Alex Beam Asks "What's The Matter With Newton"

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., greets members of the audience after speaking at a campaign stop at the Hanover Inn Dartmouth, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, in Hanover, N.H.

Arjun Singh is a producer for Boston Public Radio. A California native, Arjun moved to Boston to study international relations at Boston University. Prior to working at WGBH, Arjun worked at a tech company and for a political campaign.

March 12, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

In 1896, newspaper editor William Allen White penned an editorial decrying the rise of populism in Kansas. Titled “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” White warned voters from electing William Jennings Bryant to the presidency due his populist platform.

In 2020, "Boston Globe" columnist Alex Beam revived White’s call in asking, “What’s the matter with Newton?”

During the 2020 Massachusetts Democratic Primary, 16 percent of Newton residents voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders, a figure who Beam said adamantly opposes nearly everything about the residents of Newton. On Thursday, he joined Boston Public Radio to share his thoughts on what motivated them to vote for Sanders.

Beam is latest book is “The Feud: Vladimir Nabakov, Edmund Wilson and the End of a Beautiful Friendship.”