Would Howard Baker Have a Place in Today's Politics? – with Tom Daschle and Ben Sasse

Issues like affordability, AI, and immigration are fueling populist sentiments across the political spectrum. In this episode, Governors Bredesen and Haslam are joined by Patrick Ruffini, a Republican pollster and a founding partner at Echelon Insights, and Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss how Republicans and Democrats are recalibrating their strategies and party platforms to resonate with voters' concerns. Is populism on the left and right being driven by the same concerns? What do these shifts mean for the upcoming midterm elections?

Governors Bredesen and Haslam are joined by Michael Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and Jason Furman, a professor at Harvard and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, to discuss the defining issue of the 2026 midterms: the rising cost of living. Are we really in the middle of an affordability crisis? If so, what can the government do about it?

What does it mean for voters when the politicians get to choose their constituents, instead of the other way around? In this episode, Governors Haslam and Bredesen pull back the curtain on redistricting and gerrymandering, the once-obscure process now at the center of America’s fiercest political battles. The Governors speak with Jonathan Rodden, professor of political science at Stanford University, and Sam Wang, founder and director of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project and the Electoral Innovation Lab, about fair maps, how the newly drawn district lines might impact this midterm election and the implications for future elections.

In this special episode, former Tennessee Governors Phil Bredesen and Bill Haslam share personal stories about Dolly Parton and reflect on her life and legacy. Dolly had a remarkable ability to take stands, support causes, and use her influence without allowing herself to be pulled into partisan politics. What does it take to maintain the kind of universal appeal Dolly had? What can we learn from her approach?

Leading pollsters Kristen Soltis Anderson, a Republican, and Anna Greenberg, a Democrat, join Governors Bredesen and Haslam to open a new season of "You Might Be Right." In this episode, the Governors and their guests discuss the state of polling and the mood of the electorate heading into the 2026 midterm elections.