The Choice

Welcome to "The Choice," a limited-run daily series from The New York Times Opinion section that brings you into the boardroom with presidential candidates interviewing for the biggest job of their careers. In this episode, host Katie Kingsbury introduces you to the Times editorial board, it's members and what a presidential endorsement even means.

Every day for two weeks we'll release the board's private interview with a different Democratic candidate, cut down for your podcast feed (read the full unabridged conversations here). We'll also release a daily bonus episode of the board's deliberations after the candidate leaves the room, and go deeper into a different key issue in the 2020 race. In our series finale, you'll hear the board debate all the candidates and make their final decision.

We're showing our work in how we came to our choice in order to help you make yours. Our first interview with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders drops Monday, January 20.

Produced by At Will Media.

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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was the first candidate to visit the editorial board for an endorsement interview. He presented his vision of ambitious progress for America. The editorial board challenged him to detail how that vision would be executed, especially given his age, his lukewarm record on bipartisan achievements and the deeply polarized state of the nation. The board pressed Senator Sanders over issues from foreign policy and climate change to antitrust regulation and gun violence, and questions on health policy that went beyond his well-known Medicare for All proposal. Plus: cancel culture, the Twitter world and birthday calls.

Listen to the bonus deliberation episode, also out today, to hear how the board reacted to this interview, and for a deep dive into the health care proposals on the table in the 2020 election. Find the unabridged and annotated transcript of Sanders's visit to the board at nytimes.com/endorsements.

Produced by At Will Media.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In this follow-up to Senator Klobuchar’s interview, the board disagrees with each other about her pitch of stable bipartisanship as the best way to enact progressive policies. The board does agree, however, that the Minnesota senator is a consummate retail-politician and a savvy "creature of D.C." Then, a deeper conversation with board member Brent Staples about the Midwestern appeal in a bombastic political era, and how it could win in 2020. Brent discusses Klobuchar’s potential path to popularity, her campaign’s melody and subtracting a gender quotient when a woman is known as a tough boss.

Find the unabridged and annotated transcript of Klobuchar's visit to the board at nytimes.com/thechoice.

Produced by At Will Media.

Soon, you’ll need a subscription to keep full access to this show, and to other New York Times podcasts, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Don’t miss out on exploring all of our shows, featuring everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts.

In this follow-up episode to the editorial board's interview with Senator Bernie Sanders, board members react to the Senator's visit and assess his performance. Then, host Katie Kingsbury is joined by board member Jeneen Interlandi for a conversation about Medicare for all, how it got to be so central to the Democratic primary fight in 2020, and how Sanders's plan stacks up to the other candidate's health care proposals. Plus, sympathy for Melissa.

Find the unabridged and annotated transcript of Sanders's visit to the board at nytimes.com/endorsements.

Produced by At Will Media.

Soon, you’ll need a subscription to keep full access to this show, and to other New York Times podcasts, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Don’t miss out on exploring all of our shows, featuring everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar visits the Times boardroom for her endorsement interview. The editorial board challenged her on her failure to take off in the polls, her plans to make use of executive orders, and reports that she has the highest employee turnover rate in the Senate. Plus: Lindsey the heartbreaker, pipe dreams and Uncle Dick’s deer stand.

Find the unabridged and annotated transcript of Klobuchar's visit to the board at nytimes.com/endorsements.

Produced by At Will Media.

Soon, you’ll need a subscription to keep full access to this show, and to other New York Times podcasts, on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Don’t miss out on exploring all of our shows, featuring everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts.