29: Hakeem Jeffries' Political Malpractice: Meeting Jared Kushner Before Midterms Is Certifiably Stupid

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Kurt Bardella and Erin Maguire skip the polls and follow the money and the early vote. The DGA puts $1 million behind David Jolly in Florida, JB Pritzker writes a seven-figure check for Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, and Texas early voting is off to a strong start. Erin explains why Republicans aren't picking up the phone for pollsters and why, at this point, campaigns aren't convincing voters, they're driving them. Plus: is James Talarico closing strong in Texas, and how Abdul El-Sayed took on the attacks about his family in Michigan. Then, family ties: use them or lose them. Vivek Ramaswamy's ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother has crossed into group chats, and JD Vance is telling Republicans to stop whining about it. Kurt and Erin debate when a candidate's family is fair game. Last, the state of polling in 2026: a pollster that admits it made its numbers up, The New York Times pulling its surveys from the tracker, and what newsrooms should do before they report the next poll. And in Left Field Lunacy, the Jacksonville Jaguars will let fans spend eternity at the stadium. What do you think about the Acton ad, or public polling? Leave a comment and find us on social at Party Lines.

Erin and Kurt break down Maria Bartiromo's shocking exit from Fox amid alleged White House leaks, debate whether Trump and Kamala should campaign for midterm candidates, argue over the best Democratic surrogates, and take on a bipartisan bill to strip pensions from ethics-violating members of Congress. 00:00 — Cold open: Kurt needs a drink after "one of the dumbest conference calls" of his life, and Erin pays off her no-bike-helmet bet after Seth Moulton's primary loss 01:21 — Big story: Maria Bartiromo is out at Fox News and Fox Business 01:48 — Kurt's reaction: losing a "cornerstone" talent this way is shocking — pulled off air in August with no goodbye show 02:57 — Erin draws the comparison to Fox abruptly firing the #1-rated Tucker Carlson 03:35 — How it broke: a brief farewell statement, then reporting (Oliver Darcy) that Bartiromo was allegedly screenshotting internal memos and texts for the administration 04:21 — Kurt on why this is a fireable, contract-breaking offense — and why you never trust "the leakiest people in the professional world" to keep a secret 05:35 — Fox's pattern: nobody's untouchable (Beck, O'Reilly, Megyn Kelly, Tucker) — "Exhibit A: Jesse Waters" 06:03 — Erin: CNN did the same with Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon 07:33 — Jason Chaffetz steps in to fill Bartiromo's morning slot 07:49 — Speculation kicks off: could Bartiromo be in line for White House Press Secretary? 08:12 — Erin's take: unlikely — more probable she goes independent or launches her own venture 09:24 — Kurt's counter-pitch: skip Press Secretary, make her Treasury Secretary 09:39 — Pivoting to the midterms: with ~60 days left, should Trump and Kamala campaign for candidates? 10:51 — Kurt's story from a 2006 special election: turning down a Bush campaign visit — and winning anyway 13:16 — Erin: the calculus is different for Trump (boosts GOP turnout) vs. Kamala (playing forward to 2028) 14:24 — Why telephone town halls are cheap, effective voter contact 15:05 — Best surrogates right now: Kurt argues for executive-experience Democrats — Pritzker, Wes Moore, Andy Beshear — over legislators 16:41 — Erin's pick for Abdul El-Sayed specifically: Shapiro or Buttigieg, to counter attacks branding him a socialist/anti-Semite 18:16 — Kurt on local star power over national names: Colin Allred pairing with Mark Cuban in Texas 19:39 — New bipartisan bill: strip pensions from members of Congress found guilty of ethics violations 20:10 — Erin and Kurt agree: lose your floor privileges, healthcare, and pension if censured or expelled 21:16 — The flip side: should former presidents get lifetime pay so they're not stuck hustling for cash post-office? 22:56 — Means-testing the idea — wealthy ex-presidents like Trump or Romney wouldn't need it 24:04 — Historical context: the presidency wasn't designed for a 40-year retirement 24:34 — Erin on the Bidens' post-presidency cash-ins, with a pointed Hunter Biden aside

