Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Trending
  • Resources
    • Politics Extra
    • Political Job Hunt
    • Political Dictionary
    • Electoral Vote Map
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!


Primary Calendar Shifts Influence to Voters of Color

February 19, 2019 at 5:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Ron Brownstein: “As in every recent Democrat primary race, the 2020 contest will begin in two virtually all-white states, with the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary in early February. But after that the next month of the primary calendar is dominated by states across the Sun Belt where non-white voters comprise a large share, and often an absolute majority, of the electorate.”

“This decisive turn toward diversity, reinforced by California’s decision to move up its primary to Super Tuesday, represents a potentially critical new wrinkle in the nomination process. The pivot begins with Nevada and South Carolina, where contests will be held in the second half of February. The tilt toward diversity then explodes in early March when big Sun Belt states from Florida, North Carolina and Virginia in the southeast to Arizona and Texas along with California across the southwest will all crowd together on the calendar.”

O’Rourke Will Decide By End of Month

February 19, 2019 at 5:14 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Beto O’Rourke acknowledged he is considering runs for president and the Senate in 2020 and said he plans to decide on “what it is we do next” by the end of February, CNN reports.

Said O’Rourke: “I’m trying to figure out how I can best serve this country — where I can do the greatest good for the United States of America. So, yeah, I’m thinking through that and it, you know, may involve running for the presidency. It may involve something else.”

Sanders Bests Harris’ First-Day Donor Total in 4 Hours

February 19, 2019 at 4:45 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“In just over the first four hours of his 2020 presidential campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had already raised money from 42,000 donors, a total that bested the number Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) had hit in the first full day of her campaign. The campaign estimated that Sanders had raised $1.2 million in three-and-a-half hours on Tuesday,” the Daily Beast reports.

“The figure is another sign of the incredible money-raising prowess that Sanders brings to the race. Up to this point, Harris had been the most dynamic fundraiser among Democratic candidates in the race, having raised a whopping $1.5 million in 24 hours after declaring from more than 38,000 individual donors.”


You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.

    Upgrade Now

  • ✔ Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, a trending news page, a private podcast, no advertising and more!
  • ✔ If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.



Sanders Hires Top Progressive Advocate

February 19, 2019 at 4:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has tapped Faiz Shakir to serve as his campaign manager for his second run at the White House, the Daily Beast reports.

“In hiring Shakir, Sanders brings into the fold one of the Democratic Party’s better-travelled operatives—an official with limited campaign experience but with ties to the party’s think tank infrastructure, its Hill operations and the larger progressive universe.”

Alabama Newspaper Calls for Return of the KKK

February 19, 2019 at 2:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The editor of a small-town Alabama newspaper published an editorial calling for “the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again” against “Democrats in the Republican Party and Democrats who are plotting to raise taxes in Alabama,” the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

Writes editor Goodloe Sutton: “If we could get the Klan to go up there and clean out D.C., we’d all been better off.”

Inside Trump’s War on the Investigations Encircling Him

February 19, 2019 at 1:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A must-read piece from the New York Times:

“Mr. Trump’s public war on the inquiry has gone on long enough that it is no longer shocking. Mr. Trump rages almost daily to his 58 million Twitter followers that Mr. Mueller is on a ‘witch hunt’ and has adopted the language of Mafia bosses by calling those who cooperate with the special counsel ‘rats.’ His lawyer talks openly about a strategy to smear and discredit the special counsel investigation. The president’s allies in Congress and the conservative media warn of an insidious plot inside the Justice Department and the F.B. I to subvert a democratically elected president.”

“An examination by The New York Times reveals the extent of an even more sustained, more secretive assault by Mr. Trump on the machinery of federal law enforcement. Interviews with dozens of current and former government officials and others close to Mr. Trump, as well as a review of confidential White House documents, reveal numerous unreported episodes in a two-year drama.”

North Carolina Officials Counted Votes Before Polls Closed

February 19, 2019 at 1:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“North Carolina elections officials looking into ballot fraud in the country’s last undecided congressional election are finding that votes were counted days ahead of Election Day in the rural county at the center of disputed results,” NBC News reports.

“Elections officials also said the election was marred by falsified signatures, blank ballots that consultants could complete and disappearing documents.”

Republicans Move to End Death Penalty

February 19, 2019 at 1:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republican lawmakers in at least six states are pushing to eliminate the death penalty, signaling a broader reversal by many conservatives on an issue that has long been a bedrock for their party,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“In Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana and Wyoming, Republicans in legislatures controlled by their party have sponsored bills this year to end capital punishment, citing fiscal and moral concerns. Some Republicans in New Hampshire, where Democrats dominate the statehouse, are backing a similar proposal.”

“The about-face on an issue that has long been key to the GOP’s tough-on-crime credo is the latest sign of a nationwide, bipartisan shift on criminal justice reform.”

Trump Launches Effort to End Criminalization of Gays

February 19, 2019 at 12:55 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it’s still illegal to be gay, U.S. officials tell NBC News, a bid aimed in part at denouncing Iran over its human rights record.”

“U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-profile openly gay person in the Trump administration, is leading the effort, which kicks off Tuesday evening in Berlin.”

