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Ed Kilgore

Columnist, Intelligencer

Ed Kilgore is a longtime political observer who has been a columnist for Intelligencer since 2015.

  1. early and often
    1968 Democratic National Convention Riots
    This Year’s Democratic Convention Won’t Be a Replay of 1968Expected protests over the Israel-Gaza war are drawing comparisons to 1968. But much has changed since that riotous Chicago convention.
  2. alejandro mayorkas
    DHS Secretary Mayorkas Testifies Before House Homeland Security Committee
    The Mayorkas Impeachment Trial Was a JokeRepublicans hoped for a messaging exercise against Biden’s border policies, but Senate Democrats quickly dismissed their charges.
  3. early and often
    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks To The Reporters After Meeting With Speaker Johnson
    The ‘Uniparty’ Delusion Shared by MTG and RFK Jr.Despite increased polarization, right-wing extremists, conspiracy theorists, and some pro-Palestinian protesters say the two parties are no different.
  4. early and often
    shooting-US-UNREST-SHOOTING-EID
    Murder Rates Are Dropping Despite GOP ‘Crime Wave’ RhetoricTrump’s talk of “American carnage” fed by migrants and liberal prosecutors doesn’t match stats that show homicides falling in most cities.
  5. early and often
    Members Of Congress Hold Candlelight Vigil For Israeli Victims And Hostages
    Johnson’s Foreign-Aid Plan Relies on Democrats Saving Him RepeatedlyThe Speaker will need Democratic votes to pass aid for Ukraine and Israel — and then to keep his gavel.
  6. early and often
    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
    Did Trump Really Consider Making RFK Jr. His VP Pick?Team MAGA is denying a flirtation with the independent candidate, but the two demagogues have a lot in common and could yet conspire to smite Biden.
  7. poll position
    Biden Has All But Caught Up With Trump in PollsThere are many variables at play, including RFK Jr. and whose voters turn out.
  8. early and often
    Donald Trump,Mike Johnson
    Why Trump and Mike Johnson Are Promoting a Redundant Ban on Noncitizen VotingIn an effort to win Trump’s protection, the Speaker is abetting a preemptive attack on the legitimacy of the 2024 election.
  9. early and often
    Former President Trump Holds A Campaign Rally In Ohio
    Trump Boots Anti-Abortion Extremists From His VP ShortlistPotential running mates like Kristi Noem and Tim Scott may be out now that Trump is embracing “states’ rights” to downplay the issue.
  10. life after roe
    Women's March Rally Ahead Of Roe V. Wade Anniversary
    The Best Way to Protect Abortion Rights Is by State ConstitutionState by state, pro-choice voters are recreating Roe’s protections, and there’s nothing Republican lawmakers can do about it. Arizona may be next.
  11. life after roe
    US-politics-abortion-RALLY
    Ross Douthat Is Wrong About What Caused a Powerful Pro-Abortion BacklashGrowing pro-choice sentiment arose independently of any partisan motives.
  12. early and often
    Candidate RFK Jr. Holds Cesar Chavez Day Event As He Pushes Latino Outreach In His Presidential Bid
    Will RFK Jr.’s Appeal Sputter Before November?His bond with mistrustful voters could prove durable — if he can get on key state ballots.
  13. early and often
    U.S.-NEW YORK-PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
    Polls Aside, New Research Shows the Parties Are DeadlockedLong-term trends show Democrats and Republican in constant balance with some exchanges of supporters and more polarization.
  14. life after roe
    Kari Lake And Senator John Barrasso Hold Press Conference In Phoenix, Arizona
    In a First, Arizona Republicans Rush to Dismantle a Total Abortion BanAfter decades of tactical advances, they’re engaging in tactical retreats. Get used to it.
  15. early and often
    President Biden Delivers Remarks On UAW And Plant Reopening
    Rust Belt or Sun Belt? Biden Has to Choose Both to Beat Trump.Right now, Biden’s shortest path to 270 electoral votes is through Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. But he should hedge his bets.
  16. life after roe
    William G. Montgomery,John R Lopez IV,Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer,Chief Justice Robert M. Brutinel,Clint Bolick and James Beene
    Draconian Abortion Ruling Supercharges Arizona ElectionsState courts have suddenly added Arizona to the list of states where abortion is illegal. But voters in this battleground state could change all that.
