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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
    Mike Pence’s 2024 Support Might Be Even Weaker Than It LooksThe former veep is polling in the single digits. He’s alienated just about everyone, so it’s hard to see how he could improve.
  2. early and often
    Why None of Trump’s 2016 Rivals Are Willing to Face Him AgainTrump defeated 16 Republican rivals to win the 2016 nomination. Not a single one is up for another round of defeat and humiliation in 2024.
  3. life after roe.
    Republicans Race to Block Access to Ballots for Abortion-Rights InitiativesThe onetime champions of popular control of abortion policy are now beating a hasty retreat from the will of the people.
  4. past is prologue
    Did Reagan Team’s Iran-Hostage Sabotage Defeat Jimmy Carter?Reagan-campaign operatives may have prolonged the Iran Hostage Crisis, but that was just one of the damaging political crises Carter faced in 1980.
  5. early and often
    Could a Criminal Indictment Actually Help Trump’s 2024 Campaign?Trump thinks an indictment would “enhance” his numbers. His base might relish a battle with “deep state” prosecutors, but swing voters may not.
  6. early and often
    Iowa Is a Potential Snake Pit for Trump and DeSantisNo matter how strong the 2024 front-runners look in national polls, they must beg Iowans for their support in person to get the ball rolling.
  7. early and often
    Red States Crack Down on Local Control of Law EnforcementRepublicans have little use for state and local autonomy when it contradicts their dogmas.
  8. poll position
    What the Polls Say Today: DeSantis Showing Weakness Against TrumpMaybe his “midterm bounce” is wearing off, or maybe he’s being too passive against attacks. But the the Florida locomotive is slowing down.
  9. 2024 presidential election
    Now He Tells Us: Pence Suggests Trump Is Not Much of a ChristianNo one has vouched for Donald Trump’s religious authenticity more than his pious and sycophantic veep. Renouncing it all now seems hypocritical.
  10. early and often
    DeSantis’s Ukraine Stance Could Blow Up His 2024 StrategyBy going America First on Ukraine, the Florida governor is alienating the anti-Trump Republicans he needs to beat the former president.
  11. early and often
    Doug Mastriano May Crush Pennsylvania Republicans’ Dreams Once AgainMany Republicans think David McCormick can win a 2024 Senate race. But the GOP can’t shake Mastriano, an ultra-MAGA election denier and 2022 loser.
  12. early and often
    Trump Says January 6 Violence Was Actually Pence’s FaultIn Trump’s twisted logic, Pence is to blame for the Capitol riot because he refused to steal the 2020 election peacefully.
  13. 2024 presidential election
    It’s Game On in Iowa As Trump Attacks DeSantisBoth men visited the early caucus state in recent days, but while DeSantis stuck to his anti-woke crusade, Trump started unloading on the governor.
  14. life after roe
    Will Abortion Come Back to Bite Ron DeSantis?Activists pushed the Florida governor into accepting a near-total ban, which may not be enough for the right and may be too much for the rest.
  15. early and often
    Biden’s Risky Plan to Sit Out the 2024 Culture WarThe president is betting that he can neutralize most hot-button cultural issues with silence. His Republican opponent may not let him.
  16. poll position
    Biden Starts 2024 Race With 73-Point Lead Over Primary OpponentMaybe Marianne Williamson isn’t a “serious” challenger, but if no other Democrat runs, her standing is a testament to Biden’s strength.
  17. early and often
    Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson Won’t Let Republicans Forget About January 6Republican 2024 candidates would love to move on from the Capitol riot. But key MAGA figures keep trying to paper over it for their own purposes.
  18. early and often
    No Labels Has a Genius 2024 Plan That Would Kneecap BidenThird Way is warning that fellow centrists in the group No Labels are moving ahead with a 2024 ticket that is likely to boost a Republican.
  19. early and often
    Biden Aims to Keep Playing Offense on MedicareThe president is framing Medicare solvency as a choice between tax hikes on the rich and benefit cuts in another preemptive strike at Republicans.
  20. 2024 presidential election
    How Trump Rewrote the GOP Primary Rules to Favor HimA pro-Trump 2020 rule change on how delegates are awarded may make it even easier for the 2024 front-runners to box out everyone else.
  21. early and often
    Larry Hogan Won’t Run in 2024’s Imaginary GOP ‘Moderate Lane’While the former Maryland governor had appeared on many lists of potential GOP presidential candidates, he’s bending to reality.
  22. early and often
    Trump Is As Electable Now As He Was in 2016Republicans who want to stop Trump’s renomination need a better argument than “he can’t win.” We’ve been there before.
  23. early and often
    Biden Chooses Crime Messaging Over D.C. Home RuleThe president surprised and angered some Democrats by declining to veto a GOP effort to block a D.C. bill. It’s all about not looking soft on crime.
  24. life after roe
    Walgreens Won’t Sell Abortion Pills in Red States Even Where It’s LegalThe second-largest retail pharmacy chain won’t buck Republican attorneys general. Will others follow?
  25. early and often
    Mike Pence’s 2024 Strategy Totally Depends on Iowa EvangelicalsThe former VP has an extremely narrow path to viability in 2024. It runs through Iowa — following the course set by Huckabee, Santorum, and Cruz.
