
Advertise on podcast: Hacks On Tap
Rating
4.7from
This podcast has
398 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Vox MediaExplicit
Yes
Date created
2019/06/06
Latest episode
2026/10/20
Average duration
69 min.
Release period
8 days
Description
When David Axelrod, Mike Murphy, and John Heilemann get together to talk politics, it’s not academic. They speak from the perspective gained through hundreds of campaigns for offices from City Hall to the White House. So if you want to know what’s really going on behind the scenes, where strategic decisions are being made, pull up a stool for Hacks on Tap. Incisive, sometimes uproarious and always entertaining, these political warhorses and their guests will give you insights you’ll only get from folks who have spent a lifetime in the political trenches of both parties. From the Vox Media Podcast Network
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Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from Hacks On Tap podcast
The Juice the Base Play (With Addisu Demissie)
2026/10/20
This week, all three Hackeroos are joined by Democratic strategist, campaign trail veteran, and a man who knows his way around an electoral map, Addisu Demissie! The Hacks take stock of the key races across the country as the midterms enter the home stretch, unpack the shifting electoral map and what it means for the road to the White House, dig into the demographic trends shaping the electorate, and debate the anatomy of a wave election.
Photo by Stefania Pelfini la Waziya via Getty Images.
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Split Happens (with Robert Gibbs and Karl Rove)
2026/10/13
This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by not one, but two frequent-flyer Hackeroos: Mr. Texas himself, Karl Rove, and former Hackateer extraordinaire, Robert Gibbs! The guys dive headfirst into the political circus, take stock of key battleground states, dissect the latest polls and early voting numbers, and venture into the Trumpaverse to figure out who's really calling the shots.
Photo by Erik S. Lesser / AFP via Getty Images
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Wave Watch (with Doug Sosnik and Ron Brownstein)
2026/10/06
This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by excellent Hackeroos Doug Sosnik, veteran strategist and professional campaign war-room survivor, and Ron Brownstein, dean of political journalism and longtime electoral-map obsessive. The Hacks dive into the final stretch of the midterms—ads, polls, trends, and the increasingly chaotic science of figuring out what any of it means.
Photo via Getty Images
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For Whom the Poll Tolls (with John Anzalone and David Plouffe)
2026/09/29
This week, Axe and Murphy are joined by not one, but two all-star Hackeroos: veteran Democratic pollster John Anzalone and former Obama campaign manager and White House senior adviser David Plouffe. The crack team dives into the numbers from Anzalone’s latest polling, the ad wars raging across the country, the midterm turnout puzzle, Democratic bed-wetting, voter identity, emerging party leadership, and so much more as they set the scene for the battle for control of the House and Senate.
Photo illustration by Joe Raedle via Getty Images.
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Pressing His Luck (with Whit Ayers)
2026/09/22
This week, Murphy and Heilemann are joined by Whit Ayres, president of North Star Opinion Research and veteran Republican polling Hack. The Hacks dive into the nation’s many wars: Trump’s war with the press over access to the White House, the ad war raging in the midterms, and the U.S.’s actual war with Iran. In other words: just another quiet week in politics.
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Above the Fold (with Julie Pace)
2026/09/15
This week, the Hacks are joined by recently inducted Hackeroo Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press! The Hacks dive into the battle for control of Congress and the midterm messaging wars, from culture-war distractions and fake protesters to zingy lines and the fight to break through. Plus, Julie takes the Hacks behind the headlines on how the AP calls races, fact-checks political ads, and navigates its own battles over press access.
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The Final Sprint
2026/09/08
The Hacks are back! This week, all three Hackeroos convened to dive into the post-Labor Day sprint to the midterms. The guys discuss Trump’s potential war chest and the role of money in politics, renaming wars, and what could change between now and Election Day — looking to history, presidential polling, turnout, and key races for clues.
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The Hacks Present: Stay Tuned with Preet
2026/09/01
Neuroscientist, philosopher, and Making Sense podcast host Sam Harris joins Preet Bharara to examine why good-faith debate has become so difficult—and what that breakdown has done to American politics.They discuss social media’s fragmentation of the information landscape and declining trust in the press and public institutions. They also consider Donald Trump’s resilience in the face of scandal, the different standards applied to the political left and right, the Democratic Party’s relationship with its activist wing, and whether Trumpism can survive Trump.
Then, Preet and Sam turn to the rule of law: the growing impulse to prosecute political opponents, the limits of relying on norms, the difference between accountability and retribution, and what it would take to restore a measure of normalcy to American political life.
