It’s not over for Francesca Hong | America, Actually

Most of the focus in this year’s midterms is naturally on Congress. But the battle for control of state legislatures matters just as much, if not more. Currently, Republicans hold a trifecta — control of the governorship, state senate, and state house — in 23 states, while Democrats hold 16. Flipping just a handful of state seats can change who holds the majority of power nationwide. That has major policy implications. On this week’s episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon travels to Wisconsin to dig into the national strategy behind state-level trifectas, what’s at stake for working-class voters, and what it takes to flip rural districts. 00:00 A blue wave beyond Congress 01:50 Wisconsin: The perfect case study 04:48 What a Wisconsin trifecta could deliver 06:09 Winning back rural voters 07:07 Wisconsin’s gerrymandering legacy 08:17 The growth of data centers 10:41 Francesca Hong’s narrow primary loss 12:43 The electability debate 16:17 Wisconsin’s national stakes 18:45 Rallying to flip the legislature 20:40 The issues that matter most to rural Democrats 29:00 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 learn more, sign up for Astead’s weekly newsletter, Midterms, Actually. Just go to www.vox.com/midtermsactually to learn more, and get in-depth analysis about this year’s election right to your inbox. Subscribe to our channel! http://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: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H