How a ‘flaming liberal’ podcast host won a US House seat in conservative Missouri
Nov 06, 2026
Fred Wellman, host of the progressive podcast On Democracy, defeated longtime incumbent Republican Ann WagnerFred Wellman’s victory in Missouri’s second congressional district on Tuesday was such a surprise that NBC News’s star data analyst Steve Kornacki didn’t even have a graphic prepared,
he told supporters on election night.Longtime Republican incumbent Ann Wagner, who had been widely expected to hold her seat, was swept aside as part of a broader wave of Democratic victories across the country. Continue reading... ...read more read less