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Zach Montellaro

@zachmontellaro.bsky.social
10K followers 554 following 94 posts

Editing news at @POLITICO.com. Nothing you say will upset me more than the Mets. Email me at zmontellaro(at)politico(dot)com

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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Applications close TODAY at 5 p.m. Eastern. We won't accept late applications, so if you're interested in applying don't delay! Email me with questions!
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Applications for the @politico.com breaking news job close in a week!
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Like covering news about Washington and the world? Come work for me! @politico.com is hiring a breaking news reporter. Details for the job are in the posting, but I am happy to answer questions. Application will close in ~2 weeks, don't delay! politico.wd108.myworkdayjobs.com/POLITICO/job...
politico.wd108.myworkdayjobs.com
Breaking News Reporter
Job Description: POLITICO is seeking a reporter to join our breaking news team. Candidates should be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment for a job that could be different day-to-day. One d...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
The Voting Rights Act still exists on paper after today's Supreme Court ruling. But protections in the law were so dramatically weakened as to render them effectively useless, the court's liberals and others argue, a decade-plus goal of conservatives My latest: www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Louisiana is asking SCOTUS to overturn precedent and entirely ban the use of race in redistricting, making the unusual decision to not defend its own map. It represents an existential challenge to the Voting Rights Act. My latest: www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
politico.com
Louisana asks Supreme Court to gut Voting Rights Act and ban use of race in redistricting
The case could strike a major blow to the landmark civil rights-era law.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Trump's assertion that he has the authority to issue national election policy by decree is an audacious power grab, one that crosses a significant red line on elections — a line that Republicans have vigorously defended in the past. My latest for Nightly www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
Trump’s elections power grab
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
The Voting Rights Act recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. But will it make it to 61? My latest on the significant legal challenges the landmark civil rights law is facing in front of the Supreme Court, for POLITICO Nightly www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
It’s been 60 years since the Voting Rights Act was signed. Will it make it to 61?
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
Last night, the Supreme Court might have dropped a big hint about how it will handle the Voting Rights Act, a law the Roberts court has long been hostile to. More from me and @joshgerstein.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
politico.com
The Supreme Court just dropped a hint about its next big Voting Rights Act case
In a pending case on Louisiana’s congressional map, the justices ordered briefing on whether it’s constitutional to intentionally draw majority-Black districts.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Do you want to understand American politics? Watching this weekend's #WrestleMania is a pretty good place to start. My latest on the lessons the president has learned from pro wrestling, in POLITICO Nightly www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
The WrestleMania presidency
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
my spam work emails are getting a little too philosophical for my tastes
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
I've finally made it
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Some personal news, as they say: Excited that I am now the breaking news editor at @politico.com. I've loved my time with the POLITICO Florida team, and can't wait for this new challenge in this urgent moment for news. And ... we're hiring: recruiting.ultipro.com/PER1013PCLL/...
recruiting.ultipro.com
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
I'll remember this, Playbook
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Reposted by Zach Montellaro
Dave Brown @davebrown.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
So does this count as a Ronaissance or a ReSantis? Asking for a friend who may or may not be @zachmontellaro.bsky.social
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Supported some nonprofit journalism today for #GivingTuesday from @bolts.bsky.social, @planetmoney.bsky.social and my alma mater The GW Hatchet. Please consider supporting what you read/listen to!
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
I hate seeing pilots in their full uniform on the metro ... it is unnatural
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
did john thune even have time to call his family to tell them about the exciting new promotion he got at work
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
My job has changed since I last logged on here! I am now deputy national editor at @politico.com. I am largely a lurker on Twitter and plan to do the same here, but will try to do my best to cross post on both sites.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 19/01/2024
Louisiana has a new congressional map. The Legislature passed lines that will add a second majority-Black district in the state, sacrificing GOP Rep. Garret Graves' home base in the process. Democrats will almost assuredly net one seat. More from me www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Louisiana Legislature spurns Johnson, enacts new House map he opposed
The new map means an all-but-certain pickup for House Democrats.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 19/01/2024
Millions of Americans will be heading to the polls this year. And with 2023 serving as the set-up, it was a "very, very" good year for voter access. A first look at the Institute for Responsive Government's 50 state (and D.C.) scorecard from me, in tonight's Nightly www.politico.com/newsletters/...
politico.com
Why 2023 was a ‘very, very’ good year for voter access
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 17/01/2024
Regular voters were asked about the health of American democracy. To say they were discouraged would be an understatement. My report from a focus group in Northampton County, Pa., on Americans' fears of political violence (and more) in 2024 www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
politico.com
These voters will pick the next president. They’re frightened about American democracy.
