The Contrarian Pod

On the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with MSNow political analyst Anthony Coley. April and Anthony looked at the vote count for Mississippi’s senate race, how grassroots organizing and Black women flipped the South, and how Democrats can hold onto their historic gains in both chambers of Congress.You can join The Tea with April Ryan every Thursday at 5:30pm eastern at The Contrarian.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

After historic midterm victories for Dem candidates, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with political reporter Natalie Fertig. Natalie is the author behind Out of State, her substack that focuses on the politics of rural America.They looked at the resounding victory against Trump’s failed policies, and why standing up against corruption and the War on Iran resonated so strongly across the political spectrum. Plus, Norm broke down what’s next in Mississippi’s razor-thin senate election.You can join Coffee With Contrarians. Live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern time.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

For a special edition of the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) ahead of the Midterms.While Senator Warnock isn’t in the middle of an election this cycle, he knows a thing or two about winning tough, competitive races. He shared his thoughts on why he’s “nauseously optimistic” for Tuesday across the country, and how he feels about former democratic senate candidate Haley Stevens’ stunning endorsement of Mike Rogers in Michigan.You can join The Tea with April Ryan, live every Thursday at 5:30pm eastern at The Contrarian.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

We don’t need to remind you that Election Day is just around the corner. On the Tea with April Ryan, April spoke with Maya Wiley, the President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.Maya tells us what Americans can do to ensure that their vote is counted and how she expects the Trump Administration to sow distrust in election results the morning after.You can join The Tea with April Ryan, live every Thursday at 5:30pm eastern at The Contrarian.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

VoteHub’s head of data science Zachary Donnini is back with his final verdict on the 2026 midterms. With the election less than a week away, Zachary unpacked the data to share what he’s seeing in early voting numbers, how James Talarico’s chances look in Texas, and why control of the U.S. Senate could hang in the balance for weeks due to Alaska’s ballot counting methods.Plus, Zachary and Tim discuss how prediction markets factor into polling during this midterm election cycle.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

Virginia’s 5th district has been a Republican stronghold for 15 years. But voters have the chance to change that next week.Tom Perriello is the Democratic candidate in that district, and he held the seat from 2009 to 2011. Now, he’s running to get it back.Contrarian Senior Editor Tim Dickinson sat down with Tom to talk about what he sees as the biggest issues in the region: protecting rural Virginians while fighting corruption and monopolies in Washington.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

Contrarian editor in chief Jen Rubin and publisher Norm Eisen chatted with pollster and data whiz Simon Rosenberg about what early turnout numbers look like and what that could mean for a blue wave in the Midterms.Plus, Jen sat down with David Crowley. He’s running for governor in Wisconsin against Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany.Sharing the most pressing issues he’s heard from voters on the ground, Crowley emphasizes why he sees the need to invest in rural communities, public schools, and infrastructure tailored to the state’s unique needs.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

On Let’s do Lunch, economist and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Jared Bernstein answered your burning questions about economics with Claudia Sahm. She’s a macroeconomist who has worked at the Federal Reserve and the White House.They talked about some of the biggest econ issues of the day, how inflation keeps driving up the costs of housing, healthcare, and childcare, and why fallout from a potential AI bubble could trickle through the rest of the economy.You can join Let’s do Lunch and ask your own questions about economics and money every other Tuesday at Noon eastern.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

April Ryan spoke with Representative Shomari Figures, one of only two Black representatives in Alabama, who is now fighting for his seat after redistricting in the state following the SCOTUS decision in Louisiana v. Callais.Like in many districts, affordability and healthcare are on voters’ minds, but Representatives Figures mentions that a key challenge will be getting voters to the polls in November.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe

On Coffee with Contrarians, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen chatted with Ben Sheehan, Civics Expert and author of the book, “What Does the Constitution Actually Say?”You might have seen his constitutional explainers for The Contrarian, making an issue in the news or a statute of the Constitution easy to understand.The trio talked about why understanding the Constitution is more important than ever and about “Civics Made Easy,” a show Ben hosts which just had its second season premiere on PBS.You can join Coffee With Contrarians. Live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 AM Eastern time.The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack. Get full access to The Contrarian at www.contrariannews.org/subscribe