Political Wire


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


A GOP Tragedy In Four Acts

By Leave a Comment

Charlie Sykes: “With Roy Moore’s humiliating loss in the Alabama Senate race, the Trumpified Republican Party finds itself both defeated and dishonored, with no sign that it has yet hit bottom.”

“At every stage of the run-up to this special election, Republicans could have resisted, pushed back, or drawn lines, but their failure to do so led them inexorably to this moment: the defeat of an unreconstructed bigot and ignorant crank who had the full-throated backing of the president they have embraced and empowered.”

“It may be worthwhile charting the party’s descent to this moment.”

Support for Tax Plan Could Hurt Candidates

By Leave a Comment

A new Quinnipiac poll finds American voters disapprove of the pending Republican tax plan by a wide margin, 55% to 26%, and 43% say they are less likely to vote for a U.S. Senator or Congressperson who supports the plan.

Key finding: “Only 16% of American voters say the tax plan will reduce their taxes, while 44% say it will increase their taxes and 30% say the tax plan will have little impact.”

For members: Where’s the Political Upside in the GOP Tax Plan?

Trump Approval Hits New Low

By Leave a Comment

A new Monmouth poll finds President Trump’s job approval at 32% to 56%, the lowest since he’s taken office.

The decline in Trump’s job rating has come much more from women, currently 24% to 68%, than from men, which is 40% to 44%.

Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by 15 percentage points, 51% to 36%.


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.




A 2018 Wave Is Building

By Leave a Comment

First Read: “If you thought Moore’s flaws — and the allegations against him — were the only reason why Republicans lost in Alabama, you haven’t been paying attention to 2017. The seven major races this year have underscored that Democratic voters are fired up, that Republican ones aren’t and that Trump is unpopular, even in red states.”

“This is how a wave happens, and the wave heading in 2018 got bigger and bigger during every contest this year — first in Georgia (which Democrats still lost), then in Virginia last month and then Alabama last night.”

Nate Silver: “Not every race is going to go as badly for Republicans as this Alabama Senate election — but if enough go half as badly, or even a third as badly, they’re still in for a rough time next year.”

Omarosa Is Out

By Leave a Comment

The White House said that Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former “The Apprentice” contestant turned political neophyte, is leaving the administration next month, the New York Daily News reports.

New York Times reporter Yamiche Alcindor: “I just talked to sources who tell me Omarosa was let go yesterday and that she was escorted off of the White House grounds by security. They say she is now calling friends saying that she left voluntarily because her year anniversary was coming up.”

April Ryan: “I heard there was drama and she was escorted out of the building and off campus.”

Alabama Election Decreases the Odds of a Tax Bill

By Leave a Comment

Stan Collender: “The new Democratic senator from Alabama won’t be sworn in until late December at the earliest and perhaps not until the beginning of January, so the lame duck Republican senator from Alabama — Luther Strange — will be part of the 52-48 GOP majority that will exist until then. That should mean the Republican leadership’s effort to enact a tax bill by Christmas is fully on track.”

“But with the GOP margin in the Senate less than three weeks away from going down to 51-49, Republican senators who still want something in the tax bill or in the funding bill that will be needed to keep the government open past December 22 are in a much better negotiating position this morning than they were yesterday. By threatening to withhold their vote if they don’t get what they want, these senators can easily force Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to delay the final on the tax bill. It also gives new leverage to other senators who up to now have been solid tax bill supporters.”

Washington Post: Democrats call for halt to GOP tax bill until Doug Jones is seated in the Senate.

Quote of the Day

By Leave a Comment

“It was certainly just a sexist smear intended to silence me. I’m not going to be silenced on this issue.”

— Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), in an interview on the Today Show, responding to President Trump’s tweet.

Roy Moore Was a Truly Awful Candidate

By Leave a Comment

Weekly Standard: “Roy Moore wasn’t a generic Republican candidate. If you’ve ready anything about this race, you know that the Washington Post and other news outlets have published credible claims that Moore had improper sexual contact with teenage girls while he was in his 30s. And even before that, Moore was controversial. He was elected as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court twice, but he was removed from that position in 2003 and suspended from it a few years after winning the seat back in 2012. He won his 2012 election to that position by four points while Romney won the state by 22 points.”

“In other words, Moore was a terrible candidate. And that mattered.”

“No matter how you look at the race, it’s hard to escape the fact that Moore was a truly bad candidate, and that Republicans likely would have performed significantly better if they had nominated a more conventional Republican.”

Bannon Won’t Be Deterred

By Leave a Comment

A source close to former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon comments to Bloomberg on the Alabama election result: “This doesn’t stop Steve’s war against the establishment, all it does is pour gasoline on top of it.”

CNN: Bannon’s political science experiment blew up in Trump’s face.

A Perfect Storm For Democrats

By Leave a Comment

“Everything had to break exactly right for Doug Jones to win the Senate election in deep-red Alabama, and it did. Jones ran a disciplined campaign that hinged on black turnout, and it delivered for him,” The Atlantic reports.

“But everything also had to break the wrong way for the Republicans, and it did: a series of machinations among senior GOP officials led to a runoff between the unpopular Luther Strange and Roy Moore, best known for losing his judgeship over a dramatic battle to keep a 10 Commandments monument in the state supreme court. Moore had a loyal base of support in Alabama despite—or because of—the litany of controversies attached to him, including his inflammatory remarks about homosexuality and Muslims serving in office. But he was unable to reach beyond that base, and barely tried. And in the end he could not survive allegations by nine women that Moore had pursued or sexually abused them when they were teenagers—one as young as 14.”

Democrats Suddenly Have a Shot at Senate Control

By Leave a Comment

National Journal: “The practical implication of Jones’s stunner is that Democrats now have a plausible, if challenging, path to a Senate majority — a possibility that seemed impossible even in the most favorable circumstances several months ago. It would require Democrats to defend a roster of vulnerable red-state seats while ousting Dean Heller in swing-state Nevada and picking up an open seat in GOP-leaning Arizona.”

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Democrats now have miraculously added a Senate seat that, truth be told, they have no business having, and it’s one they do not have to defend next year.”

Weekly Standard: “Jones’ win in Alabama changes this calculus. Democrats no longer have to look to Tennessee or Texas (both of which are very red) for their 51st vote in the Senate. They simply need to defend all of their seats while winning Nevada (a purple state) and Arizona (a state that should be in reach for them if Trump’s approval rating stays where it is today). This transforms Tennessee and Texas from states that Democrats must win to get the majority to optional gains that could either pad their majority or make up for potential incumbent losses.”

Dayton Will Appoint Smith to Replace Franken

By Leave a Comment

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) will appoint Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D) to replace Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) as Minnesota’s next U.S. senator until a special election is held next year, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Minnesota Public Radio says Smith will run in the special election for the seat in November.

The special election is expected to draw contenders on both sides. Even with Smith’s selection, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is mulling the race. Former GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is being wooed by Republicans.

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.