Advertise on podcast: The Erick Erickson Show

Erick Erickson opens Open Line Friday with the state of play in the U.S. Senate, explaining why late undecided voters tend to break for the incumbent party and why he still thinks Republicans hold the Senate even as early voting in Georgia, Texas, and Kansas looks grim for the GOP. He breaks down the polling averages for James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers, Roger Marshall, Ossoff, and Keisha Lance Bottoms, takes Brooke's call from Atlanta, pays tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart, and argues that voters take away your power to fight the culture war once you break their economy. Senate races 2026: why undecided voters break for the incumbent party, Cook Political Report's call for a 25 seat Democratic House gain, and Erick's prediction that Republicans keep the Senate The Washington Post and George Mason University Kansas poll, Roger Marshall vs. Adam Hamilton, and why Democrats answer pollsters at twice the rate of Republicans Georgia early voting, Rick Jackson, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ossoff, and the case for leaving one line blank but still voting for every other Republican James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers, and the Democrats' new "smiling warriors" message, plus Nancy Pelosi pushing back on El-Sayed Tributes to Patrick Stewart and Captain Picard, tariffs and Georgia farmers (Vidalia onions), and the Obama "love your neighbor" pivot

Erick Erickson explains why he will vote the whole Republican ballot but leave the Georgia Senate line blank over Mike Collins, takes pushback from caller Joy, and argues that Republicans cannot win the culture war while tariffs and diesel prices wreck the economy. He also covers the fake Dan Sullivan fallout in the Alaska Senate race, Chinese farmland purchases in Texas, Florida Amendment 3 on property taxes, and his case for expanding the House and paying members of Congress $500,000. Georgia Senate race: Mike Collins, Derek Dooley, Herschel Walker, and why Erick will not vote for the lesser of two evils, plus Joy's call defending the hold your nose vote and more than a dozen pastors who texted support The economy and the midterm elections: tariffs, diesel prices, Georgia soybean farmers, truck drivers, and why Erick says voters grant a license to fight the culture war only if the economy works Alaska Senate race: reporters cannot find the second Dan Sullivan, Mary Peltola, the New York Times text messages, and the Alaska governor's warning about certifying the election Chinese land purchases in Texas, drought, diesel and grain costs, the slaughterhouse oligopoly, shrinking cattle herds, and Argentine beef imports Congress salary: Erick wants the House expanded to 1,000 members and pay raised to $500,000, with Orlando police salaries as proof, plus Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio ad and Mar-a-Lago endorsements Florida Amendment 3: homestead exemption, property tax reform, and employee retirement benefits, with Erick saying he would vote yes

Erick Erickson uses Open Line Friday to go after AI hiring tools, from the Workday class action lawsuit over alleged age and race discrimination to the New York Times report on Gen Z job seekers rejected by chatbots, and he calls on Congress to ban AI from vetting job applicants. He also takes caller Vince on the Workday rejection loop, then turns to the collapse of SAT vocabulary rigor, his son's classical Christian education and senior thesis, Common Core and Singapore math, and the new data on toddler screen time. Workday lawsuit and AI hiring: the federal class action over AI screening bias, why rejection at one Workday company means rejection everywhere, the New York Times story on Gen Z applicants (511 applications, chatbot interviewers), and Erick's proposal to ban AI vetting of job candidates Why young people turn to socialism: no rejection letters, no human contact, minimum wage hikes pushing out entry level teens in favor of retirees, HR departments under fire, and a White House General Counsel hire stalled for four and a half months by AI resume filters Caller Vince on Workday rejections within minutes, vibe coded software replacing the Adobe suite, and Erick's gripe about monthly software subscriptions for Microsoft Office and Adobe The new SAT versus the 1980s SAT: Thomas Aquinas College study, Jeremy Tate and the Classical Learning Test, collapsing vocabulary and shorter reading passages, plus Erick's son's classical Christian senior thesis, Latin, Common Core renamed Singapore math, and Samford University Toddler screen time and slower speech from the National Survey of Children's Health, the Ukrainian bear with a landmine, the Pope on holy war, Dan Orlovsky and percent on the Pat McAfee Show, and TSMC in Arizona

