Political Wire

  • Front Page
  • Trending
  • Reader Wire
  • Members
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
  • Contact Us

The New Think Tank Infuriating Progressives

October 14, 2025 at 1:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Elaine Godfrey: “The age of the conventional Democrat is over. The time of the Democratic contrarian has come.”

“So says Adam Jentleson, anyway. The veteran political operative and former adviser to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently launched a think tank that asks Democratic candidates to ignore pressure from the far left, take positions outside the ‘liberal box,’ and be a lot more ‘heterodox’ in general. If this seems to you like Beltway speak for asking Democrats to sound more like Republicans, well, you would be at least partly correct. The Democratic Party used to have supermajorities in Congress because it allowed its members to hold a wide range of positions, Jentleson told me. To start winning again, the party needs to bring that back, he said. His new think tank, Searchlight Institute, plans to help.”

“With its seven-person team, a polling arm, and a $10 million budget, Searchlight promises to offer a ‘menu’ of orthodoxy-challenging ideas for Democrats to run on.”

Filed Under: Advocacy, Democrats

America Needs a Mass Movement—Now

October 14, 2025 at 8:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

David Brooks: “For the United States, the question of the decade is: Why hasn’t a resistance movement materialized here? The second Trump administration has flouted court decisions in a third of all rulings against it, according to The Washington Post. It operates as a national extortion racket, using federal power to control the inner workings of universities, law firms, and corporations. It has thoroughly politicized the Justice Department, launching a series of partisan investigations against its political foes. It has turned ICE into a massive paramilitary organization with apparently unconstrained powers. It has treated the Constitution with disdain, assaulted democratic norms and diminished democratic freedoms, and put military vehicles and soldiers on the streets of the capital. It embraces the optics of fascism, and flaunts its autocratic aspirations.”

“I am not one of those who believe that Donald Trump has already turned America into a dictatorship. Yet the crossing-over from freedom into authoritarianism may be marked not by a single dramatic event but by the slow corrosion of our ruling institutions—and that corrosion is well under way.”

Filed Under: Advocacy, Democracy

Conservative Group Pushes to Engage Latino Voters

October 13, 2025 at 11:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Libre Initiative, an organization in the billionaire Koch brothers’ conservative political network, is launching a seven-figure nationwide campaign to reach Latino voters ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary,” ABC News reports.

“The campaign aims to foster a connection between Latinos and what the group described as the country’s ‘founding principles.'”

Filed Under: Advocacy

‘Naked Bike Ride’ Planned to Protest Troops in Portland

October 3, 2025 at 4:43 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

After President Trump announced plans to deploy the Oregon National Guard to Portland, organizers are planning an “emergency” naked bike ride in protest, KOIN reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Huge Crowds Expected at Charlie Kirk Memorial

September 21, 2025 at 8:24 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As many as 100,000 mourners are expected to attend the memorial for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk Sunday in Arizona, including President Trump, cabinet officials and right-wing pundits,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

New York Times: “The memorial to celebrate Mr. Kirk and galvanize a political movement in his name is the culmination of scores of recent public vigils across the country that have drawn thousands of Mr. Kirk’s supporters, as well as scattered protests.”

“But nothing so far has approached the scale of what the police and organizers are expecting in Arizona, where Mr. Kirk lived with his wife and two young children, and where his conservative organizing group, Turning Point USA, is based. The speakers list includes not just the president and vice president but also the highest-profile members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet and White House staff, along with a who’s who of the Make America Great Again pantheon.”

Washington Post: Charlie Kirk memorial to be on par with a state funeral in scale, security.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Erika Kirk Takes Over Turning Point USA

September 18, 2025 at 10:38 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Before his assassination, Charlie Kirk told Turning Point USA executives that he had a plan for the organization’s future in the event of his death. This week, it was put into action: On Wednesday evening, Erika Kirk was elected the new chief executive and chair of the board of Turning Point USA.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

Jerry Leaves Ben & Jerry’s

September 17, 2025 at 9:52 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years, saying that the independence it once had to speak up on social issues has been stifled by parent company Unilever,” ABC News reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Charlie Kirk’s Widow Promises to Continue His Work

September 12, 2025 at 10:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Erika Kirk vowed in a speech today to continue her husband’s movement and said that “the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry,” USA Today reports.

