Lee Drutman
Political scientist. Believer in democracy, whatever the hell that is.
- Substack: https://leedrutman.substack.com
- Podcast: http://politicsinquestion.com
- Senior Fellow: New America
- Co-Founder: https://www.fixourhouse.org
- I sure hope Minneapolis is a turning point. But my doom loop skepticism is still getting the better of me. My take: open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
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- Congress could do something! Really. Love this forum, glad to be a part of it. www.notus.org/perspectives @notusperspectives.bsky.social
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- This season's writers are not being subtle anymore with the charactonyms. Dickens' gradgrind ain't got nothing. prospect.org/2026/01/08/m...
- Here's the thing I don't understand: where is the constituency for a new US imperialism? Who is asking for this? Who wants this? It's terrible policy, sure. But it also seems like terrible politics, too.
- And my most popular substack essay of 2025 was... ...you'll just have to click the link below. (OK. Fine, I'll tell you. It was my deep data dive on why the whole moderation debate misses the point. But there's plenty more great stuff!) leedrutman.substack.com/p/reflection...
- So long 2025.
- American Exceptionalism! www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
- great video explainer on proportional representation "every vote counts, every voice is heard, and every community matters" Highly recommend. www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN5V...
- "Technically, the kraken is just exploiting the structural vulnerabilities inherent in the system." 2025 in Review, Undercurrent Events style. open.substack.com/pub/leedrutm...
- This is work that Oscar and I did in 2022 to show how Democrats and Republicans were representing very different districts -- even more relevant today!
- This is a dramatic shift that explains a lot. Thanks single-member districts + geographic partisan sorting!
- The Doom Loop is real. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/feat...
- The Doom Loop is real. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/feat...
- Is it 1931 all over? "In 1931, the margins were extremely close. Republicans began the year with a narrow margin. But special elections shifted the balance of power. Once again, the narrow balance of power gave progressive insurgents the ability to demand a more liberal discharge petition rule..."
- with yet another Republican speaker losing control, seems like a good time to re-up this run through the history of congressional organization. leedrutman.substack.com/p/there-are-...
- with yet another Republican speaker losing control, seems like a good time to re-up this run through the history of congressional organization. leedrutman.substack.com/p/there-are-...
- Where was this rhetoric 16 months ago when it would have really landed?
- Delighted to see Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop highlighted by Detroit mayor Mike Duggan in the Wall Street Journal's who read what in 2025 compendium www.wsj.com/arts-culture...
- Seems like there is a real opportunity if a party wanted to prioritize political reform in the 2026 mid-terms. wedefendthevote.org/cost-of-corr...
- Kids these days ... are distressingly pessimistic: "Two-thirds (64%) describe the United States today as a democracy either in trouble (45%) or one that has already failed (19%), while only 32% describe it in positive terms (6% healthy, 26% somewhat functioning)." iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/5...
- Wow -- young people are really down on our two parties -- weak vs corrupt is a pretty awful choice. iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/5...
- "The best way to end gerrymandering—and the extremism and polarization that runs hand in hand—would be for the nation to adopt a more proportional House of Representatives." - @davedaley.bsky.social Important read -> newrepublic.com/article/2028...
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- All the social media gurus tell me that if you want things to go viral, you need to go negative. But here's some optimism -- I think we're far closer to a moment of major democracy reform than many think. Here's why: leedrutman.substack.com/p/the-next-e... let's prove the negativity mongers wrong!
- A great way to avoid future chaos? Congress should mandate proportional representation. No more endless legal limbo. No more gerrymandering. Easy peezy lemon squeezy www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
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- "Proportional representation is the only true solution because it renders gerrymandering irrelevant." www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/202...
- Six trends that make electoral and party system reform more likely -- you won't believe #5. www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/the-next-e...
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- "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning." -- @brendannyhan.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
- Three things that would improve trust in the political process across party lines: 1. More than just two parties 2. Campaign finance limits 3. Term limits Love 1 & 2. I've long been skeptical of term limits, but I could get behind 24-year limits, or age limits at 76. snfagora.jhu.edu/wp-content/u...
- There are moments in which I think we are trapped in a state of constant alarm, and maybe this is not the most productive state to be in. On the other hand -- there is a lot to be alarmed about. I think.
- Ranked-choice voting makes sense for party primaries because party primaries often feature fractured fields.
- Reminder: Continuing to use the single-member districts that make these gerrymandering wars so deadly is a choice. Congress has the power to elevate House elections to proportional representation, and to end this pointless and barbaric blood-letting.
- Political systems don't reform themselves. They reform under pressure: popular discontent, new party competition, crisis. Americans are mad. Crisis is here. What's missing? Minor parties with ballot lines and leverage. It's time to start building. leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-fusion...
- Majorities of Americans want more political parties -- and less executive power! www.frameworksinstitute.org/app/uploads/...
- The next generation continues to scream to any pollster who will listen: we need transformative changes! Who will carry this mantle in the 2028 Democratic primary? The opportunity is there.
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- Rather than specifically fuel disinformation or misinformation, I think social media has fueled negativity and distemper, because that's what mostly gets shared and clicked. Does this seem right? Or am I too pessimistic?
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- This is consistent with analyses I've done over the years. The closer you get to the "middle" the more you get weakly engaged voters with a menagerie of heterogeneous non-ideologies. A few principled moderates do exist, sure. But they are far fewer than common narratives suggest.
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- It's not just you. News headlines have become more negative in the 21st century -- particularly in partisan outlets THIS IS BAD!
- Riddle me this paradox: Democrats ahead in the generic ballot 55%-41%, but only 29% of people have confidence in Democrats (compared to 35% for Rs). Something voting against the party in the White House, negative partisanship, just one poll, etc... But still... maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/a-look...
- And who says bipartisanship is dead?
- There has to be a better way to do elections than endless litigation. Oh wait, there is...get rid of the single-member districts that make constant redistricting so profitable. Use proportional representation instead!
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- I'd be very surprised if the Supreme Court does not ultimately side with Texas Republicans here, but who knows?
- Cognitive dissonance is one helluva reality-distortion field www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/b...
- "Some laws may be easier to change than others. But we should never mistake mere change for actual progress. Progress gets us closer to a desired goal. Change is, well, just change for the sake of change. Not progress." leedrutman.substack.com/p/how-fusion...
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- Will the Trump-Epstein connection ever break through to MAGA? There is some evidence that at 30-40% "incongruent information", people turn against their candidates. But below that, doubling-down is strong. Cognitive dissonance is hard for people to handle. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
- "Collapsing democracies follow on collapsing political parties." I think about this line from @kimlanelaw.bsky.social a lot. oxcon.ouplaw.com/display/10.1...
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- Google Trends shows seven states where searches for "SNAP benefits" have outpaced searches for "Taylor Swift" over the last 30 days.
- Exactly
- Funny/tragic how much of what we consider to be "winning" on the politics is actually losing on the policy. The incentives are weird. It's better to have an "issue" than a solution. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
- Affordability is the perfect opposition message Until you win, and try to wrangle global supply chains into submission.
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- Proportional representation is popular!
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- "Golden got it. Our electoral rules are obsolete. He understood why representatives who don’t fit easily into either party are so rare: the electoral system works against them." leedrutman.substack.com/p/politics-k...
