The Guardrails

Sep 29, 2022
  • Ruth Graham, a Dallas-based national correspondent, who covers religion, faith and values for The New York Times.

First launched in August 2016, three months before the election of Donald Trump, “The Run-Up” is back. The host, Astead Herndon, will grapple with the big ideas animating the 2022 midterm election cycle — and explore how we got to this fraught moment in American politics.

Elections are about more than who wins and who loses. New episodes on Thursdays.


“The Run-Up” is hosted by Astead W. Herndon and produced by Elisa Gutierrez and Caitlin O’Keefe. The show is edited by Frannie Carr Toth, Larissa Anderson and Lisa Tobin. Engineering by Corey Schreppel and original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano and Elisheba Ittoop. Fact-checking by Caitlin Love.

Special thanks to Paula Szuchman, Sam Dolnick, David Halbfinger, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani, Shannon Busta, Nell Gallogly, Jeffrey Miranda and Maddy Masiello.