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Oh Canada! (With Jonathan Martin)
2026/08/25
This week Axe and Murphy were joined by loyal Hackeroo, food savant, and incredibly talented journalist Jonathan Martin! The Hacks head north to unpack the latest battle with our neighbor, eh, before tapping JMart’s insights on the key races shaping up around the country. They dig into the chaos heading into the midterms, Trump’s massive war chest, stolen pens, “he would never do that” stock, and so much more!
Photo by Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Running on Empty (with Ron Brownstein)
2026/08/18
This week Axe and Murphy were joined by Bloomberg Opinion columnist, CNN senior political analyst, and certified Hackeroo Ron Brownstein. The Hacks dive into this week in the political circus — from military misadventures and ballroom loyalty tests to surging gas prices, plummeting poll numbers, and everything in between.
Photo by Brandon Bell via Getty Images.
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Goat Rodeo (with Addisu Demissie)
2026/08/12
Late last night, three bleary-eyed Hacks convened to discuss the results—or what we had of them—from yesterday’s Midwestern primaries. Axe and Heilemann were joined by legendary Democratic Hackeroo Addisu Demissie to break down the lessons from last week in Michigan and this week in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The Hacks dig into what it all means for the midterms, the evolving dynamics of the DSA within the Democratic Party, the polling industrial complex, and so much more!
Photo by Stephen Maturen via Getty Images
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The Midwest Strikes Back
2026/08/05
This week the Hacks are reunited! All three Hackeroos are back together to break down the Michigan primary results and what they could mean for the midterms. They also dive into the latest from Virginia and Wisconsin, Murphy's EV road trip, and so much more—but you've waited long enough.
Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images
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The Cannibal King (with Jonathan Martin)
2026/07/28
This week Murphy and Heilemann welcome back Hack frequent flier and POLITICO's Jonathan Martin. The Hacks break down the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the latest on the war with Iran, the state of the midterms, DNC drama, and JMart's conversation with Rahm Emanuel—including a very important review of Chicago tavern-style pizza. Plus, the wet hot DSA summer, and so much more!
Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
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Iran Out of Patience (with Maggie Haberman)
2026/07/21
This week Axe and Murphy were joined by Maggie Haberman, one of the sharpest and most deeply sourced reporters covering Trump and the White House. The Hacks dive into her new book, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, and her remarkable reporting on the origins of Trump’s war with Iran, his focus heading into the midterms, and why he remains fixated on the 2020 election. The guys also check in on the latest from Michigan and Maine—and so much more!
Photo by Alex Wong via Getty Images
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Lust but Verify (with Jonathan Freedland)
2026/07/14
This week, Axe and Heilemann are joined by a Hack from across the pond and all-around political savant, Jonathan Freedland. Jonathan is a Guardian columnist, host of Politics Weekly America, and co-host of Unholy, the podcast covering Israel and the Middle East. The Hacks dive into the biggest stories of the week, including the sudden passing of Senator Lindsey Graham and the political legacy he leaves behind, Trump's war against Iran, the Democratic Party's evolving stance on Israel, chunky forearms, bin-faced politicians, and so much more.
Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images
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Podcast reviews
Read Hacks On Tap podcast reviews
Baguettebarb 2026/10/21
Come on guys
Adding to my previous review - I think what you all are missing in your El-Sayed criticism is that from the left the goal isn’t to win the largest maj...
Willowethan 2026/10/08
Spot on
You guys are the coolest. I love how you use intelligence and humor to make your points.
Long time listener from Michigan and a former republican
TV Food and Drink 2026/09/23
Came back after a while
Nothing special here, low enthusiasm and too many ads. Ok if none of your other pol podcasts have released anything new
GenX Business Owner 2026/09/23
Get rid of John H.
Heilemann repeats himself so much that he is not listenable. He sounds insipid. His verbal habits come across as attempts to fill time.
Krampus - 2026/09/02
No, thanks, Preet
A fan of the show and moderate - but providing moral and ethical reasons that other moderates can't hold their well founded beliefs is poisonous for m...
541red 2026/08/22
Loyal and frustrated
Half of each episode is ads. Too many pounds of flesh after Vox purchase 🤙
Storyteller335 2026/08/20
The ads are bad.
The ads are too annoying and too numerous since the shift to Vox Media. Please stop ruining a podcast that got me through the pandemic.
fpdd9 2026/08/08
Great for political junkies
Love this, but wish they didn’t have so many commercial breaks
Uncle Kunkle 2026/08/06
Paul Simon
I listen every week and truly enjoy the podcast. I was glad that Senator Paul Simon was mentioned a few times on the 8/5/2026 episode. In early 1988 w...
Bodenhamers 2026/08/05
Good. Uneven.
I like this show, but it often swerves into self-indulgence. The hosts are certainly well-informed, but the color commentary is a reminiscent of Monda...
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