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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
    Is Trump the New Nixon?Analogies between the two presidents liberals love to hate only go so far.
  2. early and often
    Did We Just Trade a Debt Default for a Government Shutdown?Most of the debt-limit deal must be implemented via future fights over appropriations, which could trigger shutdowns and even deeper cuts.
  3. early and often
    The Rise of Religious ‘Nones’ Won’t Save DemocratsWhile atheists and agnostics are a strong Democratic constituency, voters who believe “nothing in particular” tend to be politically disengaged.
  4. early and often
    House Members’ Griping on Debt-Limit Deal Shows Bipartisanship LivesAs soon as leaders reach a deal, congressional Democrats and Republicans alike will line up to beg for permission to vote against it.
  5. early and often
    Poll: Californians Deem Dianne Feinstein Unfit to ServeHer political capital is finally running out, though Californians are unsure about what should happen next with her Senate seat.
  6. early and often
    Do RFK Jr.’s Supporters Really Know Who He Is?The anti-vaxx crusader and 2024 presidential candidate has a low ceiling of support that will decline when Democrats learn more about him.
  7. early and often
    The DeSantis 2024 Campaign Can’t Afford Any More ErrorsThe governor’s glitchy launch doesn’t mean his 2024 bid is D.O.A. But now his campaign must prove its grand plans aren’t just fantasies.
  8. early and often
    DeSantis’s Weak Supreme Court Pitch Is No Threat to TrumpThe Florida governor can’t outdo Trump’s transformation of the Court, so he’s just promising to keep it going longer.
  9. early and often
    Oregon Republicans’ Self-Destructive Culture-War WalkoutGOP state senators are disqualifying themselves from reelection to block gun restrictions, abortion rights, and gender-affirming care.
  10. early and often
    DeSantis Squandered His Best Chance Against TrumpThe Florida governor needed to make the 2024 GOP primary a one-on-one contest. Instead, his weakness drew a lot of other candidates into the field.
  11. debt limit
    Kevin McCarthy May Have Already Won the Debt-Limit FightNo matter how the debt-limit negotiations turn out, the Speaker has clearly placated his right-wing critics by forcing Biden to the table.
  12. early and often
    Lisa Blunt Rochester Is (Very Likely) Headed to the SenateThe current U.S. House member, endorsed by Tom Carper to be his successor, would be the third Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
  13. early and often
    Tim Scott Runs for President on His AutobiographyConservative audiences love Scott’s argument that it’s Biden and the left who are depriving Black and low-income Americans of opportunities.
  14. life after roe
    Is a 12-Week Abortion Ban a ‘Reasonable Compromise’?North Carolina’s new law is being presented as a solution. But a majority of Americans see Roe’s fetal-viability standard as compromise enough.
  15. early and often
    The Fallacy Behind No Labels’ Independent Unity TicketMost independents are partisans and can vote in primaries. So why run a ticket that will just hand the presidency to Donald Trump?
  16. early and often
    Chris Sununu Mulls Launching Doomed GOP 2024 BidThe pro-choice, anti-Trump Republican would probably just help the ex-president win in New Hampshire.
  17. early and often
    DeSantis Steers Sharply to Trump’s RightAs he prepares to become a candidate officially, the Florida governor is aiming at Iowa and New Hampshire with a harsh right-wing message.
  18. poll position
    Trump Builds Huge Lead in Polls As DeSantis Revs EnginesDeSantis needs to announce and build a comeback narrative, as Trump is starting to run him off the track.
  19. early and often
    Andrew Yang Advises Vivek Ramaswamy to ‘Lean Into Memes’The 2020 quirky outsider candidate for president offers some generally bad advice to the GOP’s 2024 version.
  20. early and often
    DeSantis Seizes Opening Against Trump in IowaTrump’s abortion stance irked key Evangelical leaders in Iowa. Now the Florida governor may be looking to go big in the first 2024 contest.
  21. early and often
    Mike Pence Wants Republicans to Run on Their Most Unpopular IdeasThe former veep thinks the GOP should return to pre-Trump policies like free trade, entitlement reform, and forever wars.
  22. early and often
    Is Ron DeSantis the New Rick Perry?Different as they are, the two Sunbelt governors who aimed for the White House have some disturbing things in common.
  23. early and often
    Democrats Should Make People Panic About the Debt LimitThere’s not much pressure on House Republicans to stop playing games with the economy and allow a debt-limit increase. More public worry might help.
  24. early and often
    Immigration Is Still Fueling Trump’s Political FutureAnxiety over the southern border is transforming immigration from a MAGA base preoccupation to a potential wedge issue for Trump.
  25. debt limit
    Trump Call for Debt Default Echoed by House ExtremistsMost congressional Republicans are ignoring or shrugging off Trump’s inflammatory advice, but it won’t take many arsonists to start a conflagration.