Erick Erickson digs into the New York Times report that Mary Peltola's campaign, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides, and the Elias Law Group ran a "Ballot Composition Project" to put a second Dan Sullivan on Alaska's ranked choice ballot, and why he thinks the press is shrugging it off. He also covers Troy Jackson's Maine logging company that turns out to be a union consulting firm and the laundromat owner misled into his ad against Susan Collins, Abdul El-Sayed and Peggy Flanagan donor ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and why he is leaving the Georgia Senate line blank. Plus a salute to the Milwaukee Brewers' World Series win. Alaska Senate race: Mary Peltola, the Ballot Composition Project, two Dan Sullivans, Jared Kurtz, Mark Elias, the DSCC, Dana Bash on CNN, and the Justice Department's weak certification case Why ranked choice voting invites ballot stacking, from Alaska to New York City, and why Erick says it confuses voters and erodes trust in elections Maine Senate race: Troy Jackson's logging company that is really a consulting firm paid by the International Association of Machinists, and the Scarborough laundromat owner misled into a Troy Jackson ad against Susan Collins Michigan and Minnesota Democrats: Abdul El-Sayed, Peggy Flanagan, Muslim Brotherhood donor ties, Haley Stevens on CNN, plus Dave Jolly and James Talarico on transgender athletes in girls sports Why Erick is not voting in the Georgia Senate race, rising antisemitism and extremism on both sides, and a congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers on a small market World Series win over the big spending Dodgers and Mets model

Erick Erickson sounds the alarm on early voting data in Georgia, where Keisha Lance Bottoms could beat Rick Jackson for governor if Republicans stay home, and where the same weak GOP turnout shows up in Iowa, Ohio, Texas and North Carolina. He weighs Patrick Ruffini's numbers against a 3.4 percent third quarter GDP report, a likely December interest rate hike from Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh, and why tariffs, grocery prices and wages trailing inflation hurt Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Plus data center spending, the college work ethic problem, and a possible Canada trade deal. Georgia early voting: Keisha Lance Bottoms vs. Rick Jackson, Secretary of State turnout data, Fulton, Clayton and Liberty counties, weak rural and exurban Republican turnout, and absentee ballot requests Patrick Ruffini's national early vote tracker: 33 million ballots cast, Democratic surge in North Carolina and Georgia, and why Erick still thinks Republicans can narrowly hold the Senate (Ken Paxton, Mike Collins, Michael Whatley) Third quarter GDP at 3.4 percent, the data center building boom driving concrete prices, Kevin Warsh and the Federal Reserve on a December rate hike, Scott Bessent, and tariffs hurting the GOP Grocery price tracking in swing counties by Liz Mayer, wages six months behind inflation, and the affordability problem for Republicans College graduates and work ethic, the return of the Blue Book exam, Microsoft layoffs, and why Chick-fil-A alumni and classical education produce better workers Canada, the European Union and a possible Trump trade deal, plus a surge in Republican turnout in northern border states for Susan Collins and Mike Rogers

Erick Erickson breaks down the New York Times report that Obama-era FBI and Homeland Security investigators found evidence Rep. Ilhan Omar's 2009 marriage was fraudulent, why the statute of limitations stalled the case, and how Chief Judge James Boasberg is handling the sealed search warrant fight. He also takes listener calls on the border wall, munitions production, and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey's case that America should build weapons with the factories it already has, plus China, the power grid, and Taiwan. Ilhan Omar investigation: the New York Times report on an Obama-era FBI and Department of Homeland Security probe of her marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, the five-year statute of limitations, the Chris Hayes interview, and Erick's pattern-of-fraud theory involving her father's immigration status and her passport renewals Judge James Boasberg and the Justice Department: the sealed search warrant for Omar's home, 14 news organizations and Judicial Watch seeking access, the October 30 response deadline, and why a judge hostile to the Trump administration is still letting the investigation slow roll Anduril and Palmer Luckey: why American defense manufacturing should build weapons from existing factories like World War Two Jeeps and John Deere rockets, how Ukraine builds millions of cheap drones, and General Motors turning around munitions in six weeks Listener calls: border wall progress under the Trump administration, Rick Perry on surveillance and drones, the canceled migrant caravan, and a Dayton, Ohio caller on hypersonic missiles and what the United States does not advertise Power grid and Taiwan: the military preparing every installation to run off grid for 90 days, Chinese infiltration of the power grid, water supply and telecom, Europe's warnings about Russia, and Erick's case for being prepared without fear, plus Matt Gaetz and the Cheesecake Factory

