Every day is Election Day. Our weekly show talks votes, polls, trends, campaigns, and more. A show by election nerds for fellow election nerds, novices, and everyone in between.
decisiondeskhq.substack.com (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Forecast Update: Democrats have more than 50% chance of flipping both Senate & House
DDHQ friend Chris Cillizza, who runs So What (https://chriscillizza.substack.com/) on Substack, was joined by Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley and Data Scientist Maddisen Murrell to talk about Decision Desk HQ’s 2026 election forecast (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/forecast/2026?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack). The electoral environment has trended toward Democrats, which has helped make them clearer favorites in the House and very slight favorites in the battle for the Senate. More broadly, Democrats now have just above a 1 in 2 chance of sweeping both chambers. We’ll be doing regular updates about the forecast with Chris from now and until the election, so watch for future chats!
► Chris Cillizza on X: https://x.com/ChrisCillizza (https://x.com/ChrisCillizza)► Geoffrey Skelley on X: https://x.com/geoffreyvs (https://x.com/geoffreyvs)► So What: https://chriscillizza.substack.com
---► Find our forecast on DDHQ Votes: https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/► SUBSTACK: https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com/► JOIN OUR OFFICIAL DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.com/invite/ddhq---CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro and overall forecast situation8:55 What if the polls are wrong?13:26 The perfect tool for Election Night17:02 Kansas Senate21:00 South Carolina Senate23:05 Arkansas Senate24:50 Florida Governor27:17 Texas Governor29:19 Texas Railroad Commissioner33:02 The forecast toplines
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
2 Oct 2026
Episode 46: Can Susan Collins survive in Maine? Can Sherrod Brown flip Ohio?
With the midterms rapidly approaching, this episode of the Decision Desk HQ podcast features not one, but two, guests! In the first part, Decision Desk HQ Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley chats with Jeremy Pelzer, the chief politics reporter of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, about the state's highly competitive Senate (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-11-03/ohio-us-senate-special-election-general/forecast?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack) and gubernatorial (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-11-03/ohio-governor-general-election/forecast?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack) elections. Ohio is one of the key swing states (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/forecast/2026/senate?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack) Democrats need to flip to win back the Senate. Data centers have emerged as a key issue in this campaign, and outside spending has been high. In the second half, he talks with Michael Shepherd, the political editor at the Bangor Daily News. They take a deep dive into Maine's contentious Senate race (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-11-03/maine-us-senate-general-election/forecast?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack), where longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins is facing a tough national environment. Democrat Troy Jackson, the replacement for Graham Platner, is polling about even with Collins in what has become a must-win for both parties.
---► Geoffrey Skelley on X: https://x.com/geoffreyvs (https://x.com/geoffreyvs)► Jeremy Pelzer on X: https://x.com/jpelzer (https://x.com/jpelzer)► Michael Shepherd on X: https://x.com/mikeshepherdME (https://x.com/mikeshepherdME)► Bangor Daily News: https://bangordailynews.com (https://www.bangordailynews.com/)► Cleveland Plain Dealer: https://cleveland.com (https://www.cleveland.com/)---► DDHQ VOTES: https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/ (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/)► DDHQ Substack: https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com/ (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com/)► Join DDHQ’s Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ddhq (https://discord.com/invite/ddhq)---CHAPTERS2:00: Introducing Jeremy Pelzer and Ohio's elections11:05 Jon Husted, Sherrod Brown, and data centers19:15 Outside spending21:07 Governor election34:35: Introducing Mike Shepherd and Maine's elections38:04 Can Susan Collins overperform again?54:16 Troy Jackson's record and campaign1:01:52 Governor race
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
25 Sept 2026
Episode 45: Could Talarico Really Turn Texas Blue? With Gabby Birenbaum from The Texas Tribune
Just two years after voting for President Trump by nearly 14 percentage points (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2024-11-05/texas-president-general-election?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack), Texas has become an unexpected frontline swing state. The Senate race (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/races/2026-11-03/texas-us-senate-general-election?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ddhq_substack) between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton has drawn national attention, with polls and the DDHQ forecast both showing Talarico with a lead. Democrats haven't won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but this may be their best chance since 2018.In this podcast, Decision Desk HQ Chief Elections Analyst Geoffrey Skelley discusses the Texas Senate and gubernatorial elections with Gabby Birenbaum, Washington correspondent for The Texas Tribune.---► Geoffrey Skelley on X: https://x.com/geoffreyvs (https://x.com/geoffreyvs)► Gabby Birenbaum on X: https://x.com/birenbomb (https://x.com/birenbomb)► The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org (https://www.texastribune.org/)---► DDHQ Votes: https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/ (https://votes.decisiondeskhq.com/)► DDHQ Substack: https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com/ (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com/)► Join DDHQ’s Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ddhq (https://discord.com/invite/ddhq)---CHAPTERS1:25 Introducing Gabby Birenbaum3:35 Latino voters and Texas in 202610:06 Talarico and suburban voters15:43 Paxton’s challenges18:42 Fundraising, spending, and polling24:10 Texas governor and the rise of Hinojosa29:48 Key issue: data centers35:07 Downballot consequences of these races37:28 What would a Talarico win mean?
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decisiondeskhq.substack.com (https://decisiondeskhq.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
8 ratings
Contact Decision Desk HQ Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Decision Desk HQ Podcast?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
