Polling, Politics, and the Power of Fraternity with Brad Todd

CNN political commentator and Washington D.C. polling firm founder Brad Todd joins host Wynn Smiley for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, politics, and the lasting value of fraternity membership. Todd shares how his time as ATO chapter president at Rhodes College unknowingly prepared him to run political campaigns and build a successful small business — from managing tight budgets and motivating people toward a common goal. Drawing on his firm On Message's multi-year polling of college students, Todd breaks down surprising findings: why fraternity men skew more conservative than their peers, how freshmen start out trusting campus administrators only to grow disillusioned by senior year, and why Greek-affiliated students vote at significantly higher rates than unaffiliated peers. The conversation also tackles the growing political gender gap on college campuses, the anti-establishment wave reshaping both political parties, and what Todd's experience as a CNN commentator has taught him about media, algorithms, and a nation that may be less divided than social media suggests. Todd closes with a passionate case for why joining a fraternity remains one of the most important decisions a young man can make.