  17. life after roe
    OMB Director Shalanda Young Testifies Before Senate Budget Committee
    Trump Tells Lindsey Graham, Anti-Abortion Activists to STFU Until He WinsIf they go back to lying about their position like they did for nearly 50 years, Trump may give them the total ban they want.
  18. life after roe
    Donald Trump
    Trump’s Abortion Dodge Won’t Work in 2024The man who made the reversal of Roe v. Wade possible is now seeking to neutral the abortion issue in his own fight with Joe Biden. It won’t work.
  19. early and often
    Sunrise-at-the-United-States-Capitol
    The Senate, House, and White House Could All Change Hands in NovemberClosely divided congressional chambers and a close presidential race could lead to all sorts of new power configurations in 2025.
  20. poll position
    Trump vs. Biden Polls: Will Old Folks Save Joe?There are signs Biden is holding on to a significant percentage of the senior vote against Trump, which may offset his problems with younger voters.
  21. early and often
    President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address
    Don’t Get Too Attached to Speaker Mike JohnsonHe can probably out-maneuver MTG and keep his gavel until November. But his survival as Speaker post–Election Day looks far less certain.
  22. early and often
    Conservative Leaders Address Faith & Freedom Coalition Majority Conference
    Trump’s Plan for Every Foreign-Policy Problem Is HimselfHis stance on both Gaza and Ukraine is characteristically narcissistic. He’s suggested his mere presence in the White House will lead to peace.
  23. early and often
    Joe Lieberman,Pat McCrory,Margaret White,Dan Webb,Benjamin F. Chavis
    No Labels Is No Longer Planning a 2024 TicketAfter being rejected by a reported 30 presidential prospects, the nonpartisan group is keeping its promise to call the whole thing off.
  24. early and often
    US-POLITICS-LITERATURE-MCCARTHY-CATHER
    Nebraska Republicans May Take the One Electoral Vote Biden Needs MostJoe Biden won a single electoral vote in Nebraska in 2020. The GOP could make that impossible in 2024, which could be crucial to the outcome.
  25. early and often
    President Trump Holds A 'Make America Great Again' Victory Rally
    No, America Doesn’t Need a MAGA ‘Day of Christian Visibility’Trump’s efforts to conflate Christianity with his cause, and to mobilize both on behalf of transphobic hate, are offensive to both church and state.
  26. early and often
    Candidate RFK Jr. Holds Cesar Chavez Day Event As He Pushes Latino Outreach In His Presidential Bid
    The Real Reason RFK Jr. Called Biden a Worse Threat Than TrumpKennedy needs more voters to turn against both major-party candidates, and Biden supporters seem like an easier target.
  27. early and often
    Joe Biden Campaigns For President In Florida
    Will the Abortion Vote Help Democrats Flip Florida in 2024?Ballot measures on abortion and cannabis legalization could drive Democratic turnout in Trump’s home state.
  28. life after roe
    Protests Break Out Across The U.S. As Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
    Floridians Get Near-Total Abortion Ban — and Chance to Reverse ItA six-week abortion ban will soon take effect. But the state Supreme Court also gave voters an opportunity to strike it down in November.
  29. early and often
    Ghost Army Ceremony
    Johnson Urges GOP to Save Craziness for After the ElectionMTG wants House Republicans to pursue their extremist goals now. The Speaker would rather hold off and maximize the chances of a MAGA trifecta.
  30. life after roe
    Demonstrators protest and argue outside the U.S. Supreme
    GOP Urged to Restrict IVF, Though It’s Political SuicideThe anti-abortion movement’s demands for IVF restrictions and fetal-personhood protections could destroy Republicans at the ballot box.
  31. early and often
    Georgia Holds Senate Runoff Election Between Rafael Warnock And Herschel Walker
    Is Trump Really Making Big Gains With Black and Latino Voters?Trump is reportedly seeing a boom among these voters. But a closer look at the polls and actual election data suggests it may be an illusion.
  32. poll position
    Trump vs. Biden Polls: Joe Has Finally Stopped the BleedingPresident Biden didn’t really have a post-SOTU polling “bounce.” But he’s stopped losing ground to Trump and is even making some modest gains.
  33. early and often
    Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
    Will RFK Jr.’s Support for Israel Limit His Appeal on the Left?There’s an opening to Biden’s left for RFK Jr. with his anti-corporate message aimed at alienated young voters. His pro-Israel stance may block it.