Said Kirk: “If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you’ve just unleashed across this entire country, and this world. You have no idea the fire you’ve ignited within this wife.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

Activists Target People Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death

September 11, 2025 at 2:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Far-right influencers and violent extremists are posting identifying details about people they view as celebrating or glorifying the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk,” Wired reports. 

“The campaign has been swift and widespread and has already led to at least one person losing their job and others receiving death threats.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

Anti-Trump Protests Planned for Labor Day

August 29, 2025 at 10:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to skip the barbecue and spend their Labor Day protesting President Donald Trump and the billionaires who support him,” USA Today reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Gates Foundation Cuts Ties With Firm Linked to Democrats

August 26, 2025 at 8:07 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“America’s largest charitable foundation has quietly ceased backing a nonprofit network closely associated with the Democratic Party and criticized by conservatives, a symbolically significant blow to a powerful player in liberal politics,” the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

California Common Cause Board Members Quit

August 20, 2025 at 12:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Multiple California Common Cause advisory board members have resigned as the organization grapples with its response to a national gerrymandering battle,” Politico reports.

“The departures speak to a fraught moment for an organization that has historically supported independent redistricting and fought the kinds of partisan map-drawing that California Democrats are now pursuing. Common Cause — the national group — last week reversed on its previous position and said it would not oppose California’s effort to counter Texas.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

Top Liberal Group Falls Into Crisis

July 25, 2025 at 12:49 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Media Matters, a nonprofit group that has played a key role in liberal politics, is struggling to withstand months of legal assaults by President Trump’s allies, offering a glimpse of what might be in store for even well-funded targets of his retribution campaigns,” the New York Times reports.

“The organization, which is funded by some of the Democratic Party’s biggest donors, has racked up about $15 million in legal fees over the past 20 months to defend itself against lawsuits by Elon Musk, in addition to investigations by Mr. Trump’s Federal Trade Commission and Republican state attorneys general.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

‘No Kings’ Rallies Draw Big Crowds

June 15, 2025 at 12:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Americans turned out en masse in communities across the country Saturday, raucously pushing back on what they see as President Donald Trump’s widening authoritarianism, attacks on immigrants and deep cuts to scores of federal programs,” the Washington Post reports.

“Yet the day was marred by the news of deadly violence overnight in Minneapolis, where two Democratic state legislators were shot with their spouses in what Gov. Tim Walz called a ‘politically motivated’ attack.”

Axios: “No Kings” anti-Trump protests attract millions, organizers say.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Far-Right Groups Buzz With Violent Talk

June 14, 2025 at 1:35 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “A review of dozens of known far-right social-media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers across leading platforms like X, Truth Social, and Telegram are posting about the ‘No Kings’ rallies and encouraging their people to respond, in some cases with violence.”

Filed Under: Advocacy

Protests Against Trump Policies Kick Off Across the Nation

June 14, 2025 at 1:22 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Protesters began filling plazas and streets in cities across the country on Saturday morning, mobilizing for mass demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, cuts to federal services and a large military parade in Washington that coincides with the president’s 79th birthday,” the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Protests Could Be ‘Unprecedented’ in L.A.

June 14, 2025 at 1:05 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With a surge of demonstrations expected on Saturday against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, the authorities in Los Angeles said they were bracing for a turnout that ‘may be unprecedented’ in the city that has been epicenter of days of sustained protests,” the New York Times reports.

Filed Under: Advocacy

Hundreds of ‘No Kings’ Rallies Planned

June 13, 2025 at 5:45 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Boasting tanks, cannons, soldiers and fireworks, President Trump’s military parade Saturday is designed to be a spectacle. Opponents to Trump want their nationwide protests that day to be an even bigger one,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Progressive groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers, Planned Parenthood and Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign office are planning peaceful protests in over 2,000 cities across the U.S.”

New York Times: Trump bristles at “No Kings” protests.

Filed Under: Advocacy

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 13
  • Next Page »

Your Account

Sign in

Members Only

  • Weekly News Quiz
  • Blasphemy Politics
  • Democrats Edge Closer to Rewriting Presidential Rules
  • Who Will Benefit from Eric Swalwell’s Departure?
  • The Problem With Being Trump’s Heir

Trial Balloon

Add Trial Balloon to your podcast player to get new episodes each week.


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 © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC | Privacy Policy | Corrections Policy

Political Wire ® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC