Was a huge fan but it’s lost its way. Lots of guest and host snickering (literally), inside jokes that cause more snickering, and four individuals with exactly the same viewpoint. What might it be like to have someone on with a different opinion? Ugh.

Great gen-x interviews at the end!

As a Hispanic/Latino I understand how the old census was supposed to work but I have always protested the premise of selecting a race. I don’t think your takeaway of folks not understanding how it works is accurate and is dismissive. I think what that 44% other means is that we don’t feel like we are white, or any of the other categories and will not count ourselves in that bucket. I listen to this podcast to get an understanding of the polling that is being released and they provide great background into how to interpret that without overreacting with their commentary. I think on the 4/2 you were wrong to say what you said

Best of luck Tony!

I understand that this podcast is about polls, but while listening to your episode on Black voters trending toward Trump/Republican I was surprised that you didn’t discuss two important issues. One, you did not discuss gender. There is a big difference in all racial groups between male and female identified voters. And I was shocked that you could discuss the “social aspects” of this potential shift without addressing why more Black voters would shift to someone who is so blatantly racist. You ignored the elephant in the room.

Love this podcast, but I do have an observation. Almost every episode, one commentator comments on how “average Americans don’t pay attention to this stuff” or “I don’t think your average voter cares about this”. I find it a bit frustrating. They give a take on something then finish it with “but we’re the only ones who pay attention to this kind of thing because we’re so craazyyy” and it defuses the point they’re trying to make. YOU’RE NOT. The only political bubble you think you’re in is the one you’ve created. I love the conversations, but when you say things like that, it can feel really greater than thou. If someone is listening to 538, they pay attention.

Just a bunch of horserace political coverage masquerading as something deeper. The losses of Claire Malone and Perry Bacon Jr. have been crippling. Getting worse in 2024 than in 2023 than in 2022 … you get the picture. Straining to “both sides” issues which leads to even more horse race coverage, nothing of real substance. I’m out.

👍 !

Just the cold and brutal truth.

What a bunch of navel gazers!

This used to be my favorite political podcast and I’d set aside uninterrupted time to listen to your thoughtful analysis and data-driven insights. I also enjoyed the banter and interaction between the hosts, it sounded like you knew and liked each other. Sadly, the mix of voices and personalities just doesn’t work anymore. At least not for me. Not sure if it’s Micah’s absence (I was delighted to hear his voice on night 3 of the convention) or the uneasy dynamic between Perry and Clare (I love Clare), but the show is no longer a fun listen. I’ll hang on through the election because I trust your insights and analysis, but this podcast is definitely falling off my ‘must listen’ list.

This podcast used to be good, but since it moved to being owned by ABC it’s nothing but corporate talking points. It’s become so dumbed down it’s not at all insightful or thought provoking. I’ve noticed a lot of picking and choosing of data and it is lacking any real analysis.

I love this podcast because it doesn’t tell me what to think, it tells what other people are thinking! Enough said.

When you invite guests please ask them to use good microphones

Great information in the weeds, very detailed, but the person with all the vocal fry and up-speak gets old really quick

Not sure when, precisely, I stopped listening regularly to this podcast—sometime in the past year, for sure, but these days when I pop in, I find it to be a lot of hot air that dates almost instantaneously. For example, the most recent episode about NY’s 3rd congressional district: When the crew recorded their podcast, it was late and they spun hard to diminish the results—point spread not as big as democrats need, they expect the winner’s margin to narrow, and so on. But in the hours since last night, the margin *grew,* rendering their discussion utterly beside the point. And combined with results from PA, a much different picture of the electorate emerges. Not that *that* tells us all that much, either. But their we-gotta-hurry-and-post-late-night-recording is worthless before it even landed. A pity there’s not more sober consideration going on here. It was a good podcast once upon a time, back when it was all about the ins and outs of political polling.

I listen to tons of political podcasts and this is by far my favorite. Galen and his guests do a terrific job of laying out the information and dissecting what it means without talking from the right or the left. The only way they could improve would be to release an episode every day!

