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'These Shots Need To Get In Everybody's Arm.' - Vaccination Rate Divide Visible In Trump Country

River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Up to this point in the pandemic, many congressional Republicans have declined to push back against vaccine skeptics in their party. But now Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are pleading with the public to get vaccinated.

On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer hears from Sara Mitchell, a political scientist at the University of Iowa, who said it's no surprise that following a large drop in the stock market, Republicans are realizing another shutdown is bad for business.

"There are mixed messages going on," said Kedron Bardwell, a political scientist at Simpson College. "There's definitely a break or a split between the leadership and the elites in the Republican Party and the base."

Guests:

  • Sara Mitchell, the F. Wendell Miller Professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa
  • Kedron Bardwell, professor of political science at Simpson College.
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Zachary Oren Smith is a reporter covering Eastern Iowa