Of Mushrooms and Midterms: How Pennsylvania Voted on Foreign Policy


It’s Election Day in the United States. Americans across the country head to the polls to cast their vote in this year’s midterm elections. Much is at stake for the Biden administration: Republicans are poised to take control of the House of Representatives, if not both houses of Congress. 

What are the issues motivating Americans to vote (or not)? A month after we at the Institute for Global Affairs released our annual survey of Americans’ foreign policy views, IGA’s Caroline Gray and Lucas Robinson traveled to Pennsylvania, the site of one of this year’s fiercest Senate races. Caroline and Lucas spoke with Pennsylvanians in Kennett Square, the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world, and West Chester to hear about the issues they care about most. Though foreign policy is not at the top of most Americans’ minds when they cast their ballot, they have a lot to say about the war in Ukraine and how much of America’s tax dollars should be spent on defense.

Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music |  Libsyn | Radio Public | Soundcloud | Spotify  | TuneIn | RSS

This podcast episode includes references to the Eurasia Group Foundation, now known as the Institute for Global Affairs.

This post is part of None Of The Above, a podcast of IGA hosted by senior fellow Mark Hannah.

A brighter future for all