“I almost feel numb to it,” one focus group participant said of the violence on Jan. 6.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 16/01/2024
Louisiana could be getting a new congressional map. But we get some fun parochial fights between Gov. Jeff Landry and Bayou State native Speaker Mike Johnson first. A little explainer for what comes next from me, in our Inside Congress newsletter! www.politico.com/newsletters/...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 16/01/2024
The problem with the caucuses is there's no polls closing time, and the state party started releasing results. Kinda like how some states with multiple timezones will release results before last polls close. (That being said, I am Team Wait here.) More: www.politico.com/live-updates...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 10/01/2024
Republican state parties in several battlegrounds are besieged by leadership fights, from a battle in Michigan over who actually is in charge to Nevada's chair being charged for being a fake elector. Madison Fernandez and I round up what's been going down www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
politico.com
‘We just hit rock bottom on chaos’: Battleground state GOPs besieged with leadership fights
Michigan, Florida, and Nevada are facing leadership crises heading into the 2024 elections.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 08/01/2024
We're just weeks away from some congressional primaries, but the House battleground is far from set. Here's a guide from me on all the redistricting changes that have happened since the midterms — and where to watch before November www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
politico.com
The changing congressional map is shifting the fight for control of the House
With primaries in some states just weeks away, there are still big unresolved questions of what some districts will look like.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 03/01/2024
The 14th Amendment ball is really in SCOTUS' court now. Trump has appealed the Colorado decision declaring him ineligible for the presidency to the nation's top court. It is unclear on when they'll act. More from the team www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
politico.com
Trump asks Supreme Court to keep him on Colorado ballot
The petition asks the justices to reverse last month's decision from Colorado that deemed him ineligible to return to office under the 14th Amendment.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 02/01/2024
Trump has filed an appeal in Maine state court after the state's top election official deemed him ineligible to run for president because of Jan. 6. But in reality, everyone's just waiting for SCOTUS. More from me on the day's filings www.politico.com/news/2024/01...
politico.com
Trump appeals Maine decision deeming him ineligible to run for president
He is contesting last week's ruling from the Maine secretary of state. A similar case out of Colorado has already reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 29/12/2023
I spoke with Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows about her decision finding Trump ineligible to run for president under the 14th Amendment. She said it was her duty to do so, and that she doesn't get an out because it is complex. Read more here www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 28/12/2023
BREAKING: Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has determined that Trump is ineligible to be on the ballot in the state, saying he engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6 and was disqualified under the 14th Amendment. More from me soon www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Maine kicks Trump off ballot under 14th Amendment
Bellows, a Democrat, made the call in Maine because state law requires the secretary to adjudicate ballot challenges to candidates’ eligibility. Her decision can be appealed through the state judici...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 28/12/2023
A federal court approved Georgia's new congressional lines, which creates another majority Black district by drawing out Lucy McBath's coalition district. (Same partisan balance: 9R, 5D.) Challenges will continue, but this may be it for 2024. More from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Court locks in Georgia's new map that draws Rep. Lucy McBath out of her district
The map carved up her "coalition district" to create a majority Black district to Atlanta's west.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 25/12/2023
Eleven states will elect a governor next year. Can the historic ticket-splitting survive another Trump-Biden rematch? A Christmas dispatch from me and Lisa Kashinsky on all the big state chief executive races in 2024 www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Can ticket-splitting governor races survive a Trump-Biden rematch in 2024?
Here are the big races to watch in 2024.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 24/12/2023
Can Dave Reichert lead the Washington GOP out of the wilderness? The former congressman is back and running for the state's open governorship. If he's the nominee, Dems and Republicans think it could be competitive. My latest from Bellevue www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
For real this time: Can a Republican win the Washington governor’s race?
The former battleground member of Congress is running for Washington state’s open governor’s seat next year — and early indicators show he has a real shot to win.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 22/12/2023
Democrats are suing in N.H. to overturn a law that requires those that register to vote on Election Day, but don't have a photo ID, to cast an "affidavit ballot" that could be thrown out after initial tabulation. A lil exclusive from Holly Otterbein and me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Democrats sue New Hampshire over GOP-backed election law
President Joe Biden’s campaign is supporting the legal challenge, which was first shared with POLITICO.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 20/12/2023
This week's population estimates from the Census Bureau is setting a trend for the rising political power of the South — at the expense of California, New York and Illinois. Some (way too early) 2030 apportionment analysis from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
What the South’s population boom means for 2030 redistricting
The Census Bureau released its annual population estimates on Tuesday.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 20/12/2023
The pandemic feels like it is in the rear view mirror. But America's mayors still bear the scars. I traveled to Tacoma, Washington, for the final edition of POLITICO's Mayors Club to find out how the job of mayor has been permanently changed www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Mayors got their cities through the pandemic. Now they're paying the price.
