Benjamin Wallace-Wells
Benjamin Wallace-Wells began contributing to The New Yorker in 2006 and joined the magazine as a staff writer in 2015. He writes about American politics and society. He has previously written for New York magazine, the Times Magazine, and Rolling Stone. His work has been collected in “The Best American Political Writing,” among other anthologies, and he is a past fellow at the New America Foundation. He began his career as a metro reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer and his work as a political writer at the Washington Monthly.
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The Long Afterlife of Libertarianism
As a movement, it has imploded. As a credo, it’s here to stay.
What Can Ron DeSantis Do Now?
It isn’t that the Florida governor is charmless—or it’s not only that. It’s that his career has been spent on a charmlessness offensive.
Will Trump’s Crimes Matter on the Campaign Trail?
The former President has faced two impeachments and countless accusations of public and private wrongdoing. Yet his approval rating is pretty much unchanged.
Tucker Carlson and the Right
The big question for the G.O.P. during the Biden era is whether the legacy of Carlson’s culture wars adds up to a viable platform for a major political party.
Ro Khanna’s Progressive Case for Saving Silicon Valley Bank
The ambitious California congressman has made a career of navigating the demands of Big Tech and the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party.
The Trump Show Moves to a Courtroom
The former President’s campaigns against officials investigating him have supplied Joe Biden with a favored theme: the need to fortify democratic institutions.
What Is Ron DeSantis Doing to Florida’s Public Liberal-Arts College?
DeSantis is not simply inveighing against progressive control of institutions. He is using his powers as governor to remake them.
Ruben Gallego and the Democrats’ New Generation
The Arizona congressman, who just launched a campaign to take Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate seat, discusses political pragmatism, the lessons of the war on terror, and what’s really happening in Latino communities.
Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans’ Rocky Road Ahead
With members of the House G.O.P. caucus still pulling in all directions, does anyone know where the Party is headed?
What the Twitter Files Reveal About Free Speech and Social Media
The company’s internal documents were supposed to prove a progressive agenda—mostly, they have exposed the limitations of the platform and its new owner.
The Political Mystery of Kyrsten Sinema
Surely there’s some electoral calculation behind the Arizona senator’s decision to leave the Democratic Party, but the timing is especially confusing.
How Raphael Warnock Defeated Herschel Walker in Georgia’s U.S. Senate Runoff
The race was a test of candidate quality in an era of fierce partisanship, and it remained, until the end, extremely close.
Herschel Walker and the Fate of the Right-Wing Celebrity Populist
In Tuesday’s Senate runoff, one idea about how Trump changed conservatism may hit a dead end.
Is the Nancy Pelosi Era Really Ending?
The Speaker of the House is stepping aside, but her school of politics isn’t going anywhere.
When Election Deniers Concede
In the midterms, voters rejected Stop the Steal candidates in critical swing states. Is the democracy crisis over?
The Republicans’ Post-Midterm Reckoning with Donald Trump
Will the era of Stop the Steal—and the G.O.P.’s overt challenges to democracy—finally start to recede?
The Midterm Elections Deliver a Stunning Return to the Status Quo
The red wave never materialized, Trump’s handpicked candidates underperformed, some new faces emerged—but the country appears as evenly divided as ever.
Five Potential Takeaways of the 2022 Midterm Elections
At stake in Tuesday’s vote is not just the balance of power in Congress but the shape of American politics to come.
Why Republican Insiders Think the G.O.P. Is Poised for a Blowout
The consensus among pollsters and consultants is this Tuesday’s election will be a “bloodbath” for the Democratic Party.
How Political Violence Came to the Pelosi House
The case of David DePape is not just a cautionary tale of right-wing conspiracies—it’s further evidence that the Republican Party has failed to police itself.
The Long Afterlife of Libertarianism
As a movement, it has imploded. As a credo, it’s here to stay.
What Can Ron DeSantis Do Now?
It isn’t that the Florida governor is charmless—or it’s not only that. It’s that his career has been spent on a charmlessness offensive.
Will Trump’s Crimes Matter on the Campaign Trail?
The former President has faced two impeachments and countless accusations of public and private wrongdoing. Yet his approval rating is pretty much unchanged.
Tucker Carlson and the Right
The big question for the G.O.P. during the Biden era is whether the legacy of Carlson’s culture wars adds up to a viable platform for a major political party.
Ro Khanna’s Progressive Case for Saving Silicon Valley Bank
The ambitious California congressman has made a career of navigating the demands of Big Tech and the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party.
The Trump Show Moves to a Courtroom
The former President’s campaigns against officials investigating him have supplied Joe Biden with a favored theme: the need to fortify democratic institutions.
What Is Ron DeSantis Doing to Florida’s Public Liberal-Arts College?
DeSantis is not simply inveighing against progressive control of institutions. He is using his powers as governor to remake them.
Ruben Gallego and the Democrats’ New Generation
The Arizona congressman, who just launched a campaign to take Kyrsten Sinema’s Senate seat, discusses political pragmatism, the lessons of the war on terror, and what’s really happening in Latino communities.
Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans’ Rocky Road Ahead
With members of the House G.O.P. caucus still pulling in all directions, does anyone know where the Party is headed?
What the Twitter Files Reveal About Free Speech and Social Media
The company’s internal documents were supposed to prove a progressive agenda—mostly, they have exposed the limitations of the platform and its new owner.
The Political Mystery of Kyrsten Sinema
Surely there’s some electoral calculation behind the Arizona senator’s decision to leave the Democratic Party, but the timing is especially confusing.
How Raphael Warnock Defeated Herschel Walker in Georgia’s U.S. Senate Runoff
The race was a test of candidate quality in an era of fierce partisanship, and it remained, until the end, extremely close.
Herschel Walker and the Fate of the Right-Wing Celebrity Populist
In Tuesday’s Senate runoff, one idea about how Trump changed conservatism may hit a dead end.
Is the Nancy Pelosi Era Really Ending?
The Speaker of the House is stepping aside, but her school of politics isn’t going anywhere.
When Election Deniers Concede
In the midterms, voters rejected Stop the Steal candidates in critical swing states. Is the democracy crisis over?
The Republicans’ Post-Midterm Reckoning with Donald Trump
Will the era of Stop the Steal—and the G.O.P.’s overt challenges to democracy—finally start to recede?
The Midterm Elections Deliver a Stunning Return to the Status Quo
The red wave never materialized, Trump’s handpicked candidates underperformed, some new faces emerged—but the country appears as evenly divided as ever.
Five Potential Takeaways of the 2022 Midterm Elections
At stake in Tuesday’s vote is not just the balance of power in Congress but the shape of American politics to come.
Why Republican Insiders Think the G.O.P. Is Poised for a Blowout
The consensus among pollsters and consultants is this Tuesday’s election will be a “bloodbath” for the Democratic Party.
How Political Violence Came to the Pelosi House
The case of David DePape is not just a cautionary tale of right-wing conspiracies—it’s further evidence that the Republican Party has failed to police itself.