Political Trade Secrets

We pull back the curtain, look under the hood, & investigate how elections are won--all to inspire political leaders who are reigniting American patriotism.

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 New Episode: First in the South Politics: South Carolina’s 2026 Primaries, Trump, Redistricting, Murdaugh & the Road to 2028

Political Trade Secrets: Host @DustinOlson is joined by @TheWillFolks, founding editor of South Carolina’s top political news outlet, @FITSNews, to break down the closing days of the 2026 South Carolina primaries, the Trump endorsement, the Henry McMaster Jr. running-mate sick social media controversy, the growing blowback inside the GOP, and what it all means for the race for governor.

The episode explores:

• How Trump’s endorsement of Pam Evette could reshape the South Carolina governor’s race
• Why Gov. McMaster getting Pres. Trump to announce his son Henry McMaster Jr. as Evette's running-mate controversy is getting blowback inside the GOP
• What the latest South Carolina polling reveals about current frontrunner Alan Wilson, darkhorse Rom Reddy, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, and Pamela Evette
• Why Will Folks says South Carolina is not just “Uni-Party,” but “Uni-Branch”
• What the failed redistricting push reveals about Henry McMaster, Jim Clyburn, and the South Carolina political establishment
• How Sen. Lindsey Graham keeps surviving Republican primary challenges
• How the Murdaugh murder retrial following jury tampering exposes deeper problems inside South Carolina’s legal and judicial system
• Why South Carolina’s 2026 primaries could shape the 2028 First in the South presidential primary

> LIKE, FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE for your front-row seat to how politics really works!

[FITSNews @fitsnews]

Uniparty, unibranch… South Carolina is in DIRE need of a reboot.

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 Which state do recent scorecards rank as the most liberal Republican-controlled legislature? @TheWillFolks explains.

> Check out the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/8UXYYiJa9x

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

The Bidens: the gift that keeps on giving.

Five months before the midterms, Jill Biden is dropping Democrats' biggest political liabilities back into the headlines.

Our polling after the 2024 Trump-Biden debate found that 61% of Americans believed the White House and media worked together to conceal Biden's cognitive decline.

The bigger problem for Democrats is that, on issue after issue, the party keeps reintroducing its worst hits.

In Texas, James "Trans" Talarico has everyone thinking about every Woke trope from the past decade.

Democrats are reinjecting Open Borders back into the debate with these manufactured ICE protests.

The latest Harvard-Harris poll shows immigration remains a top-three issue nationally. It's still one of Trump's strongest issue approvals, and 58% of voters now say Democrats stand for Open Borders, including majorities of Democrats and Independents.

The same poll shows that, despite high gas prices, voters trust Trump and Republicans over Congressional Democrats by six points on the economy. People still feel the pain of Biden-flation.

The fact voters still remember what Democrats had to offer during Biden's years is one of several reasons the much-hyped 2026 blue wave may end up looking more like a blue trickle.

Thanks to host @Glasgow_Jon and @BobbyEberle13.

> Watch the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/7UIZwUqH4z

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

🚨 NEW Political Trade Secrets: First in the South Politics: South Carolina’s 2026 Primaries, Trump, Redistricting, Murdaugh & the Road to 2028.

I am joined by @TheWillFolks, founding editor of South Carolina’s top political news outlet, @FITSNews, to break down the closing days of the 2026 South Carolina primaries, the Trump endorsement, the Henry McMaster JR. running-mate sick social media controversy, the growing blowback inside the GOP, and what it all means for the race for governor.

> Watch NOW: https://t.co/tYMH5jBmEb

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 How is South Carolina not just a uni-party, but a uni-branch system?

South Carolina may look like a deep-red Republican state from the outside.

But @FITSNews editor @TheWillFolks says there’s a lot more to the story…

> Find the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/bYBGbyyCpR

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Jumped on @NEWSMAX’s National Report this morning to analyze last night’s results in the California Governor’s race, or at least the results we have right now.

Because this is California, and because of its messed up election system, it could be days, maybe weeks, before we know the final tally. Ballots can still arrive for days after the election, and California notoriously takes forever to count them.

But one thing is already clear: @SteveHiltonX outperformed expectations.

