Political Wire

Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!


It’s Hard to See How the Shutdown Ends

By Leave a Comment

Playbook: “The dynamics of this deadlock are fascinating, with Republicans supremely confident in public, believing they hold the moral high ground after putting forward a clean CR for Dems to support — but increasingly anxious in private over the political salience of Dems’ Obamacare demands.”

“Democrats, meanwhile, are nervous about the real-world impact of the shutdown — and painfully aware of their own lack of off-ramp — yet increasingly determined to put up an unprecedented fight… It’s very hard to see how it ends.”

For members: A Shutdown with No Exit Ramp

Democrats Rush to Find Midterms Crime Message

By Leave a Comment

“Democrats are pushing their candidates to go on the offense on crime ahead of the 2026 midterms, seeing upside in what’s been one of their weakest electoral issues,” Politico reports.

“A private polling memo that shows potential openings for the party to peel voters away from Republicans on one of their core issues is being distributed to House Democrats and their campaign committees.”

“The battleground-district survey from Global Strategy Group offers a bleak assessment of Democrats’ starting point: 89 percent of the 1,200 likely voters surveyed want their Congress member to take steps to keep them safe, but only 38 percent trust Democrats over Republicans with that task.”

From our partner:

The Best Laptop I’ve Ever Used

In 25 years of running Political Wire, no computer has ever served me better than the latest MacBook Air.

It’s the rare machine that’s powerful enough to handle my entire workflow yet light enough to take everywhere — and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

It's on sale now for an astonishing 21% off.



Can Democrats Stay United?

By Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “The Senate is scheduled to vote this evening — for the fifth time — on advancing the House-passed bill to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21. There are no indications yet that additional Senate Democrats will vote for the GOP funding measure. Only three have done so up to now.”

“But Senate GOP leaders continue to believe that enough Democratic senators will cross the aisle eventually to pass the Republican CR, so they aren’t abandoning their strategy of forcing successive votes. If Democrats block the measure again, Senate Majority Leader John Thune can set up another vote for Tuesday. If that fails, the next vote wouldn’t be until Thursday…”

“If Republicans maintain their current strategy, Senate Democrats will have to decide at some point whether what they’re fighting for — chiefly, an extension of the Obamacare enhanced premium tax credits — is worth the growing pain of the shutdown. Public polls show that Democrats have the upper hand on messaging, but that could change quickly.”

Judge Blocks Trump from Deploying Any National Guard

By Leave a Comment

“A federal judge in Oregon temporarily blocked the deployment of any National Guard under the Trump administration’s control inside Oregon in an emergency hearing Sunday night,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Judge Karin Immergut had said on Saturday that the Trump administration had overstepped its authority and couldn’t deploy Oregon’s National Guard to Portland. She said the same reasoning held for Sunday’s order, which came after the administration sent to Oregon 200 California National Guard troops that were under its command.”

“The Trump administration also authorized the mobilization of up to 400 members of the Texas National Guard for federal protection missions in cities including Portland and Chicago.”

Playbook: “This is fast becoming one of the totemic struggles of the Trump presidency. While Trump’s earlier military deployments to Los Angeles and Washington D.C. had an air of theatrics about them, it’s now become clear the president hopes to normalize the use of the military on American streets to quell protests and enforce his policy agenda.”

Trump Plan Would Limit Disability Benefits

By Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is preparing a plan that would make it harder for older Americans to qualify for Social Security disability payments, part of an overhaul of the federal safety net for poor, older and disabled people that could result in hundreds of thousands of people losing benefits,” the Washington Post reports.

Devils’ Advocates

By Leave a Comment

A must-read: Devils’ Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests by Kenneth P. Vogel.

“Vogel takes us inside Washington’s murky foreign lobbying industry, providing an unsparing look at the politically connected and morally flexible Americans who get rich working on behalf of brutal dictators, corrupt oligarchs, and pitiless arms dealers.”

Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests
Devils' Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Vogel, Kenneth P. (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 399 Pages - 10/14/2025 (Publication Date) - William Morrow (Publisher)
Check Price on Amazon

How China Secretly Pays Iran for Oil

By Leave a Comment

“U.S. sanctions make it nearly impossible to pay Iran for its oil. China has figured out how to do it anyway, in an arrangement that has largely been secret,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The hidden funding conduit has deepened economic ties between the two U.S. rivals in defiance of Washington’s efforts to isolate Iran.”

“The barter-like system works like this, according to current and former officials from several Western countries, including the U.S.: Iranian oil is shipped to China—Tehran’s biggest customer—and, in return, state-backed Chinese companies build infrastructure in Iran.”

Netanyahu Embraces Gaza Deal as a Personal Win

By Leave a Comment

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took much personal credit this weekend for an emerging plan to free all remaining hostages from Hamas and end the two-year war in Gaza,” the New York Times reports.

“But it was abundantly clear to Israelis, and to Palestinians and others in the region, that the one calling the shots was President Trump.”

Trump Sends California National Guard to Portland

By Leave a Comment

The Trump administration sent 300 federalized members of the California National Guard to Oregon early Sunday, after being blocked by a federal court from deploying the Oregon National Guard in that state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. Mr. Newsom denounced the move as a “breathtaking abuse of power” and said California would sue, the New York Times reports.

Washington Post: Tensions spike in Chicago, Portland as Trump faces legal challenges over troop use.

Few Think Shutdown Is Worth It

By Leave a Comment

A new CBS News poll finds just 28 percent said Democrats’ positions are worth it to shut down the government, and 23 percent said Republicans’ positions were worth it.

As for the blame game, 39 percent said it was Trump and congressional Republicans’ fault, compared to 30 percent who primarily blame congressional Democrats. And 31 percent blame both sides equally.

Mamdani Fuels Democratic Turbulence

By Leave a Comment

“Top Democratic Party officials are increasingly frustrated with their leadership for not doing more to support Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City,” Axios reports.

“The rise of Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has split top Democrats in D.C. and New York, some of whom fear his left-wing views and criticism of Israel will damage the party’s national brand.”

More Think Shutdown Will Last Less Than Two Weeks

By Leave a Comment

A new YouGov survey found that 41% of Americans think the federal closure will last for two weeks or less. Thirteen percent said they expect the shutdown to last three to four weeks and 9% said they predict at least a month-long closure.

More than a third — 37% — of Americans surveyed, however, said they are not sure how long it will last, resonating with the uncertainty voiced by most lawmakers in Washington.

Trump’s Team Pledging Economic Gains Next Year

By Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s advisers are counseling him to refine his economic message with a pitch to voters aimed at easing their anxiety about weak jobs growth and stubborn inflation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Their new mantra: Just wait until next year.”

“In private conversations with the president, Trump’s advisers, rather than dwell on shaky economic data, have painted a rosy outlook, insisting that data will begin to improve in the first quarter of 2026.”

Supreme Court Will Be Forced to Grapple with Trump

By Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court and President Donald Trump are headed for a reckoning,” the Washington Post reports.

“After months of terse emergency rulings that largely avoided major confrontations with the new administration, the justices will open their new term on Monday faced with the need to render full, final verdicts on policies at the core of Trump’s presidency.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.