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Oliver Buchannon
Kyle Tharp
New data: The biggest political & news publications on Substack

Jun 16, 2026

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4 min read

New data: The biggest political & news publications on Substack

Liberal voices and anti-Trump opinion still rule the platform’s politics and news categories. Can conservatives catch up?

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Who's really paying your favorite political creator? This Congressman wants to know.

Jun 8, 2026

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6 min read

Who's really paying your favorite political creator? This Congressman wants to know.

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) saw undisclosed political influencer spending in his home state elections, and wants Congress to do something about it.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The data center backlash crashes into the midterms

Jun 2, 2026

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8 min read

The data center backlash crashes into the midterms

Online and off, Americans are pissed about the massive projects in their communities. Are campaigns listening?

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Big on TikTok: Fox News?

May 26, 2026

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4 min read

Big on TikTok: Fox News?

Better late than never, the conservative news giant has become a major force on the short-form video app over the past year.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Everyone's running anonymous political accounts now

May 19, 2026

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7 min read

Everyone's running anonymous political accounts now

Operatives on both sides of the aisle are using anonymous social media brands to boost their preferred candidates, drop opposition research, and amplify messaging.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The two candidates uniting the Democratic Party

May 12, 2026

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5 min read

The two candidates uniting the Democratic Party

What happens when Bernie Sanders and the Blue Dogs agree?

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
A state of “perpetual redistricting”

May 6, 2026

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7 min read

A state of “perpetual redistricting”

The Supreme Court cleared the way for endless cycles of partisan total war over electoral maps. Here’s what it means for our politics.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Iran war drives TikTok media surge

Apr 28, 2026

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4 min read

Iran war drives TikTok media surge

How the Iran conflict turned major news brands into viral follower machines overnight

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Is anti-corruption the Democrats' secret weapon in 2026?

Apr 21, 2026

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6 min read

Is anti-corruption the Democrats' secret weapon in 2026?

Voters are more animated by corruption than almost any other issue heading into the midterms. But Democrats may have a credibility problem.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
MAGA’s latest target: Gavin Newsom’s wife

Apr 13, 2026

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13 min read

MAGA’s latest target: Gavin Newsom’s wife

Right-wing media outlets and MAGA influencers are aggressively resurfacing old footage of the California “First Partner.”

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The biggest political YouTube channels of 2026 (so far)

Apr 6, 2026

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9 min read

The biggest political YouTube channels of 2026 (so far)

New data shows Turning Point USA, More Perfect Union, Nick Shirley, and Tucker Carlson saw huge growth in Q1 2026

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
What winning candidates have in common right now

Mar 31, 2026

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17 min read

What winning candidates have in common right now

On National Run for Office Day, Run for Something’s Amanda Litman explains what kinds of candidates are breaking through — and why the old playbook is failing.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
For Republicans, the political influence of X is greater than ever

Mar 26, 2026

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10 min read

For Republicans, the political influence of X is greater than ever

Conservatives dominate the most-viewed political accounts on the platform. It's become a major problem for Democrats.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The organizing model that failed the Democrats

Mar 24, 2026

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12 min read

The organizing model that failed the Democrats

After record-breaking outreach in 2024, Democrats still lost. The problem isn’t effort—it’s an outdated playbook that no longer reaches real voters.

Kyle Tharp
Greta Carnes
Kyle Tharp, +1
Is this group taking over the Democratic Party?

Mar 17, 2026

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10 min read

Is this group taking over the Democratic Party?

They’re older, whiter, and college-educated, and they’re some of the party’s most visible and vocal members.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
On Facebook, it now pays to post about politics

Mar 9, 2026

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10 min read

On Facebook, it now pays to post about politics

One top political creator earned over $250,000 in January from Meta’s content monetization programs

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The Texas Senate race through the eyes of a mega-influencer

Mar 3, 2026

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11 min read

The Texas Senate race through the eyes of a mega-influencer

Carlos Eduardo Espina, a popular Spanish-speaking social media creator, has boosted Texas Senate candidate James Talarico for months.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The State of the Union split screen

Feb 24, 2026

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9 min read

The State of the Union split screen

As Donald Trump delivers his annual address to Congress, Democrats are eager to direct Americans’ attention to anywhere else...including Robert de Niro?

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Josh Shapiro, Influencer Governor
LockSimple

Feb 18, 2026

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11 min read

Josh Shapiro, Influencer Governor

The Democratic rising star and potential 2028 candidate has given digital creators white-glove outreach for years. It’s paying off.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Can populist candidates save the Democratic Party?

Feb 10, 2026

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17 min read

Can populist candidates save the Democratic Party?

A Q&A with Tommy McDonald of Fight Agency on a growing slate of anti-establishment populist candidates running in the midterms.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Behind the scenes of the @KamalaHQ rebrand
LockSimple

Feb 5, 2026

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6 min read

Behind the scenes of the @KamalaHQ rebrand

Democrats are rebranding the viral account as “Headquarters” and will use it to blast out original progressive political content ahead of the midterms

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
The rise of the "Lemon Head"

Feb 3, 2026

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11 min read

The rise of the "Lemon Head"

How the former CNN anchor assembled an independent media brand that now sits at the center of his feud with the Trump administration

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Top conservative influencers cheer Greenland takeover

Jan 20, 2026

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13 min read

Top conservative influencers cheer Greenland takeover

As Trump considers blowing up the post-WWII order, right-wing voices online are his biggest cheerleaders, citing “manifest destiny.”

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Meet liberals’ right-wing media listening club

Jan 14, 2026

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11 min read

Meet liberals’ right-wing media listening club

Hundreds of progressives have been gathering twice monthly for “Unfortunately Not A Sound Bath,” a virtual club to better understand right-wing media dynamics

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
Nonprofit funding flooded right-wing media in 2024

Jan 6, 2026

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10 min read

Nonprofit funding flooded right-wing media in 2024

New data shows more than $260 million in 501(c)(3) charitable contributions flowed to conservative media projects in 2024.

Kyle Tharp
Kyle Tharp
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A newsletter about politics, media, and online influence in Democracy’s chaotic era. Written by Kyle Tharp.


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