For much of the 2024 presidential election, it felt like there were pretty ideal conditions for a third-party candidate. Republicans and Democrats had both lined up behind broadly unpopular — and familiar — candidates. In the spring, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was polling at 10 percent in The New York Times/Siena College survey of battleground states, and sustain ... Show More
Nov 2024
What Democrats Think Went Wrong
A year ago, Astead took “The Run-Up” listeners home for Thanksgiving.Specifically, he convened a focus group of family and friends to talk about the election and the question of Black people’s changing relationship to the Democratic Party.This year, he got the group back together ... Show More
49m 6s
Nov 2024
One Voter to Understand Trump’s Win
For more than two years, we’ve been asking pretty much everyone we meet a version of the same question:Who are you going to vote for and why?And on Wednesday morning, we had the answer to that question. Or at least the first part.Donald Trump easily won the electoral vote, and as ... Show More
19m 45s
Oct 2023
The Spoiler Threat of R.F.K. Jr.
<p>Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was once dismissed as a fringe figure in the 2024 presidential race. But this week, as he announces an independent run for the White House, he’s striking fear within both the Democratic and Republican parties.</p><p>Rebecca Davis O’Brien, who covers campa ... Show More
29m 36s
Aug 2022
The 2024 Presidential Race Begins To Take Shape
While voters and pundits alike wait to see which candidates will declare presidential runs, potential candidates on the Republican side are trying to distance themselves from former president Donald Trump. Many Democrats, meanwhile, remain skeptical of President Biden's chances i ... Show More
14m 26s
Apr 2024
Is He The Last Real Democrat? | Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. is making waves as a candidate in the current presidential race, first as a Democrat and now as an Independent. Born into the Kennedy dynasty, his early life was marked by personal and family tragedies, including the assassinations of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, ... Show More
1h 40m
May 2024
Keeping up with the Kennedys: RFK Jr’s run for the White House
JFK’s nephew is taking on Biden and Trump as an independent. He’s a big outsider but his high polling numbers are worrying the main parties, who fear that his bi-partisan policies could steal votes.Sarah, Anthony and Marianna talk about who RFK Jr is, why he’s running, and if he ... Show More
29m 47s