Erick Erickson breaks down Benjamin Netanyahu's surprise comeback in the Israeli election, why early exit polls got the Knesset race wrong, and what it means for polling ahead of the American midterms. Then he takes on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s comments about Arab nations a week before Michigan votes, Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim Brotherhood ties, the 2002 UN Arab Human Development Report, and JD Vance on the unrest in France. Erick also explains why he is leaving one Georgia ballot line blank, his predictions for the Senate and House, and the Atlanta Dream versus Golden State Valkyries WNBA Finals scheduling mess. Israel election: Netanyahu and Likud lead, his coalition drops from 68 to 54 seats, exit polling errors, Knesset coalition math, and a possible caretaker government Midterm election 2026 predictions: Republicans hold the Senate, lose the House, why polling overstates Democrats, Ken Paxton in Texas, and Patrick Ruffini's data Why Erick is leaving a Georgia Senate ballot line blank, Mike Collins, and the case for keeping the Senate for judges and a possible Clarence Thomas retirement Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Arab culture, Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, Mike Lawler on CNN, and the UN Arab Human Development Report on book translation JD Vance on rioting in France, immigration and assimilation, Democrats and post-election protests, plus Atlanta Dream versus Golden State Valkyries WNBA Finals and caller Charles on endless campaign calls

Erick Erickson breaks down the New York Times exposé on the Mary Peltola campaign's "Ballot Composition Project," which recruited candidates named Dan Sullivan to confuse Alaska's ranked choice voting ballot and peel votes from Senator Dan Sullivan. He then explains how Republican text message fundraising on WinRed is killing the small donor base while ActBlue surges, why early voting data shows Republicans not turning out in Georgia ahead of Keisha Lance Bottoms, and what the Wall Street Journal reports about a post-midterm Iran strike. Alaska Senate race: Mary Peltola, the Ballot Composition Project, fake and look-alike Dan Sullivan candidates, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee involvement, and why ranked choice voting invites ballot stacking Republican small dollar fundraising collapse: WinRed versus ActBlue, James Talarico's ActBlue haul, spam text messages, the RNC's $64 million in refunded recurring donations, and why super PACs pay higher TV and radio ad rates than candidates Early voting red flag: Republican strategists say reliable early voters are not showing up, Georgia nerves over Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson, John King for insurance commissioner, and Greg Abbott in Texas Iran war: Wall Street Journal report of a short, intense US and Israeli campaign after the midterms, Patriot batteries and carrier groups, the Joint Chiefs' push for 15 more days of bombing, the Iranian missile shield, and Twelver Shia Mahdism Gallup record low support for reelecting Congress, Lisa Murkowski endorsing the Democratic governor candidate in Alaska, and Fox News ratings among 25 to 54 year olds

Erick Erickson digs into the Nielsen numbers showing Fox News headed for its lowest October in years, with just 98,000 viewers in the coveted 25 to 54 demo, and explains why populist movements like MAGA rarely survive the departure of the big personality, from Huey Long to Zell Miller to a post-Trump 2028 fight over Donald Trump's term limits and JD Vance. Then he takes calls on the Texas Senate race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico, why pastors stayed silent in the primary, early voting panic in Georgia and Michigan, and the Federal Reserve holding off on a rate hike until December. Fox News ratings collapse: Nielsen October numbers, a 32 percent drop in the 25 to 54 demographic, News Nation gaining, and why Erick says he refuses to be captured by his audience Populist movements after Trump: Huey Long, Zell Miller, the two term limit and the 22nd Amendment, JD Vance, 2028 presidential campaign talk, and the future of MAGA Texas Senate race: Ken Paxton versus James Talarico, undecided voters breaking for the incumbent party, and why Erick faults Texas pastors for staying quiet in the primary Midterm early vote: more than 33 million ballots cast, Michigan at one in five voters, Georgia passing two million early votes with weak rural turnout, and Patrick Ruffini on border state Republicans Federal Reserve holding rates until a likely December hike, Trump on working with a Democratic House, Christians killed in Nigeria, and Erick's warning about Carl Schmitt on the right