Do you all even profess to be even handed? Honestly, maybe make a public statement about your obvious slant so that listeners have good information when searching for podcasts. I’ve been listening for several years and giving up today because for the last time you have confirmed your bias. Show really went downhill post-Sulver. Putting aside everything in the report about his senility, no reasonable person could read the special counsel report as an exoneration. Declining to charge is very, very different from exoneration and you should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing the difference. I’ll be listening for a retraction. PS, I’ve voted third party since 2012, so not on one side or other.

The overall quality has been dropping over the years to begin with as various media companies strip the site and brand of what makes it special. With full corporate oversight, 538 is no longer a source of intelligent commentary, now failing at times to even acknowledge that correlation is not causation. This show today is an embarrassment compared to its predecessors.

538: “people are stupid because they compare prices today with prices in 2019” People: “F… U”

This show, once a beacon of light in a world filled with talking heads spouting hot takes, has become an also-ran. Just more of the same drivel we get everywhere else. Nathanial Rakich and Geoffrey Skelly are the exceptions. Galen Druke is up-and-down, depending on the episode.

I love 538! Please have Carlos on more--as a regular if possible. Also--bring Clare Malone back! Thanks

I enjoy the podcast but pet peeve: please stop saying “like” over and over, distracting and decreases your credibility, at least for this one listener.

Listened to one episode and the opinions of the hosts were baseless and asinine. One of the gentleman had a repulsive voice that made it hard to listen to. Especially when he was just pulling numbers out of his àśś then sharing his poorly interpreted reasons for said numbers. I don’t need to hear any more.

Rich information and cogent analysis on presidential preference primaries. Galen asks smart questions to local experts , presenting a picture of likely election outcomes backed not only by data but also a lived understanding of the local voters.

I enjoy your show - mostly - sometimes it’s too “in the weeds” but it’s interesting. Much more interesting in an election year. However, age of your speakers is showing. When you speak stats not a single “like” is said. When you are tossing subject around, like, casually, you guys like can’t stop saying like. Like you can’t finish a sentence without, like saying like instead of ummm. As a teacher who used to teach public speaking it hurts my ears! Get an intern to play this episode and count the likes! Thanks either way for keeping us informed.

Without Nate Silver it’s just another dime a dozen talking heads podcast

Pulitzer Prize to Galen Druke. Do pods qualify? If not, they should.

Worried about Trump being a dictator for first day in office? Every President that signs executive orders day one is a dictator. Worried about Trump using DOJ to go after political opponents? Oh wait, you mean like the Biden DOJ? Don’t talk about norms being broken when the Democrats you support already broke them.

Since they've been folded in with ABC news, the show has gotten much dumber. The ABC news folks they bring on really bring the show down. I love Galen and the old 538 crew, but I find myself turning episodes off and marking as played pretty frequently these days.

Unfortunately without Claire and Harry this show has become unlistenable due to lack of quality analysis.

On the latest episode, one host explains that the best GOP candidate to become a unified Trump challenger if the others dropped out would have to be DeSantis because he had the highest poll numbers at some point which means he has the highest ceiling. I’m no political data expert, but I’m pretty sure (and I think literally everyone else paying attention to this primary process would agree) that supporters fleeing DeSantis once he started campaigning actually makes him the WEAKEST candidate to expand his support. This dead wrong “forest for the trees” expertise has recently become the norm for this once-great show. What’s the point of listening to experts on politics who don’t seem to understand basic politics? I was hopeful the show would improve once the increasingly smug and stubborn Silver left. But after 7 years, I’m out.

Thought Nate Silver’s departure would cause me to move-on? I didn’t—Still loving 538!!

Whenever Galen disagrees with a guest on the pod, he has a tendency to get really combative and flustered. Kind of stressful to listen to.

This episode proves that the majority of Americans are stupid when it comes to voting. I couldn’t get through the whole episode. Please do not do that again. Oi.

