The Washington Roundtable Live: The Final Stretch with David Plouffe

The Washington Roundtable is joined onstage at The New Yorker Festival by David Plouffe, the political strategist and the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 Presidential run, for a final look at the midterms map. With Donald Trump’s approval ratings near historic lows and fuel prices squeezing rural voters, Democrats find themselves competitive in Senate races in Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and even Kansas, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since the nineteen-thirties. Plouffe compares these midterms to the wave elections of 1994 and 2006, and argues that Republican spending, including Elon Musk’s, can do little to stave off voter anger about the cost of living. He also looks forward to 2028, and encourages future candidates to study those who overperform this midterm cycle. “Democrats have the opportunity to make an adjustment between now and '28. Republicans don't,” Plouffe says. “It's a political gift of epic proportions—if we find a way to seize it.”

This week’s reading:

• “Obama’s Great Skewering of Trump (newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washingt…),” by Susan B. Glasser

• “James Talarico’s Final Sprint (newyorker.com/news/the-lede/james-talaricos-fi…),” by Jesús Rodríguez

• “A Global Anti-Right Backlash (newyorker.com/news/global-notes/a-global-anti-…),” by Ishaan Tharoor

• “How a Kansas Megachurch Pastor Might Determine Who Wins the Senate (newyorker.com/news/the-lede/how-a-kansas-megac…),” by Emma Green

• “Can Democrats Win Back Labor? (newyorker.com/news/the-lede/can-democrats-win-…),” by Dan Kaufman

• “The State Officials Defending the Midterms from the President (newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/02/the-state-of…),” by Barton Gellman

• “An Anxious Season for Muslims in Texas (newyorker.com/news/the-lede/an-anxious-season-…),” by Peter Slevin

• “Texas Democrats Venture Into ‘No Man’s Land’ (newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/texas-d…),” by Jesús Rodríguez

• “The Founder of Arab Americans for Trump Has Some Regrets (newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/the-founder-of-arab…),” by Isaac Chotiner

• “Charles Kushner and the MAGA Ambassador’s Playbook (newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/02/charles-kush…),” by Lauren Collins

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