Joan Esposito is joined by David Schultz, distinguished university professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University and an adjunct law professor at the University of St. Thomas.

The interview examined the close Minnesota Senate race, campaign spending and polling, voter turnout, and money in politics. Here a few highlights from the conversation:
- Schultz described Minnesota as usually Democratic but politically competitive, making its Senate seat important to Democratic efforts to control the Senate.
- He said campaign spending shifts and where Donald Trump campaigns can indicate which races parties consider competitive and where they are concentrating resources.
- He said most voters are aligned with a party; late-campaign efforts mainly focus on turnout rather than changing minds. He emphasized that nonvoting can affect close election outcomes.
- He argued that building coalitions and winning elections are necessary for incremental policy change, even when candidates are not voters’ ideal choices.
- Schultz and Esposito discussed whether large outside contributions, including money from Elon Musk, could prompt voters to reject candidates. He distinguished wealthy donors’ spending from contributions bundled by labor unions.

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

 

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Joan Esposito is joined by David Schultz,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hamline.edu/faculty-staff/david-schultz">distinguished university professor of political science and legal studies at Hamline University</a> and an <a href="https://law.stthomas.edu/about/faculty-staff/directory/david-schultz/">adjunct law professor at the University of St. Thomas</a>.
The interview examined the close Minnesota Senate race, campaign spending and polling, voter turnout, and money in politics. Here a few highlights from the conversation: - Schultz described Minnesota as usually Democratic but politically competitive, making its Senate seat important to Democratic efforts to control the Senate. - He said campaign spending shifts and where Donald Trump campaigns can indicate which races parties consider competitive and where they are concentrating resources. - He said most voters are aligned with a party; late-campaign efforts mainly focus on turnout rather than changing minds. He emphasized that nonvoting can affect close election outcomes. - He argued that building coalitions and winning elections are necessary for incremental policy change, even when candidates are not voters&rsquo; ideal choices. - Schultz and Esposito discussed whether large outside contributions, including money from Elon Musk, could prompt voters to reject candidates. He distinguished wealthy donors&rsquo; spending from contributions bundled by labor unions.
Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (<a href="http://heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive">heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive</a>).
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From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics.  

A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.    

Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, here are full episodes of "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central), a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. &nbsp;
A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;

Joan Esposito (Full Episodes)

From Heartland Signal and WCPT AM 820 in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect — Democrats, of course.    

Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC.  Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). 

From Heartland Signal and <a href="https://heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820/">WCPT AM 820</a> in Chicago, "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" (weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central) is a topical and interactive talk show that focuses on national, state and city politics. A veteran Chicago broadcaster, Joan talks to politicians and professors, activists and authors, candidates and correspondents, as well as listeners who call in to share their views on the news of the day. Her goal is to Edify, Entertain and Elect &mdash; Democrats, of course. &nbsp; &nbsp;
Joan Esposito has hosted WCPT's afternoon show since 2019. Prior to that she spent 20 years as a Chicago television anchor and reporter for WGN Channel 9, ABC7 and NBC5, and had a stint as managing partner at media trainer J2SC. &nbsp;Joan is a long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).&nbsp;