HeyJaredOppo File
The history and practice of opposition research, the "dark art" of American politics.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 9
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- Sep 30, 2026
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- Jul 9, 2026
Latest issues
Scoundrel (opens the original)
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On a 10-day road trip earlier this month, I listened to the audio version of American Scoundrel, the new biography of the infamous lawyer Roy Cohn, by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark. It’s a terrific book and I highly recommend it.Bird and Goldmark provide a detailed discussion of Cohn’s role in a 1984 Republican effort to conduct, ahem, specialized research into the finances of the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York. <a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img"
The Waffle Wars (opens the original)
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In the 1980s and 1990s, politics was fun. There was Reagan’s winning response to the “age issue” question in his 1984 debate with Walter Mondale, followed by Dukakis in a tank and an astonished President George H.W. Bush encountering a barcode scanner. Which brings me to the subject of waffles.In the October 13, 1992 presidential debate, Bush unveiled this attack on his Democratic rival, Bil
Rogers vs. El-Sayed (opens the original)
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In a previous issue of this newsletter, the topic was Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Michigan, and the trove of videos and transcripts that, apparently, had escaped the attention of Rep. Haley Stevens’ oppo researchers during a bitter primary. According to the New York Tim
Turkeys Finally Catch a Break (opens the original)
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A “Wisconsin G.O.P. source” sent Puck’s Peter Hamby the 349-page “research dossier” on Rep. Francesca Hong, a progressive member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and, until last week, a candidate for Wisconsin governor. You can read Hamby’s story here (subscription required). At times, Hamby writes, the book on Hong “reads like a Woke Mad Libs.”Now next to useless, the book—marked “privileged and confidential”
Cherry-Picking (opens the original)
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In a squeaker, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan primary on August 4th and is now the Democratic Party nominee for the U.S. Senate.A week after he celebrated his win, CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski unearthed at least 160 YouTube videos which El-Sayed “made private” before launching his Senate campaign thirteen months ago. You can read Kaczynski’s story here (subscription required) or watch his appearance on Erin Burnett’s OutFront program:<a href="https://www.nytimes.co
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