Home of the next realignment. We think big, embrace heterodoxy, and chart the future of public policy and action.
Washington, DC
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It's a beautiful day in the political neighborhood — all nine of them.
From the Liberal Arts Left to Cul-de-Sac Conservatives, Lawn Sign Liberals to the Center Square.
What kind of neighbor are you? Take the quiz!
searchlightinstitute.org/pol…
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Trump is botching it on immigration. Democrats have an opening to win back the public's trust on the issue.
@blasnunezneto and @DDinDC lay out the landscape and chart the path forward in their latest.
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Thanks to everyone who joined us and @clean_tomorrow for Climate Week!
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Most voters are heterodox; they don't fall into neat idealogical boxes like 'liberal' or 'conservative' — or even 'moderate.'
We mapped out that heterodoxy in a collaboration with the New York Times. @AJentleson explains what we found.
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Searchlight Institute retweeted
Republicans have been cowed into backing a bad policy agenda and an unpopular president. While Dems are slowly but surely embracing the sort of ideological diversity that makes them competitive in red states.
It's the most important story of the election season.
@AJentleson
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Donald Trump’s indiscriminate and chaotic immigration agenda — and his Administration's overtly racist way of talking about it — has achieved what would've been unthinkable a year ago.
Democrats now lead by a seven-point margin on immigration.
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"Democrats have an opening to win on the issue," @blasnunezneto and @DDinDC write.
"But in order to maximize that opportunity, they should focus on messages that connect with the persuadable voters who will decide elections in the fall."
wordsinsearchlight.org/p/tru…
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Both parties have overwhelmingly prioritized ideological purity over heterodoxy, failing to build a big tent capable of housing the three-quarters of the electorate who hold a heterodox mix of views. The path to a supermajority runs through those voters.
wordsinsearchlight.org/p/thi…
This is how you build a supermajority
It’s always been the secret third thing
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🚨 @AJentleson: As a reflection of how heterodoxy matters on trans issues, our polling shows two important things.
First, there is broad support among the public for virtually every category of civil rights protections for trans adults.
Second, breaking with the maximalist, left-wing positions on children and sports yielded an increase in candidate support of 10.9 points — one of the biggest boosts out of any issue we polled.
wordsinsearchlight.org/p/thi…
This is how you build a supermajority
It’s always been the secret third thing
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TL;DR: More heterodoxy and greater ideological diversity. Less rigidity and fewer litmus tests.
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Searchlight Institute retweeted
New Substack from me:
This is how you build a Supermajority.
Now that we’re in general election season, we’re seeing the candidates who embrace heterodoxy perform better than those who don’t.
When it comes to charting the future of the party the most important question has always been: which model will enable Dems to win the most power in the most places. We are going to need a lot of power—and a lot of seats—to pass the ambitious policy agenda and structural reforms necessary to defeat fascism.
In real world tests against Republicans, heterodoxy is proving the more successful model, and it’s encouraging to see so many Democrats embracing it.
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As Republicans become even more ideologically aligned with Trump's tariffs and his reckless war in Iran, Democrats are embracing ideological diversity.
Heterodoxy, @AJentleson writes, is why Democrats are leading in 2026's toughest-to-win races. Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and more.
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The Democratic Party is at its best when it tolerates this kind of ideological diversity and disavows litmus tests, even when it comes to our most sensitive topics.
wordsinsearchlight.org/p/thi…
This is how you build a supermajority
It’s always been the secret third thing
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You’re likely familiar with the debate about the electoral benefits of moderation.
“I’ve always found the debate to be overly simple and frankly tedious,” @AJentleson writes.
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“In an era that offers the potential for political realignment, parties looking to build durable power will need to appeal to the incredibly diverse and often vexingly inconsistent viewpoints of the public.”
wordsinsearchlight.org/p/thi…
This is how you build a supermajority
It’s always been the secret third thing
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SEARCHLIGHT x HEATMAP
@JaneAFlegal and @EmilyPont took the stage to discuss permitting reform, grid modernization, and the future of climate tech, clean energy, and decarbonization.
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If Democrats win Washington in 2029 and permitting reform hasn’t been accomplished this Congress, it will be too late.
wsj.com/opinion/dems-should-…
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Democrats are right to push for a permitting reform deal with Trump.
As @JaneAFlegal and @ppavnr argued in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month: If Democrats are serious about climate change, a permitting reform deal today would pay dividends when they retake power.
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Searchlight Institute retweeted
I’d file this under “nice to have” and Dems are right to ask for it, while also recognizing that these kind of rock-solid bicameral assurances are relatively rare.
In fact the classic way to force action in a situation like this is for the Senate to pass the bill and send it over to the House.
Permitting latest: Senate Dems concerned about timing w/ the House out, per Dem source close to the negotiations
“Democrats want to lower energy costs and get a permitting deal done. However, this requires passage by both houses of Congress, and with the House out for the next six weeks, we need sensible assurances about vote timing.”
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