Democracy in America
Analysis of American politics, in the spirit of Alexis de Tocqueville’s eponymous study of American society

Time for a Gang of Four?
The fifth Democratic primary debate showed that a cull is overdue
Thinning out the field of Democrats could focus minds on the way to Iowa’s caucuses

The great Kentucky horse race
The election for Kentucky’s governor will be a referendum on Donald Trump
Matt Bevin, the unpopular incumbent, hopes to survive a formidable challenge by aligning himself with the president

Filling the void
A state court blocks North Carolina’s Republican-friendly map
The gerrymandering fix could help Democrats keep the House in 2020

The Ukraine affair
A soldier’s word against Donald Trump’s in impeachment inquiry
Testimony from Alexander Vindman, a decorated veteran, is hard to trash as partisan sniping

Third-party anxieties
Why Democrats are talking about Tulsi Gabbard
The low-polling presidential candidate has caused a stir

Polls apart
Americans’ views on impeachment mirror the president’s approval ratings
The current depths of partisanship are unprecedented

Striking a chord
How long will the mayor of Chicago stand up to the teachers’ union?
Children in America’s third-largest school system get another day off

Firing off
How Beto O’Rourke has helped America’s gun lobby
The Democrat’s plan to confiscate assault weapons has given his party a headache

Asylum rights
The justices will rule on a battle over fast-track deportations
The Supreme Court case comes as the Trump administration tries to deport more immigrants more quickly

The impeachment inquiry
Undermining Donald Trump’s Ukraine defence
Mick Mulvaney and Gordon Sondland fill in the gaps on the quid pro quo

The 2020 presidential race
Democratic candidates get the knives out for Elizabeth Warren
But she parried effectively in the largest and most substantive debate of the campaign so far

Turning away the poor
Courts block a rule to keep out low-income immigrants
Uncertainty surrounds Donald Trump’s new crackdown on legal immigration