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What to Watch Until Election Day

September 8, 2026 at 8:28 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

We’re less than two months from Election Day and the broad contours of the midterm elections have come into focus.

Donald Trump’s approval rating has sunk to the lowest point of his presidency. Gas prices — actually all prices — are way up. And the United States remains stuck in a costly war with Iran with no strategy to get out.

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Filed Under: 2026 Campaign, Members

Germany Takes a Hard Right Turn

September 7, 2026 at 7:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The far-right Alternative for Germany’s strong showing in yesterday’s state elections could have consequences well beyond German politics.

The big loser is Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He’s not yet in danger of losing power, but the AfD has almost doubled its national support in the last two years while backing for Merz’s party has collapsed.

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Filed Under: Foreign Affairs, Members

Weekly News Quiz

September 4, 2026 at 11:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Were you paying attention to the political news this week?

Take the quiz and find out.

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Filed Under: Members

Democrats Get a Boost in the Map Wars

September 4, 2026 at 10:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

I got to this a little late last night because I was at the U.S. Open watching some great tennis, but Democrats got two potentially significant redistricting wins.

First, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state must use its old congressional map in this year’s general election.

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Filed Under: Members

The Democrats’ Red State Workaround

September 4, 2026 at 10:20 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Democrats may be stumbling into a way to “win” in some of the reddest states in the country.

The trick is not running a Democrat.

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Filed Under: Members

Summer Lessons

September 4, 2026 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live.

The four political lessons of the summer — and what they tell us about Donald Trump and the midterm elections this fall.

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Filed Under: Members

Democrats Poised for Gains

September 3, 2026 at 2:20 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just for members: The latest Inside Elections.

This issue includes a big picture update on the fight for Congress with two months to go before Election Day, as well as individual updates and polling in dozens of districts and states and rating changes in more than 10 races.

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Filed Under: Members

Courts Reshape the Ballot Access Landscape

September 3, 2026 at 1:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just for members: The latest issue of Ballot Access News.

This edition is led by a major Eighth Circuit ruling striking down South Dakota’s early petition deadline and strengthening future challenges to restrictive ballot-access laws.

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Filed Under: Members

What We Learned This Summer

September 3, 2026 at 9:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, though with at least another six weeks of outdoor tennis ahead of me, I’m not quite ready to concede the point.

Still, it’s a useful moment to reflect on what we learned politically this summer — and what it means for the fall campaign.

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Filed Under: Members

The Hegseth Warning Signs Were There

September 3, 2026 at 7:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called on President Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

And his criticism was especially harsh.

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Filed Under: Members

Hakeem Jeffries Is No Nancy Pelosi

September 2, 2026 at 8:55 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) suddenly has a leadership problem.

Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) stunned Democratic leaders by voting with Republicans on a procedural rule setting the terms for debate on a package of bills.

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Filed Under: House of Representatives, Members

Can a Democrat Win in South Carolina?

September 1, 2026 at 12:27 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary may be over, but Ralph Norman apparently isn’t ready to leave the race behind.

Asked what he would tell voters who remain undecided in the general election, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) had a straightforward answer: “Vote for Ralph Norman.”

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Filed Under: Members

The GOP’s Trump Trap

August 31, 2026 at 9:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Republicans have a fairly obvious problem heading into the midterm elections.

They need to persuade many of the lower-propensity voters who turned out for Donald Trump to show up again when he is not on the ballot.

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Filed Under: Members

Weekly News Quiz

August 28, 2026 at 11:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

How well did you pay attention to the political news this week?

Take the quiz and find out. 

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Filed Under: Members

Trump Nationalizes the Midterms

August 28, 2026 at 10:19 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A week ago, President Trump told a South Carolina rally exactly how he wants Republicans to think about the midterm elections.

Said Trump: “What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.”

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Filed Under: Members

No Trial Balloon This Week

August 28, 2026 at 6:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A quick programming note: There won’t be a new episode of Trial Balloon for members this week due to some logistical issues.

Chris and I will be back with a new episode next week.

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Filed Under: Members

Elizabeth Warren’s Tariff Logic Gets Twisted

August 27, 2026 at 5:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is demanding answers from Apple after the company received nearly $2.2 billion in tariff refunds.

Wrote Warren: “This amounts to a multi-billion dollar windfall, which could still grow if more of your refund petitions are granted.”

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Filed Under: Members

The Great Technology Backlash

August 27, 2026 at 7:35 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

What once sounded like the plot of a spy thriller is quickly becoming a real political issue.

And it’s happening much faster than Washington seems capable of responding.

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Filed Under: Members

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  • What to Watch Until Election Day
  • Germany Takes a Hard Right Turn
  • Weekly News Quiz
  • Democrats Get a Boost in the Map Wars
  • The Democrats’ Red State Workaround

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About Political Wire

Taegan 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.

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