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How to Make an Interview Go Viral

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There’s no better way to draw attention to something than to tell people they’re not allowed to see it.

Jimmy Kimmel demonstrated that this week when he announced that an interview with Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D) couldn’t be broadcast on his show.

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Massive Blue Wave?

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The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live.

First, a look back at 9/11. Then, Democrats have the wind at their backs in the midterms, but will it become a wave?

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Members get Taegan Goddard’s analysis, every feature on the site and no ads.

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The GOP’s Message Doesn’t Add Up

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If the first rule of a political campaign is to settle on a compelling narrative, Republicans are having trouble finding one at their midterm “convention.”

Consider three observations:

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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Fetterman’s Power Play

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Making predictions in politics is a fool’s game.

But here’s one I won’t shy away from: Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) video appearance at the Republican midterm convention shut the door on any chance of him winning reelection as a Democrat.

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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Nothing Stays Buried Forever

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One of the most interesting feature of modern campaigns is that candidates can never really put their past controversies behind them.

Old comments keep “resurfacing.”

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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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What to Watch Until Election Day

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Germany Takes a Hard Right Turn

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Weekly News Quiz

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Were you paying attention to the political news this week?

Take the quiz and find out.

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Members get Taegan Goddard’s analysis, every feature on the site and no ads.

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Democrats Get a Boost in the Map Wars

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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The Democrats’ Red State Workaround

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Summer Lessons

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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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Members get Taegan Goddard’s analysis, every feature on the site and no ads.

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Democrats Poised for Gains

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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.

This newsletter comes with membership

Members get Inside Elections and Ballot Access News — a $267 value — along with everything else on Political Wire.

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Courts Reshape the Ballot Access Landscape

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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.

This newsletter comes with membership

Members get Inside Elections and Ballot Access News — a $267 value — along with everything else on Political Wire.

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What We Learned This Summer

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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The Hegseth Warning Signs Were There

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Hakeem Jeffries Is No Nancy Pelosi

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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Can a Democrat Win in South Carolina?

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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The GOP’s Trump Trap

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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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Talking Points is my analysis of the political landscape, written only for Political Wire members.

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  • Inside Elections and Ballot Access News
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Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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