Happy weekend! Regular readers know that the purpose of this newsletter is to share our best work of the past week. This week, I’m going to preview a coming addition to our newsletter lineup.

To say that this doesn’t feel like a normal election year veers well past understatement territory. The chaotic Iowa caucus feels like it happened years ago, not months. There’s been almost no gladhanding and baby-kissing, there have been very few rallies, and livestreamed videos have replaced town hall meetings and diner visits. Whatever shape the party conventions take this summer, they will look unlike anything we’ve seen in the past: no raucous state delegations, over-the-top patriotic fashion choices, or big speeches that end with the nominee’s family on stage amid a balloon drop.

Regardless, Americans will cast their votes (by mail or in person) for president on Nov. 3, and that is a mere 101 days away. It’s not quite crunch time, but we’re getting there. 

This past week, Sarah wrote a fun piece with the thesis that “Curling is the perfect analogy for political campaigns. … Once the stone is moving, this thing is heavy and it’s got momentum that is out of the “skip’s” control. The campaign staff are like the guys with the brooms that are frantically sweeping the ice as this 44-pound rock slides along the ice.”