The Campaign Moment

Vice President Harris remains on a fast track to the 2024 Democratic nomination – a virtual vote could make it official as early as next week. That means she will need to pick her running mate very soon. We started to talk through some possible VP picks on Tuesday and now return to the studio to hear how Aaron Blake’s reporting and analysis have led him to zero in on seven options. He and Elahe Izadi dig further into what potential candidates would – and wouldn’t – bring to a Democratic ticket with Harris at the top. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Post's new Campaign Moment newsletter, and Colby Itkowitz, who covers voting and elections on the democracy team, sit down with Post Reports co-host Elahe Izadi. They talk about how Harris polls against Trump, what it means for her to take over a campaign that was designed for President Biden, and how the GOP is reacting to her campaign.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass.Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

On Sunday afternoon, President Biden released a statement announcing that he would stand down from seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race. The statement came after weeks of mounting pressure from members of his party, many of whom expressed concern over his health and speculated whether he would be able to beat former president Donald Trump. We're sharing this special edition of Post Reports today. Host Elahe Izadi speaks with White House reporter Tyler Pager about this monumental decision by the president and whether it puts Democrats in a better position to beat Trump. The show was produced by Ariel Plotnick and Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sean Carter. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Democrats flipped the typical convention script this week, dominating the news during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Following the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump at a rally Saturday, the GOP aimed to send a message of unity to the party faithful. In his acceptance speech, Trump initially seemed somber, telling the crowd, “I’m not supposed to be here tonight.” They chanted back, “Yes, you are.” But he quickly regained his normal campaign posture, hammering Democrats over immigration and the economy. Meanwhile, new reporting from The Post shows that Biden is hearing concerns about his fitness to lead the ticket from senior Democratic figures like former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former president Barack Obama.Martine Powers and Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and writer of The Campaign Moment newsletter, speak with Dan Balz, the chief correspondent covering national politics, the presidency and Congress at The Post.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland. It was edited by Reena Flores and Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sam Bair. Subscribe to The Campaign Moment newsletter here.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

This week was supposed to be all about the GOP as delegates rally in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. However, Democratic infighting has taken center stage.While an effort is brewing to secure President Biden’s spot on the ticket weeks before the Democrats’ convention, congressional leaders within his own party have told Biden his candidacy could imperil down-ballot Democrats. Meanwhile, the president seems committed to pushing forward despite ominous polling. Can Biden’s endorsement of liberal ideas garner support from within the party and woo voters? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake talks through all of this with senior congressional correspondent and columnist Paul Kane.Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland and Laura Benshoff. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake is hopping on the mic solo before getting ready for Wednesday night’s speeches to run through the themes emerging midway through the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Speeches have been turning more ominous and he expects that will continue. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Senior political reporter Aaron Blake sits down with The Campaign Moment producer Laura Benshoff for a special play-by-play episode of the most important moments of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee so far and what’s next for the GOP. They break down the moment when Donald Trump walked out onto the convention floor in his first major appearance since the assassination attempt. They also talk through the divisive rhetoric heard in several of the speeches Monday night and discuss the Republican Party’s efforts to reach new voters. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland. It was mixed by Sam Bair. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Trinity Webster-Bass. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

This week, amid calls for political unity and growing questions over presidential security, Trump faces one of the most consequential weeks in his campaign yet – the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he will officially accept the Republican nomination for president. Post Reports co-host Martine Powers speaks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and political investigations and enterprise reporter Josh Dawsey from the convention. They explore the weight of the ongoing investigation into the attempted assassination, its larger implications and what to expect from the convention this week. Also, they discuss the dropped charges in a legal challenge regarding Trump’s handling of classified documents, and the announcement of Trump’s running mate: Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and Charla Freeland, and mixed by Sean Carter. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy. Thanks also to Ali Bianco.Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

This week, Biden vowed in his high-stakes press conference on Thursday night to remain in the race, but it’s unclear if his message satisfied voters. His speech followed new polling this week that suggests that more than half of Democrats want Biden to drop out of the race. It also found that the overall race hasn’t changed much, and that Trump and Biden are locked in a dead heat. Post Reports co-host Martine Powers talks with senior political reporter Aaron Blake and national politics reporter Hannah Knowles about how Democratic voters and politicians feel about Biden, and why Trump has been so quiet during a tumultuous moment in his opponent’s campaign. They also dig into what to expect at next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and Mary Jo Murphy and mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

As calls ring out for President Biden to step aside, the campaign hunkers down.The president went on a media blitz over the weekend to quell the unrest among Democrats, appearing in a rare television interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday. By Monday morning, Biden had sent a letter to congressional Democrats defiantly declaring his intentions to stay in the race and had called into MSNBC’s Morning Joe to sound off on “elites” in the party. But with nine House Democrats now publicly and privately calling for Biden to step down, are the president’s efforts actually working? Senior political reporter Aaron Blake sits down with White House reporter Matt Viser to game out the campaign’s political calculations. What are the forces weighing on Biden’s decision-making? And if Biden backs down, is Vice President Harris really the heir apparent? Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff. It was edited by Reena Flores and Mary Jo Murphy. It was mixed by Rennie Svirnovskiy.Subscribe to The Washington Post here and sign up for The Campaign Moment newsletter.

The Campaign Moment is The Washington Post’s weekly politics roundtable to help you keep track of the biggest developments of the 2024 campaign.We’re bringing you an episode early in the week to share details from inside President Biden’s campaign as the Democratic Party reckons with the fallout from his stumbling performance at the first presidential debate. Senior political reporter Aaron Blake, who writes The Washington Post's “The Campaign Moment” newsletter, and Tyler Pager, a White House reporter who’s been traveling with Biden around the country, sit down with co-host Martine Powers. They reveal the behind-the-scenes details of Biden’s preparation before the debate, his Friday campaign rally to reinvigorate the president’s image, and his team’s willingness to engage in discussions about replacing him ahead of the Democratic convention.Today’s show was produced by Laura Benshoff and mixed by Sean Carter. Additional production by Ali Bianco. It was edited by Allison Michaels and Mary Jo Murphy.  Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Welcome to this special debate edition of The Campaign Moment.We’re in your feed first thing today after Post Reports co-host Martine Powers and senior political reporter Aaron Blake went into the studio shortly after the debate ended. Aaron says it’s one of the most significant moments of the campaign so far. He and Martine talk through Biden and Trump’s performances, which had Biden noticeably stumbling at times and Trump basing many answers around falsehoods that were left unchallenged by the CNN moderators. Aaron explains the tough questions in front of Democrats now and what this could mean for a buoyed Trump campaign. Today’s show was produced and mixed by Ted Muldoon. It was edited by Renita Jablonski. Subscribe to Aaron’s newsletter, The Campaign Moment, here. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.