I left legacy media to build something different: independent, honest political analysis that isn’t owned by corporations or parties.
I call balls and strikes—no matter who’s at bat—because what’s missing right now are referees, not cheerleaders ⚾.
If you want clear, concise takes that cut through the noise (without the cable-news theatrics), this is the newsletter for you 🎯.
Subscribe if you believe politics is better when someone just tells you what actually matters rather than just what you want to hear 🧠.
When I first started covering politics in the early 2000s, the best thing you could be was an incumbent.
People already in office — whether House, Senate or governor — tended to have an outsized chance of continuing to hold that office. Voters knew their names. They (generally) liked their own incumbent. And, even if they didn’t, most voters preferred the devil they knew to the one they didn’t.
Boy have times changed!
As Tuesday’s primaries across six states proved — yet again in this election cycle — being a sitting incumbent nowadays is no bueno.
Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra lost his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination — despite having secured a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump.
South Dakota Rep. Dusty Johnson finished third — and out of the runoff — in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary. And South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden finished second with only 25% of the vote!
Meanwhile, reality TV “star” Spencer Pratt appears headed to a general election showdown against Los Angeles Mayor (and former Democratic Member of Congress!) Karen Bass this fall.
The message is clear: Voters — Republicans and Democrats — are broadly distrustful of anyone currently in elected office. And are drawn to candidates running as outsiders and promising to blow up the system.
“The worst thing you can be is a conventional establishment politician” these days, said my friend Matt Lewis in our weekly Wednesday powwow.
He’s exactly right.
Among the other big stories Matt and I covered this week:
🌽 Why Iowa Just Got a Whole Lot More Interesting 👀
🤔 Pratt-mentum? 📈🔥
😴 The Surprisingly Boring California Governor’s Race 🏛️
💰 The Trump Slush Fund — and Is Democracy Healing? 🇺🇸🤷
📺 Our Disagreement About CBS News and Scott Pelley ⚔️
☕ Matt’s “Green Coffee” 🤢😂
Enjoy!
