GOP Candidates Are Distancing From Trump — This Tells You More Than Polls

About this episode

During this week's podcast, Chris Cillizza and Matt discuss: — Multiple Republicans in competitive midterm races are publicly distancing from Trump for the first time in years. — Why candidate behavior and ad strategy are more revealing than polls. — Trump assembled an unusually broad 2024 coalition (Hispanics, young men, farmers, MAGA, some America First doves, podcast audiences) and then chose fights that fractured it. — The “Roadhouse”/Patrick Swayze Rule” of immigration: enforce the border, but “be nice.” — Trump as a gifted outsider candidate who is a poor governing president: the same instincts that built a non-traditional coalition and broke opponents fail when he has to deliver prices, end a war, and hold a fragile majority together. — Mary Peltola / “mean boss” story vs. Democratic “woke” staff culture.— The GOP’s MONEY advantage. But can they make the voters eat the dog food??— It looks like AOC is gonna run. But is that bad news in a world where female candidates keep losing to Trump? — And MUCH more! Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewis Fac