Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey)

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Cite

Longwell, S. (2026, October 17). Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey). The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/some-trump-voters-are-gushing-over

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Bulwark · collected 2026-10-17 · by Sarah Longwell commentary

Quick Summary

Elaine Godfrey discusses her observations from traveling with Iowa's leading Democratic candidates in an interview for The Atlantic. She highlights the potential for Democrats to make gains in traditionally red states like Iowa during this election year, noting that some Trump voters express enthusiasm for these candidates. The article also mentions links to additional resources and a promotion for The Bulwark’s subscription service.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-17, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Elaine Godfrey, a journalist from The Atlantic, is reporting on Democratic candidates running in traditionally Republican states with significant upcoming elections. Specifically, she discusses Iowa's leading Democratic contenders who are attracting interest among some Trump voters. Godfrey notes that while Democrats initially saw these races as long shots, they now believe there might be more substantial opportunities for victory. This shift is observed not only in Iowa but also in other red states like Mississippi and Nebraska.

Godfrey joins Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark to discuss her findings from traveling with the Democratic candidates in Iowa and highlights the growing support among disaffected Trump voters, suggesting a potential change in political dynamics ahead of these critical elections.

Written for “Some Trump Voters Support Iowa Democrat” on 2026-10-17, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 86799 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-17

Story

📰 Some Trump Voters Support Iowa Democrat
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Watch: Will disenchanted Iowa Republicans reject Trump in the midterms? different event · 95%
BBC News
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 5 📰 publisher trust 69
“The articles discuss different aspects of political sentiment and campaigning in Iowa around the midterm elections but do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
Democrat-aligned nonprofit group backs conservative spoiler candidates in Iowa and other swing states different event · 95%
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 33% hedged 1 of 3 📰 publisher trust 68
“The articles discuss different aspects of political dynamics in various states and do not describe the same specific incident.”
Rob Sand seeks red-state blueprint for Democrats in Iowa different event · 90%
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 8% hedged 4 of 51 📰 publisher trust 68
“The articles discuss Rob Sand's efforts but cover different aspects and timelines related to his campaign in Iowa.”
Iowa Democrat Josh Turek won't utter Trump's name but takes sly jab at Ashley Hinson's biggest asset: 'She plays the fiddle well' different event · 20%
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 15 📰 publisher trust 64
“The articles cover different aspects of Josh Turek's campaign and do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
9
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
33%
3 of 9 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 429 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Sarah Longwell
19 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are ‘sayin’ there’s a chance,’ like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance.
2026-10-17 · mixed framing · Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey)
🔮 Plus, Weissmann explains why simply ordering Trump to stop breaking the rules isn’t enough, and whether DOJ lawyers pursuing politically motivated prosecutions could eventually face disbarment.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · DHS Raids Ilhan Omar’s Home. Weissmann Smells a Rat.
🔮 The speech goes like this: With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state.
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · We Showed Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ad to a Focus Group. The Results Were Abysmal.
🔮 OF ALL THE STATES THAT COULD give us an indication of how big the blue wave will be this cycle, Iowa is one of the most intriguing.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · A Group of Iowa Trump Voters Reveals Why MAGA Is Flailing
🔮 Would you like to see a Bulwark show recorded live and in person?
2026-09-26 · assertive framing · Republicans Are Suddenly Fighting for Their Lives in Ohio (with Andrew Tobias)
🔮 All profits from this event will be donated to those in Springfield who are in need.
2026-09-23 · assertive framing · Andrew Weissmann: Trump’s White House Press Ban Is Going to Lose in Court
🔮 The decade spanning 2015 to 2025 will likely be recorded by historians as the era of the “Great Media Unraveling,” a period when the unified broadcasting models of the twentieth century shattered into distinct, self-sustaining, and mostly not-overlapping digital ecosystems.
2026-09-14 · assertive framing · How MAGA Bewildered Voters Into Its Alternate Reality
🔮 Veteran Texas journalist Christopher Hooks of Texas Monthly joins Sarah to talk about Ken Paxton's sordid history in Texas Republican politics, how Texas Trump voters are responding to James Talarico, whether the race for governor may turn competitive, and how data centers and Flock surveillance cameras are presenting an opportunity to recapture some disaffected Trump voters.
2026-09-12 · assertive framing · Something's Happening in Texas (with Chris Hooks)
🔮 Andrew Weissmann turns the tables on Sarah Longwell for a conversation about her new book, How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time—and what a post-Trump political future could look like.
2026-09-10 · assertive framing · Sarah Longwell's Message for Everyone Who Thinks We’re Doomed (w/ Andrew Weissmann)
🔮 I started hosting focus groups to understand how Republican voters could have made such a catastrophic decision.
2026-09-07 · assertive framing · I can’t believe it’s almost here.
Also by Sarah Longwell
DHS Raids Ilhan Omar’s Home. Weissmann Smells a Rat.
2026-10-15 · The Bulwark
Why Adam Hamilton Could Win in Kansas, as Explained by Trump Voters
2026-10-13 · The Bulwark
We Showed Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ad to a Focus Group. The Results Were Abysmal.
2026-10-09 · The Bulwark
A Group of Iowa Trump Voters Reveals Why MAGA Is Flailing
2026-10-06 · The Bulwark
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 19 articles by Sarah Longwell →

Topics

Democrat Democrats Iowa Mississippi Nebraska

Subjects

Elaine Godfrey PERSON · 5× Iowa GPE · 5× Democrats NORP · 4× Sarah PERSON · 3× Bulwark ORG · 2× Democrat NORP · 2× Focus Group ORG · 2× Mississippi GPE · 2× Nebraska GPE · 2× South Carolina GPE · 2×

Narrative

Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark October Surprise: Save 30% on your first year of Bulwark+ - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. - Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-17
🔮 There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are ‘sayin’ there’s a chance,’ like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance.
2026-10-17 · The Bulwark
Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey) · mixed framing

Claims (9 extracted, 3 hedged)

Some Trump Voters Are Gushing Over This Iowa Democrat (with Elaine Godfrey) asserted
Voters → gush → Godfrey
There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are ‘sayin’ there’s a chance,’ like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance. uncertain
they → be → chance
There are a lot of red states with big elections this year where Democrats are 'sayin' there's a chance,' like Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina, or Iowa, where they may have more than just a chance. uncertain
they → be → chance
The Atlantic's Elaine Godfrey joins Sarah to talk about her travels with Iowa's two leading Democratic candidates, the other long shots Democrats are eyeing in red states, and what disaffected Trump voters are saying about all of it. asserted
voters → join → it
Show links: Sarah's Focus Group Newsletter on Ashley Hinson and the MAGA establishment Elaine Godfrey: A Democrat in Name Only Elaine Godfrey: Democrats Might Actually Win Iowa Elaine Godfrey: The GOP’s Culture-War Hail Mary The Bulwark's October Surprise sale ends soon. uncertain
sale → show → Iowa
If you value this kind of in depth coverage and want to show your support for the our work, upgrade now to watch or listen to our premium ad free editions of Bulwark shows—PLUS you’ll get access to Sarah’s Focus Group newsletter too. asserted
you → value → newsletter
Each membership ensures we can give away subscriptions to those who can’t afford to join our community. asserted
who → ensure → community
Full ad-supported episodes of The Focus Group are available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. asserted
you → support → YouTube
Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark October Surprise: Save 30% on your first year of Bulwark+ - Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. - Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL. asserted
you → unlock → Longwell
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