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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
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October 8, 2024
Fear and Suspicion in Appalachia
Amid the historic destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, high-profile MAGA influencers have flooded social media with wild claims about the federal response, hindering relief efforts. Zeb Smathers, the Democratic mayor of Canton, offers the view from the ground.
Peter Hamby
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October 1, 2024
Trump Microtargeting & Kamala Mysteries
During 72 hours in North Carolina, I became the target demo for a Republican ad blitz painting Kamala’s America as a dystopian, crime-ridden hellhole. Meanwhile, the latest Puck-Echelon poll shows Harris leading 49-44, even though voters still don’t know what she’s for. Does it matter?
Peter Hamby
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September 24, 2024
Kamala’s Generation Gap
Democrats generally pin their hopes on a surge of young voters in order to blunt the G.O.P.’s historic advantage among the olds. But something different is happening this election cycle: While young men and Gen X are moving to the right, Harris is banking on boomers—and older women, in particular—to close the gap.
Peter Hamby
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September 17, 2024
The Swift-Rogan Election
In a mostly static, coin-flip race, the election may be determined by whether Harris can win back young men—the hyper-impressionable, internet-addled demographic that was once a competitive advantage for Democrats and is now drifting toward Trump. Can she reverse that deficit in the next 49 days? Or is the post-Dobbs coalition enough?
Peter Hamby & John Heilemann
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September 11, 2024
Pet-Eating, Wharton & Executions: Aftershocks From the Rumble in Philly
In a very special post-debate conclave, Peter Hamby is joined by John Heilemann and Dylan Byers to share their snap analysis of the climactic Trump-Harris presidential showdown in Philadelphia—the points landed and egregiously missed, the inevitable polling implications, the post-event recalculations, and much more.
Peter Hamby
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September 10, 2024
The Media Is Not the Message
Despite the historic nature of this unprecedented topsy-turvy election, a staggering percentage of persuadable voters are not tuning in—and they’re definitely no longer tuning in on linear TV, making it harder than ever for the campaigns to find them.
Peter Hamby
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September 4, 2024
Tuesdays With James and Mary
Unfiltered political spouses James Carville and Mary Matalin hop on the phone to explain what today’s generation of always-online politicos doesn’t understand about campaigns, and what Kamala Harris has to do to maintain her momentum going into November.
Peter Hamby
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August 27, 2024
Country First Kamala
In a new post-convention poll from Puck and Echelon Insights, Harris’s hard pivot from progressive to patriot appears to have neutralized Trump’s advantage on issues like toughness, strength, and keeping the country safe. Meanwhile, almost nobody knows what it means to be “brat.”
Peter Hamby
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August 20, 2024
Sweet Home Chicago
On the ground reporting, murmur-gathering, bed-wetting-compiling, euphoria-capturing, and tons of reality checks from the pol-delegate-operative-White House class at the dawn of the D.N.C. here in Chicago.
Peter Hamby
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August 13, 2024
The Race to Define Kamala Harris
While the Harris campaign coasts on vibes and momentum, Republicans are sharpening new lines of attack on the economy and immigration. New polling shows Harris is particularly vulnerable on those two fronts—if Trump, the party’s least disciplined messenger, can effectively caricature her before she redefines herself.