Celinda Lake and Christine Matthews have their fingers on the pulse of America’s swing voters. The bipartisan pair — Lake works for Democrats, including President Joe Biden, and Matthews has long worked for Republicans, most recently Larry Hogan of Maryland — have been testing the mood of swing voters across the country for years. The pair specialize in that most vaunted of demographics, which Biden and former president Donald Trump, are vying to win over - suburban women.
24sight’s Tom LoBianco and Warren Rojas spoke with Lake and Matthews about the mood of the country and what they’re hearing from a very worn-out electorate.
Show notes:
Why voters don’t remember January 6th?
Democrats and Republicans have very different definitions of freedom
Women have been increasingly insulating themselves and their families from the news, a protective measure in these crazy times
Can trace much of this polarized society, with staunchly different concepts of reality, to the former president of the United States introducing the term “fake news” into the country’s bloodstream
“Double haters”, those who don’t want Biden or Trump, are a very diverse group
And we talked about why you shouldn’t shoot dogs.
Lake, who grew up on a ranch in Montana, had some insights into why South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem may have thought that would work well in appealing to MAGA world. Matthews, a dog owner, noted that the extensive coverage probably doesn’t play well with suburban moms who like to buy raincoats for their doggies.
Also don’t shoot dogs.
Give a listen, friends, and if you like the work we’re doing here, sign up for a paid subscription. 24sight News is run by three veteran reporters building a new media model at a time when the rest of the industry is cratering. America needs solid reporting now more than ever, and we need your help to deliver it.
Cheers,
Tom, Warren and Pilar.
Footnote:
Lake and Matthews have been penning a quite prescient column over at USA Today on the mood of the country, check out their latest columns, which we referenced in the show.
USA TODAY Columns
“Is Biden or Trump the true threat to democracy? Voters split along partisan lines”
“Supreme Court ruling restricting abortion pill may help Biden and doom Trump this election”
“Will Biden or Trump win ‘double haters’? Unhappy voters will decide 2024 election”
The 24sight Pod - Episode 12 - Celinda Lake and Christine Matthews on why America is checked out of this election