One week before Election Day, Erick Erickson breaks down Donald Trump's nonstop midterm campaign swing, why 13 visits to Kansas is a red flag for Roger Marshall, and how tariffs, diesel prices, fertilizer costs, and Canadian aluminum are hurting Iowa farmers and Republicans. He also digs into Georgia early voting numbers, the Anthropic Claude voter data controversy, the Los Angeles early ballot court fight, and why he expects a possible Democratic House takeover while urging listeners to stay calm, vote, and look ahead to 2028. Trump's closing campaign tour, 13 Kansas visits, Roger Marshall, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and the GOP House majority Tariffs, diesel and fertilizer prices, Iowa farmers, Canadian aluminum, and the Maine tariff waivers for Susan Collins and Mike Rogers Georgia early voting data (1.95 million ballots), rural turnout, and the Claude-built website and Anthropic paywall controversy Midterm forecast and 2028: Democrats and the House, Senate races with James Talarico, Ken Paxton, Mike Rogers, and Sherrod Brown, Hakeem Jeffries, JD Vance, Brian Kemp, and Ted Cruz The Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic rant: the Georgia Florida game rename and corporate sponsorship in college football

Erick Erickson explains why the Senate candidates with their own brand, Susan Collins in Maine and Mike Rogers in Michigan, are beating the ones who are only known as Donald Trump's pick, from Mike Collins in Georgia and Michael Whatley in North Carolina to Ken Paxton in Texas. Then he turns to Florida, where Democratic socialist Angie Nixon's Cuba embargo answer and a criminal referral over $270,000 missing from her charity are dragging down the whole ticket, plus Attorney General James Uthmeier's Sinaloa Cartel takedown in Tampa Bay. Midterm Senate races: Susan Collins, Mike Rogers, Ken Paxton, James Talarico, Mike Collins, Michael Whatley, Sherrod Brown, and why a candidate needs his or her own brand Scott Jennings and Van Jones on CNN: Abdul El-Sayed, Barack Obama's Detroit rally, black voters, Jewish voters, and Michigan early vote polling Georgia, Texas, Florida, Ohio, and Iowa: Rick Jackson, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Greg Abbott, Ashley Moody, Vivek Ramaswamy, and the 2018 Brian Kemp lesson Angie Nixon: Florida Democratic Senate nominee, the Cuba embargo, Obama era policy, Cuban Americans, and the National Legal and Policy Center complaint over her charity Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the Sinaloa Cartel drug ring, Tampa Bay arrests, and Erick's golf trip with the Golfer's Journal Broken Tee Society

Erick Erickson unpacks Barack Obama's Cheesecake Factory joke from the Abdul El-Sayed rally in Michigan, why Donald Trump taking the bait four times hurts Republicans, and why the left's sneering at the middle class and small business owners is the real story. Then he reads the early vote one week before the midterms: Republicans leading in Nevada and Florida, the Texas Senate race between James Talarico and Ken Paxton tied, Susan Collins in Maine, Mike Rogers in Michigan, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and a first look at the Israeli election and Benjamin Netanyahu. Barack Obama's Cheesecake Factory and White House gold leaf jab, Trump's four responses, and Scott Bessent's Cheesecake Factory lunch The left's snobbery toward the middle class and small business owners, Boeing and Apple tariff relief, and Honda warning of a 50 percent tariff on Canadian auto parts Israeli election day: Benjamin Netanyahu in trouble, a surge in Arab Israeli and young voters, and what the media will get wrong Early voting a week out: Republicans ahead in Nevada and Florida, Byron Donalds over Dave Jolly, Greg Abbott's Texas turnout machine, and why late undecideds break for the incumbent party Senate map: James Talarico versus Ken Paxton, Susan Collins versus Troy Jackson, Mike Rogers versus Abdul El-Sayed, Sherrod Brown, Vivek Ramaswamy versus Amy Acton, and Matt Towery's warning on the GOP closing message

