Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Left-leaning Democratic candidates have faced a lot of scrutiny in the last year about whether they’re “electable” in a general election. But why aren’t Republican candidates facing the same question?
Donald Trump’s approval ratings are at the lowest of his presidency, and he’s waging an unpopular war. Gas prices remain elevated, and the GOP has nominated a number of scandal-plagued candidates to run in November’s midterm elections.
So, do Republicans have their own electability crisis? This week on America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon asks GOP influencer and activist CJ Pearson to defend his party’s record.
00:00 Do Republicans have an electability problem?
03:03 Trump’s second term report card
05:43 The GOP’s midterm messaging: “common sense vs. crazy"
07:10 Gas prices and Iran war fallout
11:20 Is Trump still cool?
14:27 The influencer void after Charlie Kirk’s death
15:50 DEI and Black voters
18:30 2020 election denial and January 6th
23:54 Astead’s takeaways
America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.
If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
Left-leaning Democratic candidates have faced a lot of scrutiny in the last year about whether they’re “electable” in a general election. But why aren’t Republican candidates facing the same question?
Donald Trump’s approval ratings are at the lowest of his presidency, and he’s waging an unpopular war. Gas prices remain elevated, and the GOP has nominated a number of scandal-plagued candidates to run in November’s midterm elections.
So, do Republicans have their own electability crisis? This week on America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon asks GOP influencer and activist CJ Pearson to defend his party’s record.
00:00 Do Republicans have an electability problem?
03:03 Trump’s second term report card
05:43 The GOP’s midterm messaging: “common sense vs. crazy"
07:10 Gas prices and Iran war fallout
11:20 Is Trump still cool?
14:27 The influencer void after Charlie Kirk’s death
15:50 DEI and Black voters
18:30 2020 election denial and January 6th
23:54 Astead’s takeaways
America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.
If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
