Political Wire


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


Trump Still Leads as Clinton Slips

By 51 Comments

A new Quinnipiac poll finds Donald Trump still leads the GOP presidential pack nationally with 31%, followed by Ted Cruz at 22%, Marco Rubio at 19% and Ben Carson at 9%. No other candidate above 3 percent.

In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton barely leads Bernie Sanders, 44% to 42%.

Said pollster Tim Malloy: “Democrats nationwide are feeling the Bern as Sen. Bernie Sanders closes a 31-point gap to tie Secretary Hillary Clinton. And despite the Iowa setback, Donald Trump is way ahead of his GOP opponents.”

Clinton Can’t Shake Image as Wall Street’s Friend

By 29 Comments

New York Times: “In an election year fueled by the anger over the growing gap between rich and poor, Mrs. Clinton, who is widely viewed as too close to the financial sector, seems an imperfect messenger for change. She has developed sophisticated policy proposals that many economists agree would aggressively regulate the financial sector, but they have collided with the image that Sanders supporters and other political rivals have painted of her: Wall Street’s friend and defender.”

Maddow Doesn’t See Sanders Winning

By 9 Comments

Rachel Maddow told Playboy that the thought of Bernie Sanders’ winning the Democratic nomination is “hard to imagine.”

Said Maddow: “My prediction for Bernie: populist hero forever but hard to imagine him still being there at the convention.”


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.




Why Does the Media Still Shield Chelsea Clinton?

By 28 Comments

Jack Shafer: “But at some point—early adulthood—the general immunity from critical coverage needs to end. The threshold for newsworthiness recedes, and the children of presidents become more like the siblings, cousins, uncles and parents of presidents. In other words, if one of President Obama’s daughters got busted for drunk driving, few would expect saturation coverage from the press. But, say, had Obama’s Boston aunt gotten arrested for drunk driving before she died in 2014, there would have been no reason for the press to turn a blind eye. Chelsea Clinton should be treated no more royally than the Nixon daughters, Susan Ford, Amy Carter, the Gore children, or the Bush and Reagan progeny.”

Bush Jokes His Mother May Have Abused Him

By 14 Comments

Jeb Bush said that his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, is “not as great as everybody thinks she is,” Politico reports.

Said Bush: “I jokingly say that when we were growing up in Midland, in Houston, that mom was fortunate not to have a child-abuse hotline available.”

He explained that that “the discipline of learning right and wrong was her doing.”

Reaction to Tonight’s Democratic Debate

By 232 Comments

Tonight’s Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire was easily the best of the campaign so far. It was truly great.

The debate focused entirely on substance and the differences between the candidates. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders probably agree more than they disagree, but this debate highlighted where they diverge. It was very useful to anyone watching.

Both candidates did a great job. It was an evenly-matched fight but Sanders kept Clinton on the defensive for most of the debate. With the exception of foreign policy, it was primarily fought on Sanders terrain. By that measure, he won. But Clinton also did her best to use everything in her opposition research file against Sanders.

Of their weaknesses, Clinton still hasn’t figured out how to answer the charge that she’s in the pocket of Wall Street. Sanders still hasn’t figured out he needs to come up with a coherent foreign policy view. In the end, the debate was probably a draw.

The real winners were Democratic voters. Anyone who watched learned a lot. It made the Republican debates look like over-produced game shows.

One final thought: It was easy to forget the moderators, Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow, were even there tonight. They asked the questions and let the candidates go at it. It was the model for all political debates.

Questions Raised Around Rubio’s College Role

By 118 Comments

“Marco Rubio has received plenty of attention – and criticism – for skipping Senate hearings and votes as he campaigns for his White House bid.”

“But this isn’t the first job where Rubio has taken heat for failing to go all in. Documents and records obtained by NBC News suggest that as a visiting professor at Florida International University, he worked less than 10 hours a week and missed three-in-10 classes during his first semester of teaching – all while making more than most part-time visiting professors”

Editorial Rips Iowa Democratic Caucuses as Unfair

By 113 Comments

A Des Moines Register editorial blasts the Iowa Democratic caucuses:

“What happened Monday night at the Democratic caucuses was a debacle, period. Democracy, particularly at the local party level, can be slow, messy and obscure. But the refusal to undergo scrutiny or allow for an appeal reeks of autocracy. The Iowa Democratic Party must act quickly to assure the accuracy of the caucus results, beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

First of all, the results were too close not to do a complete audit of results. Two-tenths of 1 percent separated Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. A caucus should not be confused with an election, but it’s worth noting that much larger margins trigger automatic recounts in other states.

Second, too many questions have been raised. Too many accounts have arisen of inconsistent counts, untrained and overwhelmed volunteers, confused voters, cramped precinct locations, a lack of voter registration forms and other problems.”

Rubio Accuses Cruz of Dirty Tricks Too

By 12 Comments

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined the criticism of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) following reports that the Cruz campaign told Iowa caucusgoers that Carson was dropping out of the race, TPM reports.

Said Rubio: “Obviously we’ve all seen the reports of the rumors that he spread about Ben Carson, and we know those weren’t accurate… I think it goes back to what I’ve said before, and that is a willingness to say or do anything, in this case spread a false rumor about Ben Carson.”

Smirking Drug CEO Antagonizes Lawmakers

By 66 Comments

Embattled drug executive Martin Shkreli antagonized lawmakers “by smirking and posing for pictures during his first appearance on Capitol Hill even as he refused to answer questions about drug prices,” The Hill reports.

Within minutes of being escorted out of the hearing, Shkreli tweeted: “Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.”

The video is extraordinary.

Why Sanders Is Hitting Clinton Hard on Wall Street

By 16 Comments

This piece is only available to Political Wire members.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is pummeling Hillary Clinton this week on her ties to Wall Street — from accepting enormous speaking fees from banks to raking in millions in donations from bankers.

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.

Carson Will Cut Staff as Fundraising Dries Up

By 27 Comments

Ben Carson will cut more than 50 campaign staff positions as part of an overhaul and downsizing of his campaign, the Washington Post reports.

“Salaries are being significantly reduced. Carson’s traveling entourage will shrink to only a handful of advisers. And instead of flying on private jets, Carson may soon return to commercial flights.”

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.