Swing State of the Union

Hosted by Joy Powers

Sam Woods

Swing State of the Union looks at the top issues in Wisconsin and how they’re motivating voters nationwide.

Swing State of the Union: Season 3

Power is up for grabs in Wisconsin. This season of Swing State of the Union explores the top issues in Wisconsin and how they’re motivating voters nationwide.

From data centers to education funding, each episode in Season 3 shares stories from swing districts across Wisconsin, examining the political offices that have the power to influence and make change.

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Government & Politics

Episode 1: Data Center Debate

Opposition to data centers cuts across party lines, a rarity in Wisconsin politics. But who has the power to say whether a project is approved, or under what conditions?

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Swing State of the Union: Season 2.5

These two bonus episodes investigate two broad questions about our state courts: How do we hold justices accountable, and how do different justices interpret Wisconsin’s constitution?

Images of Hannah Dugan, Michael Gableman, Pam Bondi and Donald Trump.

Government & Politics

Bonus episode: Who judges the judges?

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are elected to 10-year terms. But how do we hold judicial officials accountable once they’re in office?

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Government & Politics

Bonus episode: Interpreting the interpreters

On April 7, Wisconsin will elect a new Supreme Court justice. But how do judges think about law, and what are the way of interpreting a constitution?

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Swing State of the Union: Season 2

Why is Wisconsin so important to U.S. politics? Season 2 explores why the 2025 nonpartisan Wisconsin Supreme Court race feels so partisan and why it matters.

Government & Politics

Episode 1: Welcome to court

Election season is back with the ideological balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court likely at stake. But what does the court do, and why do we elect justices?

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Government & Politics

Episode 2: Partisan Judgment

For a nonpartisan race, this Wisconsin Supreme Court election feels very partisan. But it wasn’t always this way.

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Government & Politics

Episode 3: Act 10

Act 10 divided Wisconsinites along ideological lines, including Supreme Court justices. We explore the impact of the law and the many court battles over its legitimacy.

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Government & Politics

Episode 4: Ethics v. Money

This year’s race for Wisconsin Supreme Court has already become the most expensive in U.S. history. We explore how we got here.

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Government & Politics

Episode 5: Crawford v. Schimel

Wisconsin’s 2025 election is here. We learn about the candidates, who’s funding them and what’s at stake.

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Swing State of the Union: Season 1

Why is Wisconsin a swing state? That’s the question at the heart of Season 1 of Swing State of the Union, a podcast that explores the state’s historical and current political climate. Produced in 2024.

Episode 1: Welcome to Wisconsin

As a swing state, Wisconsin has outsized influence in the 2024 election. What you may not know is Wisconsin has been influencing national policy for over 100 years.

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Episode 2: Milwaukee vs. Wisconsin

Wisconsin, like many states, has a longstanding contentious relationship with its biggest city. Some politicians exploit this, to the detriment of everyone else.

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Episode 3: Labor left and right

Wisconsin has historically led the nation in creating, and limiting, union rights and bargaining power. We explore what that means for the state’s politics and culture.

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Episode 4: Who gets to vote?

Statewide elections in Wisconsin are regularly close. With it being a presidential election year, the battle over who gets to vote takes center stage.

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Episode 5: Us vs. Them

Politics in Wisconsin, and in the nation, often boils down to an “us vs. them" mentality. But how did we get here, and what’s keeping politics polarized?

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Episode 6: It's party time

Party politics dominates, both in Wisconsin and nationally. But what has that meant for our state, and what happens when the Republican party comes to Milwaukee this summer?

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Episode 7: Money talks

There’s an old adage in political journalism: “Follow the money.” But with super PACs, lobbyists and nonprofits funding campaigns and court cases, where do you start?

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Episode 8: 2020

The 2020 election may go down as one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history. We explore how that happened.

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Episode 9: Here we go again

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are once again vying for Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes. Here’s how they’re making their case.

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Episode 10: Live in the Swing State

For the final episode of this season of "Swing State of the Union," we’re live! We discuss the RNC, Wisconsin’s political trends and life in the swing state of the union.

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"Swing State of the Union" is produced by WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee’s NPR, a part of the NPR Podcast Network.

The podcast is hosted and produced by Joy Powers and Sam Woods. It’s edited by Becky Mortensen and Emily Files with digital support from Michelle Maternowski. Erin Bagatta designed the logo.

Donations from the community make independent, nonprofit journalism — like Swing State of the Union — available for everyone. Support WUWM today.