Pathetic attempts to “both sides” issues are accomplished by platforming uninformed voters to ramble unedited for half an hour and act like it’s hard to make a podcast. Interviewers incapable of the most basic followup questions while broadcasting knowingly false information.

Hi. Love the show. Constructive criticism: listening to tonight's discussion of the 2023 election results, I wondered if some of you were tired. I was driving, so not the greatest sound on my end, but still, I had no trouble understanding Nate, who was on that microphone like a podcaster (or musician or the like) should be. Some of the other commentary was not so clear. -Sam Barry

First reaction: This new one is very bad. Look like a Dollar General logo. Second reaction: The quality of the discussion has sunk tremendously. Rakich, Morris, Skelley good but what happened to the higher quality female panelists like Julia Azari and even some of the prior featured staff. The Leah person is not good enough.

Can Adam Kinzinger please run for president?

In episode “why are politics are stuck in 2016” on September 25th at minute 37 and second 33. Hhhmmm

I turned off today’s episode after that idiot started by picking some moron from Georgia! Don’t waste my time!

This is one of my favorite podcast! I enjoy the segment about good or bad use of polling, and I also think it’s coverage of politics through polls gives a unique and fascinating perspective! It is always exciting to see that there is a new 538 politics podcast episode in my feed! 5 star podcast!

For the last decade 538 was a 6 out of 5 star podcast. Not anymore. It feels like ownership has driven the 538 brand, including the podcast, towards the same style of media coverage as the other major political media. I’ll still rate the podcast a 3 out of 5 for the remaining talent (Galen, Nathaniel, Geoff, etc.) holding back a tidal wave of simplified, dumbed down, and sensationalized coverage. While listening, I get the feeling that holding it back is becoming more and more difficult. I hope the best for the remaining team.

This podcast (and website) used to be one of my top go-tos for political and election coverage/analysis. Now it’s pretty boring. Ever since they let Nate Silver go, there’s been no substance to it. What happened to rest of the team? Did Disney/ABC let them all go? 538 didn’t even post an episode after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Meanwhile npr politics has put out 4 episodes this week because of the political craziness going on.

Shows gone sideways. Used to be my go to podcast for no-nonsense analysis (with a bit of silliness tossed in). Now they’re spending 20 minutes demeaning men for being interested in the Roman Empire ( October 2nd episode). Sadly, it’s time for me to move on.

This used to be a great podcast about the s wince of polling, statistical modeling, and actual politicking. Whatever happened when Nate Silver got fired also ruined this show. To be clear: Silver never cared about the cast and seemed actively to dislike doing it. It seems clear, however, that the change in direction that led to his dismissal also gutted the show. There is still some good info to be had here, but there’s a lot more dross.

Well produced and good analysis without getting too into the weeds. I’m a casual listener, not a political junkie, and for me I feel like I get the high points while also being introduced to some of the more esoteric stuff. Overall, great pod.

I’ve listened to this podcast since the beginning. So far they lost the immense talent of Micah Cohen, Nate Silver, Sarah E. Frostenson, Clare Malone, Perry Bacon Jr., and Alex Samuels. Letting Nate Silver go was perhaps their largest mistake, with him gone, is it really FiveThirtyEight? Doesn’t sound like it. It’s just a boring waste of time now. The “wonky” podcast I used to love sound like all the talking heads you see on 24/7 news channels. Just there to fill air. Galen appears to try to hold it together, but the talent has been hollowed out to where I feel those on the podcast now would be better suited elsewhere. Nathaniel Rakich is still appreciated. Basically, it’s trash now and I feel sorry for those stuck in contracts that can’t jump ship yet.

Hey I love the podcast, but in recent weeks every episode has become extremely glitchy (at least on Apple Podcast app). Multiple times in every episode the audio jumps ahead or jumps back. Sometimes it does this multiple times in a row or completely cuts off portions of the audio in mid sentence. Hoping this can get addressed and fixed moving forward!

We get it. Models and projections. But call a spade a spade.