The traditional measure of political discussion in American politics represents one domain of political topics (government and elections). This domain is rooted in the liberal-democratic “first face” of the state and neglects the more controlling “second face” of the state that operates through coercion and surveillance (Soss and Weaver 2017). This article addresses this gap by exploring the role of carceral political discussion (ie, discussion about policing and the criminal justice system). How does participation in liberal-democratic and carceral political discussion vary by race? Do liberal-democratic and carceral political discussion differently impact outcomes like political efficacy and engagement? In other words, what comprises relevant and important political discussion and for whom? The paper explores these questions with data from two original national surveys. Study 1 shows that Black Americans are more likely to engage in carceral political discussion than whites and Latinos, but similarly likely to engage in liberal-democratic political discussion. Study 2 shows that carceral political discussion has explanatory power on political attitudes and behaviors over and above measures of liberal-democratic political discussion. This study also shows that the political correlates of liberal-democratic and carceral discussion differ for white and Black Americans. Taken together, these studies demonstrate the importance of understanding the multiple ways in which different groups of citizens talk about the state and government.