Deciphering Election 2024 with Charlie Cook

Early Returns - Law and Politics with Jan Baran

At this point in a presidential election year, the national conversation would usually be focused on which candidates are wrestling for their party nomination. But, as we know, this year is different. Even though primary elections still remain and the nominating conventions won’t occur until late summer, the 2024 candidates for president appear to be settled: President Joe Biden v. Former President Donald Trump.

Charlie Cook, respected political analyst who has observed and analyzed U.S. politics for over 40 years, joins Jan to discuss this year’s unconventional election. They discuss this year’s presidential campaigns, historic and newer polling tactics, the swing state effect, and how independents think about their vote.
About Charlie Cook:

Charlie Cook is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading authorities on U.S. elections and political trends. After years of working in politics, Charlie founded “The National Political Review” in March of 1984 before renaming it later that year to “The Cook Political Report.” His idea was to create a non-partisan newsletter that would analyze American political campaigns from the perspective of someone who actually had worked both in campaigns and as a pollster. Al Hunt in the Wall Street Journal has referred to Charlie as “the Picasso of election Analysis” while the New York Times has referred to the Cook Political Report as “a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative.”

In 2010, Charlie was the co-recipient of the American Political Science Association’s prestigious Carey McWilliams award to honor “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics.” In 2013, he served as a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Charlie also serves as a political analyst for National Journal and is a co-author of the 2020 and 2022 editions of The Almanac of American Politics.