
Unfiltered, uncompromising, unexpected—The Focus Group is a look into what the average voter thinks about politics, policy, and current events. Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, has conducted hundreds of hours of focus groups all across the country. She and a series of special guests will take you behind the glass to hear what real focus group participants have to say. www.thebulwa... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 161 | Founded | 5 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | NewsSociety & CulturePolitics | |||

If you're wondering how (and whether) America is worth celebrating on this particular July 4th, this show will be a bit of a pep talk for you. Heather Cox Richardson joins Sarah to discuss voters' complicated relationship with patriotism this year, a... more
Colorado isn't much of a swing state anymore, but we're covering its primaries anyway. Both of its senators and one longtime member of Congress are facing bigger headwinds than you might expect. Our focus groups of Colorado Democrats will tell you wh... more
Barrels of ink have been spilled about James Talarico, Ken Paxton, Graham Platner, and Susan Collins. For the first time, we're listening to how swing voters in Texas and Maine are assessing these two races. We hear from 2024 Trump voters in Texas wh... more
Gen Z swung hard for Trump in 2024. Now his approval with them is under 30%. What happened, and what does this generation’s mix of political views (especially on the war in the Middle East) mean for 2026? Bulwark contributor Rachel Janfaza is back on... more
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Please let me the cool kids talk behind the curtain
I follow an unreasonable number of podcasts but the only one I listen to without fail is The Focus Group. Sarah, you are a National treasure. Keep up the good work!
Sarah - you sound like you find Rachel enlightening, but surely you know better? Remember applying for jobs before the internet? The standard was not to hear back. And that didn’t break us. We had to do a lot more work to even figure out what jobs were open and how to apply. We couldn’t do it from our basements. Everything Rachel says amplifies that her peers are helpless, anxious snowflakes. She seems incredibly entitled. I can’t be an enabler. I wish you wouldn’t be one either.
Do you think her lower popularity was because she ran for the senate spot first and lost and then for governor?
Guys, you want a big tent DNC, okay, but most of us living in failing cities that have gone to the extreme left over the last ten years or more have had our police leave, crime go up, businesses get taxed and leave, and the regular Joe gets hit with more and more taxes to make up lost revenue of lost businesses. Now we have a socialist Mayor who, in hyper speed, has made big businesses leave, like Starbucks, a local business leaving for Tennessee.
Washington State politics as a whole is going ... more
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
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YouTube | #107 | |
Apple Podcasts | #61 | |
Apple Podcasts | #194 | |
YouTube | #138 | |
Apple Podcasts | #200 | |
Apple Podcasts | #216 |
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The show centers on real voters and how they think about politics, policy, and current events, with candid discussions drawn from focus groups across the country. Episodes frequently dissect hot-button issues—housing, inflation, immigration, crime, foreign policy, and AI's impact on work and media—through the lens of ordinary participants, complemented by sharp analysis from political journalists, strategists, and policy thinkers. A standout characteristic is the structured, data-informed approach to voter sentiment, often juxtaposed with provocative messaging and fresh perspectives from guests with deep industry expertise. This combination tends to attract listeners who want humanized, data-grounded insight into how different demographics ... more
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These podcasts share a similar audience with The Focus Group Podcast:
1. The Next Level
2. The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell
3. Bulwark Takes
4. The Bulwark Podcast
5. The Mona Charen Show
The Focus Group Podcast launched 5 years ago and published 161 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on The Focus Group Podcast include:
1. Patrick Svitek
2. Amy Walter
3. Peter Hamby
4. Adam Jentleson
5. Greg Bluestein
6. David Frum
7. Rotimi Adeoye
8. Jessica Tarlov
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