  34. early and often
    Christie Drops Out of 2024 Presidential Race
    Chris Christie Rejects No Labels, Accepts No Voters Want HimThe twice-humiliated Republican considered a No Labels presidential candidacy and for once concluded that he isn’t headed to the White House.
  35. obits
    Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieb
    Joe Lieberman and the Center That Did Not HoldThe longtime senator and Democratic vice-presidential candidate, who has died at 82, crossed party boundaries and left an uneven legacy.
  36. early and often
    Trump Supporters Hold "Stop The Steal" Rally In DC Amid Ratification Of Presidential Election
    Trump Would Need New Tactics to Steal the 2024 ElectionMany avenues Trump pursued in his 2020 coup attempt are now off the table. This time, he could turn to even more nefarious methods.
  37. life after roe
    Two Candidates Campaign in the Suburbs of Huntsville, Alabama
    Democrat Wins Big in Alabama With Pro-Choice MessageMarilyn Lands managed to flip an Alabama statehouse seat, providing another sign that focusing on IVF and abortion rights can win elections.
  38. poll position
    What the Polls Say Today: RFK Jr. Now Hurting Biden, Helping TrumpInitially the vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist seemed to be drawing more votes from Trump, but that’s changed — and it could change again.
  39. early and often
    Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Announces His Running Mate
    RFK Jr. Picks Shanahan (and Her Bank Account) As His Running MateNicole Shanahan has no background in politics or government, but the tech attorney-entrepreneur will help finance her ticket’s ballot-access drive.
  40. maga
    January 6 Romanticism Has Become Trump’s ‘Lost Cause’The former president’s decision to celebrate the failed insurrection is part of an elaborate myth in which he can never be defeated.
  41. early and often
    US-POLITICS-CONGRESS-SECURITY-HEALTH-BUDGET
    Lisa Murkowski Could Hold Balance of Power in SenateOwing very little to the GOP and alienated from Trump, the Alaska senator could be in the catbird seat after November.
  42. early and often
    Supreme Court Nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch Meets With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) On Capitol Hill
    McConnell Stole a Supreme Court Seat. Is That the Norm Now?Debate over whether Sotomayor should retire reveals control of both the White House and Senate may be necessary to confirm anyone going forward.
  43. ukraine aid
    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Motion to Vacate
    Under Threat From Marjorie Taylor Greene, GOP Speaker Faces Fateful ChoiceMike Johnson, still relatively new to the job, must pick between abondoning Ukraine or relying on Democrats to save his gavel.
  44. early and often
    Conservative Political Action Conference, Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, USA - 22 Feb 2024
    Can Tulsi Gabbard Have Her Choice of VP Nominations?She’s said to lean toward running with Trump instead of Kennedy, but we don’t know if either candidate really wants her as a running mate.
  45. early and often
    New York Grand Jury Votes To Indict Former President Trump
    Trump Defenders Dismiss All His Legal Problems As ‘Lawfare’The much-indicted, often-sued former president has convinced his supporters he can literally do no wrong.
  46. early and often
    Donald Trump,Benjamin Netanyahu
    Republicans Abandon Their Strategic Silence on the Israel-Hamas WarRepublicans shrewdly kept quiet and let Biden take the heat from Americans angry at Israel. Now, led by Trump, they’re now loudly backing Netanyahu.
  47. life after roe
    Anti-Abortion Activists Demonstrate In D.C. During Annual March For Life
    Why Would Trump Back a 15-Week National Abortion Ban Now?The former president bucked the anti-abortion movement when his Republican rivals were bowing to it. This is an odd time for him to follow suit.
  48. early and often
    Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Campaigns In California
    Do ‘Zombie Votes’ for Nikki Haley Expose Trump’s Weakness?Some Haley voters are Democrats, or they cast ballots before she exited. But historically, votes for vanquished primary rivals aren’t that unusual.
  49. early and often
    Columbiana County Lincoln Day Dinner
    Ohio Is Trump Country: Bernie Moreno Wins Senate PrimaryTrump nudged a candidate into the winner’s circle once again in the GOP Senate primary — though Moreno will have a tough battle against Sherrod Brown.
  50. early and often
    President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address
    Can Going Negative Win Over Voters Who Hate Trump and Biden?Much of the electorate is too sour to respond to a positive message. So perhaps Biden should really go after Trump, his party, and his wealthy allies.
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