Political Wire

Split Senate Delegations Make a Comeback

· Leave a Comment

CNN: “Heading into Election Day, there were only four split Senate delegations — meaning states represented by senators from more than one party. That was the fewest since the nationwide election of senators began with the 1914 election after the ratification of the 17th amendment, according to a 2021 analysis by Pew.”

“In January, there will be at least 10 such delegations; there could be up to 12 if Democratic candidates win unresolved races in Mississippi and Alaska. It’s a return to the historical norm.”

Will Congress Finally Rein in the Presidency?

· Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The Constitution tells us what that accountability could look like. The framers gave Congress the authority to exercise oversight, including by investigating government corruption or failure in the executive branch.”

“When the members of the next House and Senate take their seats in January, President Trump will still have his veto pen, which limits the laws they can pass. By contrast, their power to scrutinize his administration’s actions will be broad and independent.”

“Lawmakers can investigate any problems they think they could address through legislation. Their power of inquiry is an ‘essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function,’ the Supreme Court said in 1927, a principle it has since consistently upheld.”

The Bulwark: To rein in Trump, pass a “No Kings Act.”

Trump Gives $1 Million to Afrikaner Advocacy Group

· Leave a Comment

“After slashing funding for programs that documented atrocities and protected human rights abroad, President Donald Trump’s State Department is now granting one of its first new human rights awards to a controversial South African organization that promotes the disputed notion that white farmers are a violently targeted, persecuted group,” ProPublica reports.

Democrats Face Limits On Fixing the Economy

· Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Many demands are beyond the reach of lawmakers to fix. The main tools of Congress, taxes and spending, are limited and slow-moving—and lawmakers still face Trump’s veto.”

“The new majority may struggle to stop the war in Iran, which has driven up energy prices in the months since President Trump’s decision to attack. Gasoline prices, largely set by global energy markets, could remain high even if the war ends. “

“In the Senate, Democrats are teeing up votes to repeal Trump’s tariffs on Canada, part of his global trade war that has contributed to rising prices. Yet they acknowledge that stricter limits to presidential tariff authority—which Trump has taken to its limits worldwide—could be vetoed and would likely have to wait for another administration.”

House GOP Gears Up for Leadership Reshuffling

· Leave a Comment

“House Republicans will see a post-election reshuffling this week, with every senior rung of their leadership facing competition — and President Donald Trump is staying out of it,” Semafor reports.

“Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana are vying for minority leader. Current Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Rep. August Pfluger of Texas are competing for next Congress’ GOP minority whip spot, while current Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan faces challenges from Reps. Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.”

“After their massive Election Day losses, some GOP lawmakers are inclined to fully overhaul their leadership.”

Two Bob Woodwards

· Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Reading this memoir, you may notice two seemingly incongruent Bob Woodwards. There is the dogged investigative reporter who, along with Carl Bernstein, brought the Watergate scandal to the front pages of The Washington Post and helped bring down President Richard Nixon. That Woodward is hypervigilant, a self-described ‘catastrophic thinker’ who is always scanning the horizon for the next threat.”

“By comparison, the other Woodward is what Christopher Hitchens called ‘a stenographer to the rich and powerful’: the ‘access’ journalist who grew up in a moderate Republican household in Wheaton, Ill., and came to the job with ‘a drilled-in respect for authority.’ Instead of confrontation, this Woodward seeks cooperation, getting insiders to talk to him on ‘deep background’ so that he can ‘focus on human behavior and decisions,’ recreating what the leadership class did and said (or what it says it did and said). He says he wants ‘to be so far inside a source’s circle of trust that when something important happens, I am on their mind.'”

Pre-order · Out November 24, 2026Secrets
A Reporter's Memoir
by Bob Woodward · Simon & Schuster
Pre-order on Amazon
HardcoverKindle
More on this book from Political Wire →

French Hill Won’t Rule Out Impeaching Pete Hegseth

· Leave a Comment

“A Republican congressman who narrowly won a seventh House term in deep-red Arkansas refused Sunday to rule out voting to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth,” the New York Post reports.

Said Rep. French Hill (R-AR): “I want to hear the debate on it to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president, if he’s not getting the job done in leading the Department of War.”

Texas Democrats Face Test On Border Security

· Leave a Comment

“Republican Gov. Greg Abbott placed Texas at the center of the immigration debate for years, launching aggressive state-led efforts to clamp down on border crossings and antagonizing Democrats by busing thousands of migrants to blue cities across the country,” CNN reports.