Flynn Wanted to Transfer Nuclear Tech to Saudi Arabia

February 19, 2019 at 12:22 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Whistleblowers from within President Trump’s National Security Council have told a congressional committee that efforts by former national security adviser Michael Flynn to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia may have violated the law, and investigators fear Trump is still considering it,” according to a new report obtained by NBC News.

Washington Post: “The officials who objected included White House lawyers and H.R. McMaster, then the chief of the National Security Council. They called for a halt in the nuclear sales discussions in 2017, citing potential conflicts of interest, national security risks and legal hurdles.”

“Yet the effort to promote nuclear sales persisted, led by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served briefly as President Trump’s national security adviser, and more recently by Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The possible nuclear power sale was discussed in the Oval Office as recently as last week.”

Trump Loves to Talk on the Phone

February 19, 2019 at 12:15 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington Post: “The chatterbox in chief has eschewed the traditional way that presidents communicate with members of Congress, calling lawmakers at all hours of the day without warning and sometimes with no real agenda. Congressional Republicans reciprocate in kind, increasingly dialing up the president directly to gauge his thinking after coming to terms with the fact that ultimately, no one speaks for Trump but Trump himself.”

“Longtime senators who have served through multiple administrations say they have never seen a president so easily accessible to lawmakers. The calls are part of what occupies the wide swaths of ‘executive time’ on Trump’s schedule — an unstructured stretch of the day he uses to call allies and hold meetings that are otherwise not publicly announced.”

Ex-Trump Aide Will Return as Pence’s Chief of Staff

February 19, 2019 at 11:53 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former White House director of legislative affairs Marc Short will return to President Trump’s administration as Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, CNBC reports.

Short will replace longtime Pence advisor Nick Ayers, who left the administration at the end of 2018. Ayers had turned down an offer to become Trump’s chief of staff after the departure of retired Marine Gen. John Kelly.

Roger Stone Ordered to Court

February 19, 2019 at 10:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Roger Stone was ordered to show up in federal court on Thursday by Judge Amy Berman Jackson to explain wby he violated a gag order by posting a photo of her on Instagram with cross hairs in the background.

Political Wire Straw Poll Results

February 19, 2019 at 10:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

This poll was only open to Political Wire members.

Our latest straw poll finds 54% of Political Wire members think that Kamala Harris will win the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, followed by Joe Biden at 24% and Beto O’Rourke at 7%.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Lawsuit Quotes Trump at Press Conference

February 19, 2019 at 8:59 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

From the lawsuit filed by 16 states opposing President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency:

At a press conference announcing the Executive Actions, President Trump acknowledged that Congress provided more than enough funding for homeland security, and that the Administration has “so much money, we don’t know what to do with it.” In explaining his rationale for the Executive Actions, the President candidly admitted that the emergency declaration reflected his personal preference to construct the wall more quickly, rather than an actual urgent need for it to be built immediately: “I could do the wall over a longer period of time. I didn’t need to do this. But I’d rather do it much faster.”

‘Gang of Eight’ Did Not Object to Trump Probe

February 19, 2019 at 8:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told NBC News that the “Gang of Eight,” the congressional leaders regularly briefed by the executive branch on classified issues, did not object to the counterintelligence investigation into President Trump and his possible ties to Russia.

Said McCabe: “That’s the important part here, no one objected. Not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds and not based on fact.”

Trump Working on Nicknames for 2020 Democrats

February 19, 2019 at 8:41 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Inside the West Wing and in conversations with outside allies, Trump has been workshopping other attempts to imprint his new adversaries with lasting labels, according to two people on whom the president has tested out the nicknames… He is also testing out lines of attack in public rallies, exploring vulnerabilities he could use against them should they advance to the general election.”

Two Challenges for Bernie Sanders

February 19, 2019 at 8:35 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

First Read: “The first: Can he compete in a much more crowded liberal/progressive lane than he encountered in 2016? Four years ago, he opened this lane and showed the party that voters will come. But now he’s got company – from progressive Elizabeth Warren, to the likes of Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, who are all running under the ‘Medicare for All’ banner.”

“This isn’t too different than what the Ron/Rand Paul family found out. In 2008 and then in 2012, Ron Paul opened the door to a much more libertarian message for the GOP. But by the time son Rand jumped into the presidential waters in 2016, other candidates had co-opted that message. (Of course, the un-libertarian in that field, Donald Trump, ended up winning the GOP nomination, though that’s a story for another day.)”

“In other words, by winning the message war in 2016, Sanders could become an also-ran four years later — because the new presidential field sounds a lot more like him.”

“The second challenge for Sanders: Can he convince rank-and-file Democratic primary voters to move on from 2016, which is an election cycle many of them want to forget?”

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5358
  • 5359
  • 5360
  • 5361
  • 5362
  • …
  • 8203
  • Next Page »

Get Smarter About Politics

Members get exclusive analysis, a trending news page, the Trial Balloon podcast, bonus newsletters and no advertising. Learn more.

Subscribe

Your Account

Sign in

Latest for Members

  • A Deep Dive Into Two Key House Races
  • Former Aides Turn on Katie Porter
  • When Leaders Stop Listening
  • Man Who Led Insurrection Threatens to Invent Another
  • Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl

Word of the Day

Loneliest Job in the World: The “loneliest job in the world” is a reference to the presidency of the United States, supposedly a supremely lonely and isolating job because of ….

Read the full definition

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.

Copyright © 2025 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC