EPISODE · May 28, 2026 · 1H 8M
This Year's Model
from Beyond the Polls with Henry Olsen · host Ricochet
America is a change agent. Just this week, we witnessed another sign of that as unstoppable MAGA momentum pushed notorious Ken Paxton to a walloping victory over party loyalist John Cornyn. So how does one gauge public opinion in such a dynamic terrain? To answer that, Henry sits down with James Kanagasooriam of the research firm Focaldata. The duo discusses the history of polling and the current methods for addressing new challenges, such as response rate collapse and demographic biases toward politically engaged voters, and how these fit into the timeless task of interpreting the results. All of it adds up to a must-listen lesson on how some pollsters innovate to make their boldly accurate calls.Plus, Henry examines the Texas runoff results and looks ahead to exciting primaries coming up in California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, and South Dakota.
What this episode covers
America is a change agent. Just this week, we witnessed another sign of that as unstoppable MAGA momentum pushed notorious Ken Paxton to a walloping victory over party loyalist John Cornyn. So how does one gauge public opinion in such a dynamic terrain? To answer that, Henry sits down with James Kanagasooriam of the research firm Focaldata. The duo discusses the history of polling and the current methods for addressing new challenges, such as response rate collapse and demographic biases toward politically engaged voters, and how these fit into the timeless task of interpreting the results. All of it adds up to a must-listen lesson on how some pollsters innovate to make their boldly accurate calls.Plus, Henry examines the Texas runoff results and looks ahead to exciting primaries coming up in California, New Jersey, Iowa, Montana, and South Dakota.
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This Year's Model
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