Pissed off constituents. Nonstop work weeks. And deteriorating quality of life.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 19/12/2023
BREAKING: The Colorado Supreme Court rules that Trump is ineligible to run for president under the 14th Amendment, saying he engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6. Much more from us soon www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Colorado Supreme Court says Trump is ineligible to run again
It ruled that Trump engaged in an insurrection by stoking the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 15/12/2023
Maine's secretary of state publicly grappled with the attempts to have Trump disqualified under the 14th Amendment today, in a hearing that stretched on for hours. It is a rare situation of an election official, not a court, overseeing this. More from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Maine’s elections chief publicly grapples with whether 14th Amendment disqualifies Trump
Election officials across the country have had those very same deliberations, but behind closed doors.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 07/12/2023
Georgia has a new congressional map that obliterates Lucy McBath's district. She says she isn't going anywhere. The latest on the country's newest congressional map, and a redistricting process that's probably not done, from me and Brittany Gibson www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Georgia just obliterated Lucy McBath’s district. She says she’s not going anywhere.
Democratic-backed groups have vowed to challenge the new map in court again.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 06/12/2023
Colorado's Supreme Court gave little indication how it would rule on if Trump is ineligible to run under 14A. But the justices seemingly disagreed with the Trump attorney assertion that Jan. 6 wasn't an insurrection. More from us www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
Colorado’s top court offers few hints on whether it will remove Trump from ballot
The court's seven justices, all Democratic appointees, heard two hours of arguments on Trump's eligibility under the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 06/12/2023
The most prominent effort to have Trump disqualified under the 14th Amendment lands in front of Colorado's Supreme Court today. Next stop, SCOTUS? We dig in www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
‘Test case’ for America: Colorado’s top court poised to weigh Trump’s eligibility to run aga...
A Wednesday argument brings the question of Trump’s eligibility under the 14th Amendment one step closer to the Supreme Court.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 06/12/2023
Terry McAuliffe is back. He's wading into Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary and backing his protégé, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. An interview with Terry and a lil scoop from me www.politico.com/news/2023/12...
politico.com
McAuliffe backs Richmond Mayor Stoney in 2025 Virginia governor race
While his endorsement will not come as a surprise to many in the commonwealth, it may be a significant boost.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 20/11/2023
NEW: A federal appeals court issued a ruling that could gut the Voting Rights Act, saying only the federal government — not private citizens or civil rights groups — is allowed to sue under a crucial section of the landmark civil rights law. More soon www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Federal court deals devastating blow to Voting Rights Act
The decision out of the 8th Circuit will almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 18/11/2023
A Colorado judge ruled that Trump has engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, but can still run for president. We have the latest on the push to have Trump disqualified under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Colorado judge rules Trump ‘engaged in an insurrection’ — but can still run for president
The ruling came in a case brought by progressive activists who sued the state, arguing that Trump was barred from returning to the office.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 17/11/2023
I talked to Max Rose about the program he is advising to turn out young New Yorkers, the state's redistricting case and more. POLITICO Pro subscribers can read more in this morning's Score! subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 16/11/2023
NewDEAL and the New Democrat Coalition are out with their 2024 agenda, a good preview of what battleground Democrats want to run on next year. A scoop from me in Huddle www.politico.com/newsletters/...
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 15/11/2023
News: The Biden campaign is testing alternatives to ActBlue, Holly Otterbein and I report. Regular donors probably won't notice anything, but this could be the beginning of a major shift in the permanent Democratic campaign infrastructure www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Biden campaign considers changing digital fundraising platforms
The Biden campaign is testing alternatives to ActBlue, the small-dollar behemoth that powered much of Democrats’ anti-Trump fundraising machine.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 10/11/2023
Election officials are on edge after what appears to be another round of physical threats — this time involving envelopes of fentanyl. “I see this as a prelude to 2024, and I also view this as a domestic terrorist event," Washington's Steve Hobbs told me. My latest www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Election officials fear escalating threats after suspicious envelopes
The FBI said initial testing “indicated the presence of fentanyl” in envelopes sent to at least five states.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 10/11/2023
The POLITICO debate tracker is up and running for the Dec. 6 debate! According to our analysis, four candidates qualify: Trump (who already said he is skipping), DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Haley www.politico.com/2024-electio...
politico.com
GOP Debates: Who’s in, who’s out
We’re tracking every presidential candidate who qualifies for the 2024 Republican primary debates — and who will be watching from home.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 10/11/2023
Glenn Youngkin's 2024 white knight era is over after a disappointing Tuesday. What comes next? We explore what the next two years hold for the Virginia guv. Will he be Mr. Veto, or Mr. Bipartisan www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Glenn Youngkin’s white knight era is over. What will the next one be?
Republicans want to see him become a proud dispenser of vetos. Others say it might be wise to chart a more conciliatory path.
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Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro.bsky.social · 09/11/2023
News: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney will launch his 2025 Virginia gubernatorial bid before the end of the year and has already started to assemble his campaign team. Fresh details from me www.politico.com/news/2023/11...
politico.com
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney plans Va. gov bid
Stoney has already hired several top campaign officials.
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