Democratic Insurgency and Establishment Backlash: The Intercept’s 2018 Politics Coverage

In January 2018, we began the year with the first deep look at the insurgency bubbling up across the country, and the steps — both overt and covert — Democrats back in Washington, D.C., were taking to tamp it down. As good journalism often does, the story begat tip after tip, and we learned that what was happening was far broader than even we understood. In the spring and summer, we turned our attention to an obscure race playing out in the Bronx and Queens, where Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a bartender and former Bernie Sanders organizer, was challenging the man expected to be next in line for the House speakership. The shocking result has reoriented our national politics.

Candidates Who Signed Up to Battle Donald Trump Must Get Past the Democratic Party First

Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP

In district after district, the Democratic Party machinery is throwing its weight behind congressional candidates who are out of step with the national mood.
By Ryan Grim, Lee Fang

Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race

Art: Matt Lubchansky

In a frank and wide-ranging conversation, Steny Hoyer laid down the law for Levi Tillemann. The decision, Tillemann was told, had been made long ago.
By Lee Fang

A Primary Against the Machine: A Bronx Activist Looks to Dethrone Joseph Crowley, the King of Queens

Photo: Andres Kudacki

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York community organizer, is giving Rep. Joseph Crowley his first primary challenge in 14 years.
By Aída Chávez, Ryan Grim

Dianne Feinstein Withholding Brett Kavanaugh Document From Fellow Judiciary Committee Democrats

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democratic senators are now requesting documents from their own ranking member on the Judiciary Committee.
By Ryan Grim

Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings

Photo: CBS via Getty Images

Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh are what we get when a country is ruled by coddled, overconfident men who have never been permitted to fail.
By Naomi Klein

Minnesota Attorney General — Now Democratic Frontrunner for Governor — Relied on Government Employees for Campaign Work, They Say

Photo: Kyndell Harkness/Star Tribune/AP

Eight people who worked for Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson said they felt their career success was linked to their willingness to do campaign work.
By Rachel M. Cohen

Beware the Race Reductionist

Illustration: Nicolás Ortega

In the debates over the proper role of identity politics, efforts to use identity to derail class-based projects have been widely overlooked.
By Briahna Gray

Here Is a List of Far-Right Attackers Trump Inspired. Cesar Sayoc Wasn’t the First — and Won’t Be the Last.

Photo: Andrea Morales/Getty Images

Trump sympathizers have beaten, shot, stabbed, run over, and bombed innocent people. The president is radicalizing a generation of angry men.
By Mehdi Hasan

Fox News Is Poisoning America. Rupert Murdoch and His Heirs Should Be Shunned.

Photo: Kevin Hagen/Getty Images

The Murdoch family is warmly received in the hallways of power and money. But they should be ostracized in the same way that Steve Bannon has.
By Peter Maass