Erick Erickson opens an open line Friday revisiting the Ilhan Omar story, playing her own words to Chris Hayes and reading a Pirate Wires piece by Ashley Rindsberg that argues Snopes and the fact-check industry waved away questions about her father, Nur Omar Mohammed, while noting the immigration investigation began under the Biden administration. He then turns to the midterms: the Fox News poll with James Talarico and Ken Paxton tied in Texas, rural Georgia early voting down 50 percent from 2022, fake polls from firms like SoCal Strategies, Abdul El-Sayed on defense in Michigan, and farmer anger over tariffs. He also calls Vivek Ramaswamy's Amy Acton ad political malpractice for every Ohio Republican forced to answer for it. Ilhan Omar's clip with Chris Hayes, her father Nur Omar Mohammed, the Snopes "mostly false" rating, and why Erick says the investigation started under Biden, not Trump How Dan Rather, Power Line, Snopes, and PolitiFact explain the rise of the media fact-check industry and the left-wing narrative it protects Fox News poll shows James Talarico and Ken Paxton dead even in the Texas Senate race, plus rural Georgia early voting down 50 percent per the AJC's Patricia Murphy Fake polls and midterm Senate races: SoCal Strategies, 50 Plus One, Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers in Michigan, Peggy Flanagan, David Jolly, Angie Nixon, Ashley Moody, Sherrod Brown, and an 8 point Democratic generic ballot lead Tariffs hurting farmers in Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, Argentine beef imports, and Vivek Ramaswamy's Amy Acton ad dragging Ohio Republicans into a fight

Texas Governor Greg Abbott joins Erick Erickson to sound the alarm on record Democratic early voting in the Texas governor race against Gina Hinojosa, as a new Fox News poll shows James Talarico and Ken Paxton dead even in the Senate race. Erick then spotlights rural Georgia turnout down 50 percent from 2022, tells Republicans to skip the line they dislike but still vote, and makes the case that tariffs have become the Republican anchor with a net negative 39 percent approval. He also explains why he does not believe the Vanity Fair story on Jared Kushner and lays out what the data says about marriage, free markets, and a successful society. Gov. Greg Abbott on Texas early voting, the Gina Hinojosa campaign, CAIR's endorsement, property taxes, and oil and gas Fox News poll: James Talarico and Ken Paxton tied 49 to 49 in the Texas Senate race, and why turnout decides it Rural Georgia early voting down 50 percent from 2022, Rick Jackson, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and the absentee ballot deadline Tariffs as the GOP anchor: Democrats spent more than $58 million on anti-tariff ads, Republicans spent nothing, and corruption is the top voter issue Why Erick does not buy the Vanity Fair Jared Kushner story, plus the Louvre closing over French riots and the case for marriage and free markets

Erick Erickson says he could hold his nose and vote for Ken Paxton just to keep James Talarico out of the Texas Senate, while refusing to back Mike Collins in Georgia, and argues voters must be earned, not browbeaten into voting the team. Breaking news that the Trump administration will cut 50 percent Canada tariffs to help Susan Collins in Maine leads into a hard look at Iran, with Brent crude near $117, the Dow down nearly 600 points, a working oil blockade, and reports the U.S. and Israel plan regime change after the midterms. He also covers the Defense Production Act for petroleum, bipartisan permitting reform, and New York City's nonprofit property bill. Ken Paxton versus James Talarico in the Texas Senate race, Katie Tur on MS NOW, Angie Nixon's vote the team message, and why polls may undercount Republicans Why Erick leaves the Mike Collins Georgia Senate line blank, and why corruption is the top word tied to the GOP in polling Wall Street Journal: Trump to cut 50 percent Canada tariffs for Susan Collins in Maine and Mike Rogers in Michigan, and the case that tariffs are bad policy and a bad precedent Iran: Brent crude at $116.80, the U.S. oil blockade draining the shadow fleet, Tom Barrack's strike warning, and Israeli and American day two plans for regime change after November 3 Defense Production Act for petroleum and diesel prices, the bipartisan permitting reform bill, the Loper Bright decision, Starlink in Ukraine, and the New York City nonprofit first-dibs property bill