  26. early and often
    Ramaswamy’s Solution for Gen-Z Hostility: Don’t Let ’Em Vote!The first millennial to run for the Republican presidential nomination wants to keep young Democratic-leaning voters away from the polls.
  27. life after roe
    Is the Anti-Abortion Movement Sitting Out the GOP Primary?After Marjorie Dannenfelser accepted disrespect from Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, you have to wonder if her group is playing a longer game.
  28. early and often
    Why on Earth Would Joe Manchin Run for President?The obvious reasons for pursuing an independent bid don’t apply to Manchin. The senator may just be looking for an excuse not to run for reelection.
  29. early and often
    Biden Withdrawing Like LBJ Is Just a GOP FantasyHugh Hewitt predicted Biden might drop out of the 2024 presidential race like Johnson did in 1968. But Biden’s situation is nothing like LBJ’s.
  30. early and often
    Trump Green-Lights a Debt DefaultIn his CNN town hall, Trump instructed congressional Republicans to go up to and beyond the brink in debt-limit talks, risking an economic calamity.
  31. early and often
    Why Kevin McCarthy Won’t Drop the Hammer on George SantosThe Speaker needs Santos’s vote to hang on to his gavel. But letting the fabulist become the face of New York Republicans is perilous, too.
  32. early and often
    Trump’s CNN Town Hall Was a MAGA RallyAn almost bored-looking Trump repeated many of his familiar lies and continued smearing E. Jean Carroll. The crowd ate it up.
  33. early and often
    Republicans on Trump-Carroll Verdict: Ask Again LaterPro- and anti-Trump Republicans reacted as you’d expect, but a lot of politicians seemed to be waiting on polling to tell them what to think.
  34. early and often
    Elon Musk Is Wrong. Encouraging Voting Isn’t Nefarious.The “Zuckerbucks” theory Musk is spreading takes election denial from unsupported fraud claims to a more sinister hostility to voting itself.
  35. early and often
    DeSantis Is Letting Trump Crush Him on Retirement ProgramsRepublican voters simply do not share the views of conservative ideologues on Social Security and Medicare. Trump gets it; DeSantis doesn’t.
  36. debt limit
    What If Republicans Actually Want a Debt Disaster?Wall Street must make it clear to GOP lawmakers that an economic meltdown is unacceptable even if it improves their odds of beating Biden in 2024.
  37. poll position
    Democrats Shouldn’t Freak Out Over One Really Bad Poll for BidenEven good pollsters produce outliers now and then. The ABC-Washington Post poll showing Biden crashing and burning is probably one of them.
  38. early and often
    Do Evangelicals Think Trump Is Jesus?There are growing signs that MAGA has become gospel among conservative Evangelicals.
  39. early and often
    The Next Right-Wing Media Freak-out: Slavery Reparations in CaliforniaWild estimates on the cost of reparations in California should be taken no more seriously than claims that all Democrats want to defund the police.
  40. life after roe
    Pro-Choice Florida Voters May Disrupt Ron DeSantis’s 2024 PlansBy pushing a very unpopular near-total abortion ban to please national right-wing activists, DeSantis might have invited a dangerous backlash at home.
  41. early and often
    Asa Hutchinson: The Ideal Candidate for a GOP That No Longer ExistsThe only Republican presidential candidate running in the anti-Trumpism lane is going nowhere fast.
  42. early and often
    DeSantis’s Strategic Dilemma: Go Mega-MAGA or Prove Electability?At this point, the once all-powerful Florida governor is a boring replica of Trump with a problematic history of criticizing retirement programs.
  43. early and often
    Democrats Should Target Ted Cruz in 2024Colin Allred is a credible challenger who will benefit from nationwide progressive loathing for the Republican, who is not popular at home.
  44. debt limit
    Manchin and Sinema Have Every Reason to Sabotage Dems on the Debt CeilingThe two centrist troublemakers are in desperate straits back home and will use all the leverage they can muster to exploit the debt-limit crisis.
  45. early and often
    Republicans Aren’t the Only Ones to Blame for the Debt-Ceiling CrisisNeither party really has the power to govern and activists on both sides have demanded endless combat.
  46. early and often
    Black and Youth Voter Turnout Went Way Down in 2022These Democratic-leaning voter segments didn’t show up at the polls in 2022 the way they did in 2018.
  47. early and often
    Attacks From Republican 2024 Rivals Are Bouncing Off TrumpA survey examining why Republican voters support Trump does not show his abortion position or electability as big concerns.
  48. early and often
    There Could Be a New Batch of Battleground States in 2024The presidential map keeps changing, and candidates need to make sure they’re not fighting the last war.
  49. early and often
    Rebel Democrats Risk Empowering GOP Extremists on Debt LimitCalling for Biden to negotiate with House Republicans demanding surrender has nothing to do with genuine bipartisanship.
  50. early and often
    Kamala Harris May Be a Huge Republican Target in 2024GOP attack dogs will be tempted to illustrate the risks of Biden’s age by focusing on his running mate. But it’s a risky strategy.
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