Whether Hilton holds his narrow lead or not, making the next round, and currently sitting in first, makes him unequivocally the biggest winner from primary night in California.

And Hilton proved something other candidates should study closely: talking about practical, meaningful quality-of-life issues is a winning message.

Thanks as always to @NEWSMAX’s National Report and hosts @E_D_Hill and @Tom_Basile for having me on.

[FITSNews @fitsnews]

How this adventure began... the https://t.co/SC67KLDyVD origin story.

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 What was the story that put FITSNews on the map… And every lawyer in South Carolina was reading in 2008?

> Watch the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/WCbWBjyPQe

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 What was the accident that led to the creation of FITSNews? Before it became South Carolina’s most influential political news outlet, it began with one accidental click.

> Check out the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/wvZPVZdhUw

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Is meat an existential threat?

And did Democrats really need Jill Biden reminding voters about the Biden cognitive decline cover-up five months before the midterms?

I joined Sunday Report on @NEWSMAX to discuss the Democrats' real strategy behind the Texas Senate race, how James Talarico's wacky comments will be hard to wash away, and what our polling revealed after the 2024 Trump-Biden debate—when, for millions of Americans, it was a Wizard of Oz moment when the curtain was finally pulled back for all to see.

Thanks to host @Glasgow_Jon and @BobbyEberle13 for a great discussion.

Watch the full segment:

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Looking ahead to the fall following Tuesday’s elections, it’s clear that the economy and affordability are going to be the top issues. We have been tracking the economic numbers, and just before the Iran war started, most of them were trending in a positive direction.

Now, with higher gas prices and uncertainty on how long the war will last, people are understandably more pensive. But, if things are resolved in Iran within the next couple months, I think Republicans are in a better spot than most people realize.

> Check out the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/leSQ0Mzrls

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 How Civil War soldiers would often go from friends trading supplies to enemies trying to kill each other in an instant…

> Watch the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/mfdkDmswli

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Between Talarico and Crockett, Republicans drew the better opponent to face off against. Crockett, whether you love her or hate her, you can’t deny she is interesting and can energize voters.

Talarico, on the other hand, is honestly quite a bit more far-left than her, and has said several things in the past that will not sit well with most Texans, such as calling God non-binary.

Once Texans get to know Talarico, Paxton should do well in November.

> Watch the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/HbtM29sHQ7

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Whether it’s him believing there are six genders, or saying that “God is non-binary,” James Talarico simply believes too many things that do not fit with Texas values.

In fact, polling from before the primary had both Paxton AND Cornyn running at similar margins against Talarico. So, when things are all said and done, I don’t see this race being particularly competitive in November.

> Watch the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/RGklg7N7tD

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 What is an often forgotten contributor to combat deaths during the Civil War?

> Check out the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/VMMToHBTRY

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Is it really so surprising that South Carolina’s State Senate failed on redistricting?

Not if you’ve been around SC politics… Their legislature is NOT nearly as conservative as you’d expect for a deeply red state—you’ll find more than a few Blue Dog Democrats turned Big Government Republicans.

And their failure may have cost someone the coveted Trump endorsement… Watch to find out more.

> Check out the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/c0R5DmUe6l

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Paxton’s resounding victory last night took President Trump’s endorsement from powerful to almost mythic status.

The pattern is clear: in GOP Senate primaries, undecideds break toward the Trump-endorsed candidate, as long as they know about it.

Usually, that takes time and money.

But in Texas, wall-to-wall media coverage did the job for free…

(and Paxton was already leading by 10-points before it happened… don’t tell anyone 🤫)

> Watch the full segment here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to my X for more: https://t.co/emo9qrE0ml

[Dustin Olson @DustinOlson]

Paxton won big in Texas. Now the general election begins.

I joined @NEWSMAX’s Wake Up America to talk about why Republicans should like this matchup—and why South Carolina’s redistricting fight isn’t as surprising as it may look.

Watch the clip for the good stuff. Thanks to @Marc_Lotter and @SharlaMcBride for having me.

[Political Trade Secrets @PolTradeSecrets]

🚨 How National Cemeteries helped Americans deal with the massive loss of life from the Civil War…

> Find the full episode here—don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to @DustinOlson on X for more: https://t.co/ivZkxoGDxJ