On today’s episode of The Liberal Patriot Podcast, I talk with Iowa state legislator and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek about why Donald Trump’s populism resonated with working-class voters—and why it ultimately failed to deliver. We examine faux populism, rural economic decline, tariffs, health care, and what genuine working-class politics would require beyond slogans and culture war performance.
Turek is one of the first candidates endorsed by The Bench, a new organization dedicated to supporting Democrats like Josh who are trying to win competitive elections and flip seats in red areas by representing the values and policy desires of working-class voters and their families in a pragmatic manner.
A transcript of this podcast is available at the top of the page on our website.











