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Walter Shapiro

Walter Shapiro is a staff writer at The New Republic and a lecturer in political science at Yale. He has been a columnist for USA Today and Esquire and has covered politics for Time, Newsweek, and The Washington Post. He has published two books, performed standup comedy in New York, and was a White House speechwriter for Jimmy Carter.

All Articles
February 6, 2023
Walter Shapiro
The Best Thing Biden Could Do With His State of the Union Is Revive Support for Ukraine
Anything on domestic politics will be a dead end in the GOP House. But the president could use his prime-time audience to remind the country about the importance of defeating Russia.
January 30, 2023
Walter Shapiro
The 2024 Presidential Race Is Off to a Blissfully Quiet Start
The permanent campaign might have actually taken a break for once.
December 26, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Bravest Democrat of the Year: Elaine Luria
The Virginian represented one of the swingiest House seats in the country but still staked her reelection on defending democracy and investigating what actually happened on January 6.
December 2, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Joe Biden’s Primary Calendar Is the Anti-Bernie Plan
By front-loading the 2024 presidential contests in Southern states, the president’s proposal would cement the Democrats as the center-left party and make it harder for future insurgents.
November 30, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Keep New Hampshire on the Presidential Calendar
As the DNC meets this week to schedule 2024, it just needs to ditch Iowa instead of revamping everything.
November 28, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Voters Have Never Been More Evenly Divided Between the Two Parties. It’s Breaking Our Political System.
The current level of sustained political balance in Congress is unprecedented.
November 14, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Dear Political Reporters: Can We Please Hold Off on 2024 Presidential Predictions?
The midterms are a reminder that prognosticating is a dangerous game for journalists.
November 9, 2022
Walter Shapiro
After Tuesday, Democrats Need to Learn That Every Election Night Isn’t a Reason to Panic
After the shock of 2016 and the narrow margin of 2020, it’s time for liberals to finally reset their expectations back to normal.
November 7, 2022
Walter Shapiro
The Northeast Is Supposed to Be Democrats’ Stronghold. Instead, It’s Where They Might Lose Their House Majority.
Karoline Leavitt, a 25-year-old former Trump staffer running in New Hampshire, is part of a wave of competitive House candidates in presumed Democratic territory.
November 4, 2022
Walter Shapiro
How Is a Conspiracy Theorist Surging in New Hampshire’s Senate Race?
The state should be a shoe-in for incumbent Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, but her far-right opponent, Don Bolduc, is keeping the race close.
November 3, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Wes Moore Is the Most Overlooked Candidate in the Midterms
He’s almost sure to win his campaign in Maryland, which would make him just the third Black man elected governor in the U.S. and set him on a path as a rising star in the Democratic Party.
November 1, 2022
Walter Shapiro
The 2022 Midterms Are the Ultimate Triumph of Campaign Consultants
For decades, strategists have been trying to control candidates. Now, with fewer debates and events, they’ve finally gotten their way.
October 25, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Seven Rules for Surviving the Media’s Election Mania
If that surprising poll seems too good to be true, it probably is.
October 13, 2022
Walter Shapiro
The January 6 Committee Reminds America That the Midterms Are Still About the MAGA Insurrection
By subpoenaing Donald Trump, the stakes are set for how the former president might escape justice if Democrats lose the House.
October 13, 2022
Walter Shapiro
The Republicans Are Convinced That Crime Is a Winning Issue. The Evidence Is Not So Clear.
It’s one of the oldest moves in the GOP’s campaign playbook: When in doubt, blow the racial dog whistle. But is it as effective as Democrats fear?
October 4, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Do Political Ads Even Work?
2022 is set to be the most expensive midterm election in history. But the political science research is murky on how much that matters.
September 22, 2022
Walter Shapiro
What Joe Biden Could Learn From Harry Truman
He could take some lessons from the last Democratic president who relished picking fights with Republicans.
September 14, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Mitch McConnell’s Refusal to Seat Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court Is Coming Back to Haunt Him
The right-wing court’s abortion decision could cost the Republicans the Senate—and thus deny McConnell another term as majority leader.
September 9, 2022
Walter Shapiro
Why Candidates Get More Bang for Their Buck Than Super PACs—Starting Now
A 50-year-old law allows candidates—but not fundraising groups—to get discounted TV ad rates in the 60 days before the election. What does that mean for the home stretch of their campaigns?
August 29, 2022
Walter Shapiro
It Is Far Too Early to Start Freaking Out About the 2024 Election
Is Biden running? Is Harris ready? The Democratic donor class needs to chill, baby, chill.

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