Eight weeks from the midterms, every cable panel is explaining the 2026 election with a single number — Donald Trump's approval rating — while telling you Trump isn't on the ballot.

Larry O'Connor makes the case that the number answers the wrong question. Elections are choices, not referendums, and being annoyed about grocery prices is not the same as wanting a 33-year-old democratic socialist running the country.

He walks through why August polling always looks like this for Republicans, who actually answers polls in August, and why the "polls are tightening" story arrives on schedule every single October. Then the part nobody on television will connect: the anger about Iran isn't about the Strait of Hormuz, it's about what happened to gas prices — and the national average everyone quotes is being pulled up by one state.

Gavin Newsom's California adds a premium to every gallon through regulations and taxes, and it lands in the number Democrats then blame on Trump. Plus the 2018 comparison the media keeps reaching for, why 2022 is the better analogy, and what Joe Biden's raid on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve actually bought him.

Check out the latest news from Heartlander News: https://heartlandernews.com/

Eight weeks from the midterms, every cable panel is explaining the 2026 election with a single number &mdash; Donald Trump's approval rating &mdash; while telling you Trump isn't on the ballot.
Larry O'Connor makes the case that the number answers the wrong question. Elections are choices, not referendums, and being annoyed about grocery prices is not the same as wanting a 33-year-old democratic socialist running the country.
He walks through why August polling always looks like this for Republicans, who actually answers polls in August, and why the "polls are tightening" story arrives on schedule every single October. Then the part nobody on television will connect: the anger about Iran isn't about the Strait of Hormuz, it's about what happened to gas prices &mdash; and the national average everyone quotes is being pulled up by one state.
Gavin Newsom's California adds a premium to every gallon through regulations and taxes, and it lands in the number Democrats then blame on Trump. Plus the 2018 comparison the media keeps reaching for, why 2022 is the better analogy, and what Joe Biden's raid on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve actually bought him.
Check out the latest news from Heartlander News: https://heartlandernews.com/

Want to make sense of the seismic shifts in American news, politics and entertainment? Larry O’Connor has a way of breaking down and explaining the most complicated topics as he delivers succinct, bite-sized summaries of the stories everybody’s talking about.

Always good-natured and never preachy or shouty, LARRY will get you up-to-speed on today’s hottest topics with common-sense, conservative and, yes, funny analysis.

Like what you hear? Join Townhall VIP Gold with promo code "LARRY" to enjoy all the exclusive benefits at 50% off!

Want to make sense of the seismic shifts in American news, politics and entertainment? Larry O&rsquo;Connor has a way of breaking down and explaining the most complicated topics as he delivers succinct, bite-sized summaries of the stories everybody&rsquo;s talking about.
Always good-natured and never preachy or shouty, LARRY will get you up-to-speed on today&rsquo;s hottest topics with common-sense, conservative and, yes, funny analysis.
Like what you hear? Join Townhall VIP Gold with promo code "LARRY" to enjoy all the exclusive benefits at 50% off!

LARRY with Larry O'Connor

Want to make sense of the seismic shifts in American news, politics and entertainment? Larry O’Connor has a way of breaking down and explaining the most complicated topics as he delivers succinct, bite-sized summaries of the stories everybody’s talking about. Always good-natured and never preachy or shouty, LARRY will get you up-to-speed on today’s hottest topics with common-sense, conservative and, yes, funny analysis. Like what you hear? Join Townhall VIP Gold with promo code "LARRY" to enjoy all the exclusive benefits at 50% off!

Want to make sense of the seismic shifts in American news, politics and entertainment? Larry O’Connor has a way of breaking down and explaining the most complicated topics as he delivers succinct, bite-sized summaries of the stories everybody’s talking about. Always good-natured and never preachy or shouty, LARRY will get you up-to-speed on today’s hottest topics with common-sense, conservative and, yes, funny analysis. Like what you hear? Join Townhall VIP Gold with promo code "LARRY" to enjoy all the exclusive benefits at 50% off!

Democrats Have ALREADY Made Their Biggest Mistake Of The Midterms...

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/fa0175d3-3d6c-4f47-98e9-b4bf016c8d99/transcript