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Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Julia Ioffe, Marianna Sotomayor, John Heilemann, & Abby Livingston
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Sunday through Thursday
Puck’s daily political newsletter from Washington—featuring Leigh Ann Caldwell, Peter Hamby, Marianna Sotomayor, Julia Ioffe, John Heilemann, and Abby Livingston—on what’s really happening in this town, from the White House to the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, K Street, the campaign trail, and beyond.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Peter Hamby & John Heilemann
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August 7, 2024
Wonder Walz
After tangoing with Shapiro, Kamala Harris is taking Mr. Minnesota Nice Guy to the big dance. Puck’s Peter Hamby and John Heilemann discuss why veep picks almost never make a difference—until they do.
Peter Hamby
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August 6, 2024
Harris’s Three-Pronged Kryptonite
While Democrats celebrate their shiny new presumptive nominee, particularly on the eve of her veep selection, Kamala Harris still faces a trifecta of challenges that could turn today’s “irrational exuberance” into another 2016-style shocker. Herewith, the bear case for Harris…
Peter Hamby
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July 30, 2024
Yes They Can?
Democrats haven’t been this fired up about a presidential candidate since Obama, and the Harris campaign is racing to capitalize on the momentum: hiring veteran ad-maker Jim Margolis, doubling down on TikTok (where Kamala is approaching Trump-level virality), and leaning into the J.D. Vance creep factor.
Peter Hamby
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July 23, 2024
Reintroducing Kamala
Riding a surge of Democratic enthusiasm, endorsements, and record-breaking donations, the Harris campaign is racing to reintroduce their candidate to America before the Trump campaign can define her. Exclusive new polling for Puck shows why the next few weeks will be so critical.
Peter Hamby
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July 16, 2024
Welcome to the Jungle
News and notes on J.D. Vance, the Republican convention, the mood inside Bidenworld, and why the election is far from over.
Peter Hamby
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July 16, 2024
Biden’s Gen Z Deficit
The president was already losing altitude with younger voters, even before his debate disaster and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. But Gen Z’s frustration with politics isn’t just about the politicians on the ballot. A new effort, backed by meticulous data, is trying to change how young people think about politics in the first place.
Peter Hamby
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July 12, 2024
Biden’s Social Media Memory Problem
In postgame cable news panels on CNN and MSNBC, pundits mostly agreed that Biden’s presser was a net win for the president, but not a needle-mover. But what did the viewing public actually take away from the press conference? Well, turns out… it was the gaffes.
Peter Hamby
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July 9, 2024
The Kamala Calculus
As Biden resists calls to drop out, “coconut-pilled” Democrats are warming to Harris as his possible replacement. Would she save the party from ruin—or be a bigger risk than Biden? One thing’s for sure: Harris makes way more sense atop the ticket than faddish fantasy candidates like Gretchen Whitmer or Josh Shapiro.
Peter Hamby
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July 2, 2024
Biden Plunges in Swing States in Leaked Post-Debate Poll
The president is losing critical support in key battlegrounds, according to data from a premier Democratic firm, and putting previously noncompetitive states in play. Also, for the first time, he’s polling behind Kamala Harris.
Peter Hamby & John Heilemann
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June 28, 2024
Inside the Biden Panic Room
An emergency post-debate briefing about what Democratic leaders, megadonors, and senior strategists are really saying about Biden’s “Titanic-level disaster,” how to replace the nominee, and what comes next.