Lee Drutman

A lot of folks warned that pardoning the J6 criminals would create a permission structure for more political violence. They were right. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

The central puzzle in American politics is why Republicans continue to win elections despite pursuing deeply unpopular policies. The simplest explanation is that issue positions don't matter nearly as much as we like to think they do. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The only way to end the gerrymandering wars is proportional representation.

Another reminder that there is a huge opening for swing-state/district candidates in '26 who say they want to break the Two-Party Doom Loop and give Americans more choices. www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/p...

Democrats are facing a 2032 problem. Edsall is right. But it's not going to be solved by moving to the center. Josh is right. This is becoming self-parody The problem can only be solved by electoral reforms that break the zero-sum two-party binary. leedrutman.substack.com/p/the-democr...

Political parties are essential to democracy—but in the U.S., they’re struggling to do their most basic jobs. Our NEW REPORT explores what’s gone wrong, and how a diverse set of experts think we can fix it. www.newamerica.org/insights/a-b...

it's working so well, that top 2 primary. (j/k -- it's a mess!) and it hasn't exactly solved polarization in CA.

The negativity engine of modern media, the calcified electorate, the steady hum of brokenness and perpetual desire for something different: these are structural forces that grind down support for governing parties, no matter how they govern. leedrutman.substack.com/p/the-democr...

Q: How can Governor Spanberger be a real leader here? A: She can say the time has come for America to move beyond the single-member district, that flawed and antiquated mode of representation that enables gerrymandering. It's time for PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

Sadly, this only works until Democrats win back power, and then public opinion will turn against them on this issue. As predictable as the stars. leedrutman.substack.com/p/the-democr...

This feels like a pretty significant development that's not likely to reverse.

The doom loop doesn’t just repeat. It spirals. Each cycle, the maps get more aggressive, the guardrails get thinner, the electorate gets more calcified. Redesign is possible, if we start now. After 2031, eulogy may displace strategy. leedrutman.substack.com/p/the-democr...

Imagine if Gov. Spanberger used this crisis as an opportunity to call for peace in the gerrymandering wars by supporting proportional representation! IMAGINE! www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...