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Puck welcomes John Heilemann as its Chief Political Columnist!



THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
Facts First, David Brock’s super PAC, has been the main communications apparatus to defend Hunter Biden in G.O.P. inquiries.
WASHINGTON September 8, 2023
David Brock tells me he is readying an oppo dump targeting the family members of Republicans who are investigating Biden’s son. “Gloves are off,” says Brock. “Families are on.”
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is in the middle of a fight being waged by New York Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul—publicly demanding federal funds, lands, and work permits for migrants—against Joe Biden.
WASHINGTON September 8, 2023
The House minority leader, and speaker-in-waiting, is in the middle of a pickle in his own backyard that might cost him the gavel.
Yesterday, the 81-year-old minority leader, Mitch McConnell, seemed to freeze up while addressing reporters in Kentucky, the second such incident in as many months.
WASHINGTON August 31, 2023
News and notes on the latest anxieties in Washington as the late-summer scaries take hold.
Ramaswamy’s success on the debate stage was yet another reminder that the G.O.P. establishment is largely out of touch with primary voters.
WASHINGTON August 24, 2023
News and notes on what really went down in Milwaukee: despondent donors, missed signals, defensive DeSantis, and the possibility of a Trump-Vivek ticket.


The fixation on Casey DeSantis speaks to the question of how much power the DeSantis name and brand maintains in Florida.
WASHINGTON August 17, 2023
As Ron DeSantis’s national campaign sags, the term-limited governor’s next political steps are under increased scrutiny. In Tallahassee, some are already considering the possibility of a third term—with Casey as governor.
James Uthmeier and Ryan Tyson are trusted Ron DeSantis loyalists, suggesting once again that the key qualification to lead the DeSantis campaign is fidelity to Ron and Casey.
WASHINGTON August 10, 2023
The mega-consultant, currently ensconced at DeSantis’ super PAC, will now have a loyal and telekinetic deputy acting as de facto campaign manager and Tallahassee daycare operator. Is this just the first step before Roe starts calling all the shots, himself?
Despite Biden’s accomplishments and the diligence of his team to keep the media on message, politics is a profession that rewards operatives for preserving optionality.
WASHINGTON August 3, 2023
Yes, of course, Biden is running for re-election. But national politics is a viper’s nest that requires ambitious putative candidates to prepare for even unthinkable, Murphy’s Law-style outcomes. So, what happens if Biden unexpectedly decides to bow out? Exploring D.C.’s increasingly popular hypothetical question.
Ron DeSantis has a schedule packed with intimate events, instead of the back-to-back town halls that he so desperately needs to reach thousands of voters inexpensively.
WASHINGTON July 27, 2023
As the candidate’s dearth of natural talent becomes clear, and his campaign endures a meaningful shake up, the Anyone-But-Trump donor class is, as Shakespeare once wrote, examining other beauties.


On television, DeSantis can come across as savvy, reasonably well media-trained, and sometimes aggressive. But in person, Tara immediately sensed a very different potential candidate.
WASHINGTON May 22, 2023
Lessons from a day shadowing a press-averse and socially uncomfortable presidential hopeful.
Chris Sununu said there’s a “61 percent chance” he runs for president—his words—and 39 percent chance that he just plays the role of kingmaker in New Hampshire.
WASHINGTON May 18, 2023
The perennially on-the-precipice candidate offers his most candid thoughts yet on the White House, DeSantis, and whether he’ll soon face his “good friends”—Mike, Tim, Asa, and Nikki—on the debate stage.
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