It's another primary night, and Erin and Kurt break down the results out of Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming, plus the political story nobody was talking about three months ago: data centers becoming the defining kitchen-table issue of the 2026 midterms. In Florida, they dig into Corey Mills' vulnerable seat, the Moskowitz-Larkin DSA showdown, and a graveyard of comeback bids from politicians who've lost everywhere else. In Alaska, it's officially "Dan versus Dan," as Senator Dan Sullivan faces a primary challenger who shares his name and a very different voting history, while Mary Peltola tries to prove she's worth national Democratic investment. Then Erin and Kurt turn to the Karen Bass campaign's fake-poll scandal and what it says about a media ecosystem too eager to run numbers nobody bothered to vet. Finally, they dive deep on data centers and AI, arguing it may be the rare issue that unites voters across party lines in opposition, and lay out why campaigns on both sides are scrambling to write anti-data-center ads before Election Day. Topics Primary night results and previews: Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming Florida's most-watched congressional races: Corey Mills' vulnerable seat and Debbie Wasserman Schultz's new district The Moskowitz vs. Larkin race and what it means for the DSA's ceiling in Florida Florida's parade of political comeback bids, including Chris Collins Alaska's "Dan versus Dan" Senate primary and Mary Peltola's path to November Whether Alaska is a legitimate reach race for Democrats or a resource drain The Kamala Harris fundraising email controversy and Peltola's campaign shake-up The Karen Bass fake-poll scandal and what it reveals about unvetted campaign polling Why reporters keep running campaign polls without demanding full cross-tabs How campaigns use internal polling strategically, and what they leave out Data centers and AI emerging as a rare bipartisan "not in my backyard" issue Why utility bills, water use, and lack of visible benefit are driving the backlash Governor Abbott and Governor Shapiro's reversals on data center policy How data centers could be a net positive with smart regulatory frameworks The messaging failure of AI and data center companies compared to crypto Predictions for how many 2026 statewide races will feature anti-data-center ads

Erin Maguire and Kurt Bardella break down a split-decision primary week — Democrats dodging a bullet in Wisconsin, a razor-thin race in Michigan, and what it all means for the establishment-versus-socialist fight inside the party. Then they debut a new segment, "Half-Baked," digging into ideas that don't hold up: the WNBA's refusal to define who qualifies as a woman, and Mike Lindell's unsupported fraud claims after getting blown out in his Minnesota primary. They preview the next wave of primaries (Alaska, Florida, Wyoming and beyond), including the "Dan versus Dan" dirty trick in Alaska's Senate race. Plus: speculation on who replaces outgoing White House Press Secretary Caroline Levine, and a very silly debate about whether Abdul El-Sayed's one-on-one football challenge to Mike Rogers is even a real sport. Topics Covered

Kurt and Erin dig into the money games reshaping this year's primaries — outside cash from the RGA propping up Francesca Hong's Wisconsin bid, clean-energy dollars boosting Andy Ogles' opponent, and the real numbers behind who's really funding who since Citizens United (hint: it's not who you think). They break down tomorrow's Wisconsin and Minnesota primaries — Francesca Hong's socialist run for governor, Mike Lindell's Senate bid, and Michelle Tavoya's general-election strength — before naming their "reach race" picks for November (Michelle Tavoya in Minnesota, James Talarico in Texas). Then it's a deep dive on whether Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Thomas Massey could actually stand up a real third party, or whether it's just Republicans "beefin' with Trump." They close with Joe Scarborough's on-air demand that Democrats disavow Hasan Piker — and Erin's blunt line for anyone who still wants to share a stage with him. Topics Covered Outside money in primaries: the RGA's cash for Francesca Hong's opponent and the clean-energy dollars that hit Andy Ogles The real math since Citizens United — 70% of billionaire money has gone to Republicans, not Democrats Kurt's proposal to force disclaimers at the front of political ads, not the end Wisconsin's governor primary: Francesca Hong's socialist run and Tom Tiffany's "steady hand" strategy Minnesota's proxy fights: the Lieutenant Governor's socialist-adjacent primary and Mike Lindell's Senate bid Michelle Tavoya's crossover appeal and Kurt & Erin's "reach race" picks for November James Talarico's grassroots campaign in Texas and why Kurt's been on the bandwagon since before it was cool The plausibility (or not) of a real third party: Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Thomas Massey Why third parties historically collapse once their singular figurehead is gone — Perot, Nader, and the "rent is too damn high" party New York's fusion voting model and what it means for third-party viability Joe Scarborough's on-air demand that Democrats disavow Hasan Piker Erin's "put up or shut up" challenge to Democrats who won't cut ties over Piker's 9/11 comments Preview: the South Carolina primary for Lindsey Graham's seat