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
By Ryan Grim, Lee Fang
Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race

Art: Matt Lubchansky
By Lee Fang
A Primary Against the Machine: A Bronx Activist Looks to Dethrone Joseph Crowley, the King of Queens

Photo: Andres Kudacki
By Aída Chávez, Ryan Grim
Dianne Feinstein Withholding Brett Kavanaugh Document From Fellow Judiciary Committee Democrats

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
By Ryan Grim
Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Rule of Pampered Princelings

Photo: CBS via Getty Images
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
By Rachel M. Cohen
Beware the Race Reductionist

Illustration: Nicolás Ortega
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
By Mehdi Hasan
Fox News Is Poisoning America. Rupert Murdoch and His Heirs Should Be Shunned.

Photo: Kevin Hagen/Getty Images
By Peter Maass