  26. early and often
    Florida Republican Wants to ‘Cancel’ Democrats Over SlaveryA Florida bill takes a ridiculous GOP argument to the extreme, aiming to eliminate the Democratic Party for its ancient ties to white supremacy.
  27. poll position
    2024 Polls Show DeSantis Can’t Easily Knock Out TrumpDespite the hype about Ron DeSantis surging past Donald Trump, both Republicans look unusually strong at this early stage of the presidential race.
  28. early and often
    Biden Dares Republicans to Go After Obamacare and MedicaidIt’s part of campaign to smoke out and then attack unpopular Republican cuts.
  29. politics
    In Tennessee, Even Abortion to Save a Woman’s Life May Be IllegalThe state has a near-total abortion ban, and now activists and GOP officials are fighting an exemption for physician-defined medical emergencies.
  30. early and often
    Trump to Seniors: DeSantis Is Your Mortal EnemyTrump is now attacking DeSantis for his past support of cuts in Social Security and Medicare, calling him a “wheelchair off the cliff kind of guy.”
  31. early and often
    RNC Loyalty Test Only Punishes Honest Candidates, Not TrumpRepublicans are making their 2024 candidates promise to support eventual nominee. Trump made the same pledge in 2016, then said he wouldn’t honor it.
  32. early and often
    DeSantis, Republicans Getting Serious About Intimidating Media With LawsuitsA new phase in the effort to overturn constitutional press protections is emerging in both the courts and the Florida legislature.
  33. early and often
    Will the 2024 Convention Site Actually Help Democrats Win?Democrats are choosing between Atlanta, Chicago, or New York. The DNC’s location may not sway electoral votes, but it could impact other races.
  34. early and often
    Tim Scott’s 2024 Pitch Is Only ‘Sunny’ If You Like GOP DominanceThe senator laid out his ostensibly “optimistic” vision in Iowa ahead of a possible 2024 run. It was full of gloomy red-meat attacks on Democrats.
  35. life after roe
    A Majority of Americans Are Pro-Choice, Even in Red StatesA survey found pro-choice majorities in all but seven states, which means Republicans pushing state abortion bans are often defying public opinion.
  36. early and often
    The Enemies of Social Security and Medicare Haven’t Given Up YetGOP entitlement reformers like Mike Pence and Paul Ryan know their proposals are wildly unpopular. They just can’t help themselves.
  37. early and often
    Vivek Ramaswamy Joins 2024 Race As Yet Another Anti-Woke CrusaderThe entrepreneur and author, who has no political experience, may struggle to distinguish himself from all the other Republicans battling “wokeness.”
  38. early and often
    The Myth of Nikki Haley Takes Another HitThe 2024 candidate suggests she helped South Carolina move past its racist history. Newly unearthed remarks on the Confederacy undercut the narrative.
  39. early and often
    Barbara Lee Faces Long Odds in California Senate RaceThough she’s an iconic progressive, Lee must deal with disadvantages involving age and money. California’s electoral system won’t help, either.
  40. early and often
    When Marjorie Taylor Greene Says ‘National Divorce,’ She Means Another Civil WarGreene in effect wants a new Confederate States of America, but like the old one, it won’t emerge peacefully.
  41. early and often
    Ron DeSantis’s Youth Is His Secret WeaponThe Florida governor not only provides a sharp age contrast, he’s got time to spare.
  42. early and often
    Social Security and Medicare Cuts Are a Trap Republicans Just Can’t ResistRepublicans’ decades-long crusade against federal retirement programs keeps backfiring. Biden will make sure it happens again in 2024.
  43. early and often
    Rick Scott’s Revised ‘Rescue Plan’ Is Still Stuck on StupidAfter damaging his party and delighting Democrats, Scott finally relented on sunsetting Social Security and Medicare — but not the other madness.
  44. election coup
    Why Mike Pence Is Fighting a DOJ Subpoena on January 6The former VP is known for courageously standing up to Trump on January 6, but what he did in earlier phases of the election coup is hazier.
  45. 2024 presidential election
    Can DeSantis Become the Candidate of Never Trumpers?Mitt Romney appears to be trying to talk other candidates into clearing the way for the Florida governor.
  46. 2024 presidential election
    Surprise, Surprise: Trump Backs Away From Part of His Voter-Fraud LieAfter GOP complaint that attacks on voting by mail depressed Republican turnout, he’s tweaking his message.
  47. early and often
    Nikki Haley Taunts Geezer Rivals With ‘Mental-Competency Tests’Her call for “mandatory” testing of politicians 75 and up was aimed at Biden and Trump, but it could offend important GOP allies.
  48. early and often
    Dianne Feinstein Says She’ll Retire As Would-be Successors Line UpHer long Senate career comes to an awkward end with an announcement that will speed up the expensive and competitive contest to occupy her seat.
  49. early and often
    Nikki Haley’s Announcement Video Is a Sloppy MessThe long-shot candidate’s announcement video is full of dog whistles that aren’t fully articulated, concluding with a weird Palinesque joke.
  50. early and often
    Is Rick Scott Looking to Sunset His Senate Seat?The Floridian’s threat to Social Security and Medicare has damaged Republicans so badly that even Mitch McConnell seems ready to give up on his seat.
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