“But Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s election as governor has flipped that dynamic on its head, and Texas’ run as a loyal partner in President Donald Trump’s immigration machine is likely over. What replaces it will be a test of how Democrats govern the state that wrote the Republican playbook on border security, according to current and former Homeland Security officials, Democratic lawmakers, and immigrant advocates.”

Member feature

How Much Power Does a White House Chief of Staff Have?

· Leave a Comment

Talking PointsA longtime Political Wire reader asks how much power Stephen Miller will have as White House chief of staff — and whether he can use the position to advance his own agenda.

The short answer is that the chief of staff is arguably the most powerful unelected position in Washington. But almost none of that power is guaranteed by law. It comes directly from the president.

Read the rest of this column

Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

  • Talking Points analysis
  • No ads on any page
  • Trending News, the Polling Dashboard and the Political Calendar
  • Inside Elections and Ballot Access News
  • The Trial Balloon podcast

See membership plans

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

· Leave a Comment

“Anthony Constantino was by far the worst candidate I ever encountered. I ran way ahead of him in his District and if it weren’t for me he wouldn’t have won. See you in two years, pal.”

— Failed New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, on X, on the Republican who won the seat of departing Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

Stephen Miller Shuts Door On Big Business

· Leave a Comment

“The replacement of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with her hardline deputy Stephen Miller shuts the door through which many CEOs softened Trump administration policies or sought favors, and sets the stage for more direct confrontation with business in the second half of Trump’s term,” Semafor reports.

“Even CEOs skeptical of Trump’s chaotic style and his hostility to trade and immigration found that they could, with the help of Wiles and now-former tech czar David Sacks, talk Trump out of his aides’ most aggressive immigration moves, from worksite raids to canceling TSA PreCheck.”

Why Colorado Keeps Winding Up Before the Court

· Leave a Comment

New York Times: “The Supreme Court reviews thousands of petitions each term and agrees to schedule only about 60 for oral argument on its formal merits docket. But again and again, cases from the same Western state, with just over six million residents, have come before the court.”

“The reason, according to local lawyers, academics and former elected officials, says a lot about the shifting politics and demographics of Colorado and a little about how a local legal dispute can evolve into a precedent-setting case heard by the Supreme Court.”

“They also cited Colorado’s complicated history with gay rights and the ease with which citizens can propose ballot measures to amend the state’s Constitution.”

Progressives Launch ‘Ready for AOC’ Ahead of 2028

· Leave a Comment

“Fresh off a midterm election that energized the left, a network of progressive activists is shifting their attention a new objective: urging Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028,” the New York Times reports.

“A political organization called Ready for AOC announced Monday that it was launching a push, powered by volunteers, to encourage the progressive New York congresswoman to run for president, and to show her that she has a legion of supporters ready to mobilize if she does.”

“Ready for AOC, which has been quietly organizing this fall, said it aimed to enlist 10,000 community leaders around the country who would gather at least a million signatures from people pledging to support a presidential run by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez.”

Centrist Democrats Want Restraint After Midterm Wins

· Leave a Comment

“Democrats just won what could be their largest House majority in decades but some battle-tested centrists are already warning their party not to lose it in 2028,” CNN reports.

“Those now-emboldened Democrats, who have long competed in battleground districts, are now urging party leaders to stick to this fall’s core promises on affordability — or risk a backlash in the next election.”

“Privately and publicly, these Democrats are urging leaders to focus on kitchen-table issues and avoid culture-war fights they believe could divide the party and invite Republican attacks.”

Senate’s Post-Election Drama Escalates Quickly

· Leave a Comment

“Congress’ lame-duck session starts with a bang on Monday, as Senate Republicans debate their future after last week’s shellacking and Democrats face their first vote on a permitting reform bill that is cleaving them,” Semafor reports.

“On the first front, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is expected to deliver Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) a letter on Monday with the requisite five signatures needed to force a special conference meeting.”

“That won’t delay Majority Leader John Thune’s leadership election, nor will it block Thune’s bid to helm the conference in the minority, but it will force a debate about party leadership — and there may eventually be a vote on whether to delay the leadership election.”

John Oliver Unleashes On Pete Hegseth

· Leave a Comment

“While John Oliver opened his show by relishing the victories (and the defeats) attendant to Tuesday’s midterm elections, he quickly turned the full force of his weekly withering analysis on Pete Hegseth,” Deadline reports.

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →