Ken Rudin's Political Junkie

<p>Donald Trump had an extraordinarily successful month of endorsing winning challengers to Republican incumbents in the primaries.  <em><strong>Laura Merrifield Wilson</strong></em> of the University of Indianapolis discusses the defeats of five Indiana state senators who opposed Trump&#8217;s redistricting plan.  <em><strong>Tyler Bridges</strong></em> of <em>The Advocate/The Times-Picayune</em> reports on how Sen. Bill Cassidy&#8217;s 2021 vote to convict Trump led to his defeat in 2026.  And <em><strong>Matthew Wilson</strong> </em>of Southern Methodist University explains how four-term Sen. John Cornyn fell to Texas state attorney general Ken Paxton.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Music in this episode:</strong></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com/episode-430-trumps-magical-mystery-revenge-retribution-tour/">Episode #430: Trump&#8217;s Magical Mystery Revenge &#038; Retribution Tour</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com">Ken Rudin&#039;s Political Junkie</a>.</p>

<p>The meteoric rise &#8212; and dramatic fall &#8212; of Congressman Eric Swalwell is the subject of this episode.  <em><strong>Seema Mehta</strong></em>, a political reporter with the <em>Los Angeles Times,</em> recounts how he went from media darling to alleged sex offender, ending what had initially been an improbable bid to become governor of California.  And, for good measure, <em><strong>George Skelton</strong></em>, the veteran L.A. <em>Times</em> columnist, spells out how this sad episode exposed the weaknesses in California&#8217;s &#8220;top two&#8221; electoral system.</p> <p><strong>ALSO</strong>:  Wondering the purpose of holding a White House Correspondents Dinner with a president that despises and denigrates the media.  And Republicans are, with a straight face, screaming &#8220;partisanship&#8221; at Virginia&#8217;s ballot initiative that may give the Commonwealth&#8217;s Democrats, four additional congressional seats.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE:</strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcIy9NiNbmo">Bad Blood by Taylor Swift</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7oSlZL0tEM&amp;list=RDh7oSlZL0tEM&amp;start_radio=1">Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWG3npfEoHo">I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIsnIt1p978">It&#8217;s My Party by Lesley Gore</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com/episode-429-swalwell-that-ends-well/">Episode #429: Swalwell That Ends Well</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com">Ken Rudin&#039;s Political Junkie</a>.</p>

<p><em><strong>Kathryn Pearson</strong> </em>of the University of Minnesota explains the scandal that may have ended Gov. Tim Walz&#8217;s political career, and the expected decision by Sen. Amy Klobuchar that she would seek to succeed him this year.</p> <p>And <em><strong>Lou Cannon</strong></em>, the chief White House correspondent during the Ronald Reagan presidency and a superb Reagan biographer, died last month at the age of 92.  He was last on the Political Junkie back in 2015, talking about the 1980 Republican convention and how Reagan helped his cause by picking George Bush as his running mate &#8212; and not former President Gerald Ford, who was rumored to be angling for a spot on the GOP ticket.</p> <p><strong>PLUS:</strong>  The Trump administration defends the murder of a woman in Minneapolis by an ICE agent.  And Greenland?  Seriously?</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Music in this Episode:</strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOJSmXSFCWk">When the Music&#8217;s Over by the Doors</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLuCKpGhGDs">Amie by Pure Prairie League</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWXVgDewwdI">Like to Get to Know You by Spanky &amp; Our Gang</a></p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com/episode-428-walz-came-tumbling-down/">Episode #428: Walz Came Tumbling Down</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com">Ken Rudin&#039;s Political Junkie</a>.</p>

<p><em><strong>Matthew Wilson</strong></em>, political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, sets up the fierce primaries, Democratic and Republican, for the Senate in Texas.  Incumbent Republican John Cornyn is facing a battle from his right from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, and firebrand liberal Rep. Jasmine Crockett is challenging James Talarico for the Democrats.  No Democrat has won a Texas Senate race since 1988.</p> <p>And <em><strong>Rob Christens</strong><strong>en</strong></em>, a former political journalist with the Raleigh <em>News &amp; Observer</em>, remembers Jim Hunt, the former four-term governor and a giant in North Carolina politics, who died last week.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>PLUS</strong></span>:  The Epstein Files are released (not), Elise Stefanik plans to stay and fight (not), and Trump gives his respects to Rob Reiner (not).</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Music in this Episode: </strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dynMUeKLCOA">Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo">U Can&#8217;t Touch This by M.C. Hammer</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8LFXEfbxdw">A Well Respected Man by The Kinks</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com/episode-427-jasmine-crockett-arriving-jim-hunt-departed/">Episode #427: Jasmine Crockett, Arriving; Jim Hunt, Departed.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com">Ken Rudin&#039;s Political Junkie</a>.</p>

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Congressional analyst </span><b><i>Jack Pitney</i></b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> assesses the meaning of Marjorie Taylor Greene&#8217;s upcoming resignation from Congress, and weighs whether the Georgia Republican still has a future in politics, given her seeming banishment by President Trump.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And we remember </span><b><i>Mark Mellman</i></b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the Democratic pollster who died last month, by replaying an interview we had with him in November of 2016, when Hillary Clinton and Trump were vying for the presidency.</span></p> <p><b>PLUS</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">:  A selection of favorite Trump responses to reporters&#8217; questions at press conferences.</span></p> <p><b>Music in this episode:</b></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmLPIcMYGSY&amp;list=RDtmLPIcMYGSY&amp;start_radio=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Where Is The Love by Roberta Flack and Donnie Hathaway</span></a></p> <p><a href="httpsv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWZkxYamLUs&amp;list=RDdWZkxYamLUs&amp;start_radio=1">You and I by Rick James</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com/episode-426-marjorie-tinker-taylor-qanon-traitor-patriot/">Episode #426: Marjorie Tinker Taylor Q&#8217;Anon Traitor Patriot</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.krpoliticaljunkie.com">Ken Rudin&#039;s Political Junkie</a>.</p>