Democrats kicked Eric Swalwell to the curb lightning-quick, and it’s a very good thing he’s gone. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard discuss the brave women who came forward to accuse Swalwell of sexual assault and wound up ending his political career. We also assess the fallout from his departure—and how it differs so starkly compared to the way Republicans dealt with a miscreant of their own, Tony Gonzales.

The Davids then talk with Maryam Jazini, the senior director of litigation at Common Cause, about the Justice Department’s efforts to wrest confidential vote data from nearly every state. Jazini explains why the DOJ’s crusade is such a dangerous component of Donald Trump’s hopes of asserting federal control over our elections. But groups like Common Cause are fighting back—and winning in court.

P.S. The Downballot podcast is taking next week off, but to attend the live recording of the Strength In Numbers podcast with Nir and G. Elliott Morris on April 23 in Washington, DC, please RSVP here!

It was a massive blowout for progressives up and down the ticket in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, capped by a rout in the race for the Supreme Court that saw liberals expand their hard-won majority. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-host David Beard and guest host Joe Sudbay break down all of the top contests, as well as the special election for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s old seat, which saw another massive Democratic overperformance.

Beard then talks with G. Elliott Morris from Strength in Numbers about his new report on Donald Trump’s job approval broken down by congressional district, which shows Trump underwater in a huge number of Republican seats. Elliott explains how he produced this unique data set and tells us where Trump has lost the most ground—and with which groups of voters.

There are 36 races for governor in 2026, and many are shaping up to be highly competitive. On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, co-hosts David Nir and David Beard run through 10 of the most interesting races for governor across the country. They explain how the blue-leaning environment could help Democrats compete in red states and how ranked-choice voting systems could affect races in both Alaska and Maine.

The Davids also preview the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, a contest in which liberal candidate Chris Taylor looks like the decided favorite over her conservative rival, Maria Lazar. They discuss Democrats’ current structural advantage in races like these during the Trump era and consider the possibility of a dominant 6-1 progressive majority in 2027.