“The answer is I might,” Senator Mark Kelly tells @markleibovich.bsky.social when asked if he plans to run for president in 2028, adding that he’s “not going to decide” until after the midterms. #TAF26: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI9n...
As a lifelong Beatles fan, this review from @markleibovich.bsky.social meant a lot. Thanks a million, Mark. Pre-order my new book, The Game, out October 13, right here: tr.ee/PKBluesky
Alan Dershowitz’s tales of cancellation on Martha's Vineyard haven't subsided—even as some on the island have moved on, @markleibovich.bsky.social reports.
Alan Dershowitz Won’t Forget What Larry David Did to Him
He has new friends on Martha’s Vineyard. But his tales of cancellation have not subsided.
bit.ly
“The story has become a familiar seasonal menace on Martha’s Vineyard; as pernicious as ticks, and as hard to kill.” “I don’t know why he’s still thinking and talking about me,” Larry David told me. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Alan Dershowitz Won’t Forget What Larry David Did to Him
He has new friends on Martha’s Vineyard. But his tales of cancellation have not subsided.
theatlantic.com
"Trump, whom Graham once despised—until he contorted himself into an Oval Office confidant—served as the marquee eulogist. “A true American original,” he called Graham, one of those catchall descriptors for odd-duck characters who defy classification." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Lindsey Graham’s Last Laugh
The senator’s funeral featured foreign dignitaries, security lines, and a eulogy from the president whose approval he never stopped seeking.
theatlantic.com
This is a truly great profile - of both Kelly and his wife, Gabby Giffords. thanks a ton for posting it gratis, much appreciated. Your discussion of Kelly's 'engineer' mind gets at my principal concern about him as a Dem prez nominee: does he have sufficient human warmth to connect w/ voters? Dunno.
"Not to be crass, but if you’re a Democrat, having Trump call for your execution can be excellent for business. Especially so if you are a Democrat who, like Mark Kelly, is “seriously considering” a presidential run." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Wingman
Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
theatlantic.com
“Mark has made it clear to me that he is willing to be in prison to defend the Constitution,” [Senator] Ossoff told me."
Mark Leibovich@markleibovich.bsky.social · 3mo agoKelly’s usual solo mode is quiet intensity. With Giffords present, he becomes much more engaged, as if he’s trying to draw out whatever he can of his wife’s former extroversion. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Kelly’s usual solo mode is quiet intensity. With Giffords present, he becomes much more engaged, as if he’s trying to draw out whatever he can of his wife’s former extroversion. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Wingman
Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
theatlantic.com
Mark Kelly’s impressive résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration, @markleibovich.bsky.social writes. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
The Wingman
Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
bit.ly
“I was struck by how often and how bluntly Kelly repeated these exact words: My wife was shot in the head.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Wingman
Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
theatlantic.com
2026 and 2028 Elections: What to Expect (with Mark Leibovich) @preetbharara.bsky.social and @markleibovich.bsky.social #USA #Trump #uspoli open.substack.com/pub/staytune...
2026 and 2028 Elections: What to Expect (with Mark Leibovich)
Listen to the latest episode of the Stay Tuned with Preet podcast
open.substack.com
“Graham was a complex character—his private life, sudden death, public morality, the whole messy peach of him.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
What Lindsey Graham Wanted
The senator always sought relevance.
theatlantic.com
“Even if Team Blue wins in the end, the California governor’s race has been a fiasco for Democrats from the start—and in ways that reflect an ongoing dysfunction that has become a feature of the party in recent years.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
California Democrats Avoided the Worst-Case Scenario
But their dysfunctional governor’s primary does not bode well.
theatlantic.com
"As the hopium pipe keeps getting passed around the Democratic campfire, could it also carry a risk of complacency? Improved morale is great for the party, but not if it saps voters of their most vital asset: urgency." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Democrats Could Use a Cold Shower Before the Midterms
They have good reason to be optimistic. But they are sounding a bit too giddy.
theatlantic.com
Democrats have reasons to be optimistic headed into the midterms—but they’re starting to seem overconfident, @markleibovich.bsky.social writes.
Democrats Sound a Bit Too Giddy About the Midterms
They should know better.
bit.ly
"Bigger names, such as Kamala Harris and Senator Alex Padilla, opted not to run. Newsom is term-limited. Jerry Brown is 88. George Clooney lives in France."
Mark Leibovich@markleibovich.bsky.social · 6mo agoMy journey into the bottleneck of b-listers www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
For all Californians, this is a good one to read b4 June's primary. Who's leading "Team Donkey," as @markleibovich.bsky.social calls it. His description of candidates & "Wizard of Oz wrap party" left me wondering about the 💙 party, but not enough to vote 🟥. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
California’s Blue Armageddon
One of the most liberal states in the country can’t find a Democrat to lead it.
theatlantic.com
"A bottleneck of B-listers": How California Democrats may lose the governorship of America's biggest blue state. "The glaring lack of candidate talent, political skill and personal appeal...has been the defining quality of the race" says @markleibovich.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
California’s Blue Armageddon
One of the most liberal states in the country can’t find a Democrat to lead it.
theatlantic.com
"I met Swalwell at a Little League field, where he and his wife would be watching their 8-year-old son. Swalwell had been rising above a Lilliputian cast of candidates and had acquired a scent of momentum. “Impeccable timing for you,” he’d texted me." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
California’s Blue Armageddon
One of the most liberal states in the country can’t find a Democrat to lead it.
theatlantic.com
"Mills is haunted by Joe Biden’s 2024 debacle. She is at least confident that nothing disastrous will surface about her. “I don’t have a tattoo,” she promised. I took the governor at her word on this. But has she ever been on Reddit? “No,” she said. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
A 79-Year-Old Freshman Senator?
Janet Mills does not have a dicey Reddit history or a recently covered-over Nazi tattoo. But her candidacy is haunted by Joe Biden’s 2024 debacle.
theatlantic.com
“I’LL SHARE MY lipid profile with anybody!” Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, pledged. These are the kinds of assurances that candidates make when everyone keeps harping on their age. www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
A 79-Year-Old Freshman Senator?
Janet Mills does not have a dicey Reddit history or a recently covered-over Nazi tattoo. But her candidacy is haunted by Joe Biden’s 2024 debacle.
theatlantic.com
I have a similar impairment re: the prose of @FranklinFoer (on the storied Ann Godoff). "Writers suffer from a cognitive impairment that limits their ability to see flaws in their prose." www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/0...
The Ruthless Benevolence of a Great Editor
Ann Godoff, who died this week, cared passionately about her writers—and much less about her own ego.
theatlantic.com
“Few, if any, candidates running this year have as consistent a record of appealing to what’s become a kind of holy-grail constituency for Democrats: the coveted “working-class voter.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Sherrod Brown Is Grinding It Out
The aggressively rumpled former senator from Ohio is back. Will working-class voters follow?
theatlantic.com