Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov

Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov cover key elections, at home and abroad, in the leadup to the U.S. midterm elections.

With Election Day one week away, both parties are bringing out their celebrity firepower. Nicki Minaj is backing Trump and MAGA candidates — and is reportedly being considered for press secretary. Meanwhile, Barack Obama campaigns for Democrats, mocking Trump’s gold-heavy White House renovations. Is the Right feigning outrage over the former president’s “Cheesecake Factory” characterization?

Beyond the celebrity cameos, around 30 million Americans have already voted, and Democrats are making up a larger share of early voters in key Senate races. Trump is suing states over election rules, threatening election officials and offering $1 million for tipoffs that lead to voter fraud convictions. Despite these efforts, Kalshi odds show Democrats have a 65% chance to take back the Senate. But with seven toss-ups projected, both parties are relying on voter turnout. Will Democratic efforts be enough to deliver the “blue wave” many have predicted?

Looking abroad, Brazilian incumbent leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva clinched a narrow victory over far-right opponent Flávio Bolsonaro. The result put an end to the wave of conservative wins in Latin America since Trump took office in 2025. Could this signal a change in global politics?

And in Israel, voters are heading to the polls today in the first election since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party and former IDF chief-of-staff, is running against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Jessica points to the tens of thousands of Israeli expats flying home to vote as a sign the country is ready for a change.

Finally, JoAnna Mendoza joins the show to talk about her candidacy in Arizona’s 6th District, where she faces a tight race against incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomani. She discusses major issues facing her district, including high cost-of-living and Medicaid cuts. Will financial strain be enough to sway Latino voters in the state, who helped carry Trump to victory in 2024?

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Live from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, Scott Galloway, Jessica Tarlov, and Larry Sabato break down the final stretch of the midterms. With Election Day just one week away, they discuss the battle for control of Congress, Trump’s impact on Republican candidates, shifting voter attitudes, and what the results could mean for the 2028 presidential race.

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Could Democrats and independents pull off shocking upsets in some of America’s reddest states? Jessica Tarlov and Scott Galloway sit down with three underdog candidates fighting to challenge Republican power ahead of the midterms.

Gina Hinojosa, the state representative who’s the Democratic candidate for governor, taking on incumbent Republican Greg Abbott in Texas; Former labor leader, mechanic, and Navy veteran Dan Osborn, who’s running as an independent challenging wealthy scion Pete Ricketts in Nebraska; and independent Brian Bengs in deep-red South Dakota, who’s only polling a few points behind incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Rounds.

From affordability and public education to money in politics and Washington’s dysfunction, these candidates are betting that voters are so ready for something different that they’ll agree to trade in their Red Team or Blue Team jerseys — at least this time. Scott and Jess let the candidates break down their paths to victory, speak to the issues that are propelling them to unlikely competition on the ground in their home states, and get into candid discussion about why these once-overlooked races could have major implications for the balance of power in Washington.

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Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov talk through the latest polls, numbers, and close races 12 days before Election Day. Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low — just 36% among likely voters in the latest NYT/Siena poll. And in South Carolina, a new poll has Republican incumbent Darline Graham with only a 3-point lead over Democratic challenger Dr. Annie Andrews — a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1998. Trump was on the campaign trail there yesterday. Is this panic — or smart politics?

Scott and Jess also dig into the controversy over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, and what it means for the Ohio governor’s race. JD Vance also weighed in, saying he is “disgusted” by Republicans who pushed back on the ad.

The first Russian diesel tanker under Trump’s deal is said to be leaving for the U.S. on Thursday, after Russia freed a 74-year-old American that had been held imprisoned for four years. And Reuters reports that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. could resume soon. But the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that it was Elon Musk himself who ordered the Starlink slowdown that has significantly hindered Ukraine’s ability to defend itself — despite his earlier public claim that any limits were set by the U.S. military or the president.

Wednesday’s Michigan Senate debate between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers got heated. El-Sayed hammered Rogers over his ties to Trump and the Iran war, while Rogers attempted to smear El-Sayed by alleging he had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood — accusations El-Sayed has repeatedly denied. How will this race turn out?

And finally: new polling shows double-digit drops in favorability for “manosphere” figures like Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and Tucker Carlson among men aged 18 to 30 — the very group who helped deliver to Trump in 2024. Trump, Vance, and the GOP are all now viewed unfavorably by this crucial demographic. What’s behind the shift — and was the manosphere’s influence always overrated? Scott shares some data, and some thoughts.

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Jessica Tarlov and Aaron Parnas open with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is facing backlash after praising Vladimir Putin during talks in Moscow, even as Russian forces continue to bombard Ukrainian cities and kill civilians. Russia also released a 74-year-old American citizen from a Russian prison after seven years. Is that a sign of good faith or a negotiating chip?

Mike Bloomberg is pouring $80 million into the midterms, including at least $50 million for House races, as Democrats look to expand their majority. A new New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats leading the national House vote by 11 points and leading Republicans on every major issue, including immigration. Republicans still hold a significant fundraising advantage, with the RNC moving more than $50 million to its campaign committees.

A Wedgewood poll that helped push Mallory McMorrow out of the Michigan Senate primary has been exposed as fraudulent, after major aggregators had already included it. Is it time to regulate the polling industry?

Things have gotten ugly in the Ohio governor’s race. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is running an ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother. For years, well before she ran for office, Acton has said her mother was part of an unstable home where she experienced homelessness and sexual abuse. Ramaswamy has now admitted the ad came from his campaign. The Columbus Dispatch endorsed Acton as a direct result, and Ramaswamy was heckled at a campaign event last night. Has he gone too far, and is there still a limit to how low races are willing to go?

In New Hampshire, former Senator John Sununu is running ads distancing himself from Trump as he tries to win back the seat he lost in 2008. His opponent is Democratic Representative Chris Pappas. Is this a smart strategy for a New Hampshire Republican, and does Sununu’s history of criticizing Trump make it land as genuine?

In New York’s 17th Congressional District, Democratic challenger Cait Conley is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Mike Lawler in one of the most competitive House races in the country. Lawler is tying Conley to the Democratic left flank, while Conley makes the case that Lawler is too close to Trump. How does this play out?

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