coffee. My kids and I are putting on our purple green and gold and headed to the
0:08.4	Mardi Gras Parades for the first time since 2020. Happy Mardi Gras and Feliz Gangaday.
0:14.2	This podcast was recorded at 2.39 pm on Wednesday, February 23rd.
0:20.0	Things may have changed by the time you hear it. Okay, here's the show.
0:23.2	Ah, that sounds very fun. I'm jealous. I would love to be out there with you.
0:30.8	Oh, Mardi Gras. Have you been? I have. I have. It's been a long time though and it's
0:37.5	unforgettable. Let me tell you. I've never been but I love the food in New Orleans.
0:41.6	It's not too late. Go get on a plane. Yes. Hey there. It's the NPR Politics podcast.
0:47.4	I'm Kelsey Snell, I cover Congress. I'm Deer Dure Walsh. I also cover Congress.
0:51.4	And I'm Don Gagne National Political Correspondent. There are 34 Senate seats on the ballot this year
0:58.4	in states across the country. That means we're watching the most competitive states extremely
1:03.2	closely because as we have said countless times before on this podcast, the Senate is evenly
1:08.5	divided and the majority is in the balance in this year's election. So, Don, you have been spending
1:13.9	a lot of time in Pennsylvania lately. Pat Toomey, the current Republican Senator, there is retiring.
1:19.6	So, this is a wide open race, right? That's right. And I've been with the Democrats a lot over
1:26.2	the past couple of weeks. But I will note that the GOP side has a TV celebrity, Dr. Oz. He's
1:32.9	probably the front runner. There's hedge fund manager David McCormick and a former Trump
1:38.1	ambassador, Carla Sands. And just to make it interesting, there is a Trump endorsed candidate
1:44.4	who's already dropped out after an allegation of domestic abuse. So, it's early, but there's just
1:52.0	been a lot happening already in this state. Yeah, and Democrats are keeping it kind of interesting
1:56.8	on their side too. They're like 12 candidates there, which is a huge field. So, I'm wondering if we
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