Molly Ball

Molly Ball is a staff writer covering national politics at The Atlantic.

Issue May 2013

Why Both the Dems and the GOP Now Think Voters Prefer Female Candidates

A woman's edge?

Issue April 2013

Has Obama Turned a Generation of Voters Into Lifelong Democrats?

The prospects for a new liberal age

Here's Who Is Really to Blame for Sequestration

Here's Who Is Really to Blame for Sequestration

Don't look at Obama or Republicans in Congress. The failure of the bipartisan "supercommittee" 15 months ago created the current mess. More »

5 False Assumptions Political Pundits Make All the Time

5 False Assumptions Political Pundits Make All the Time

From voter polarization to campaign ads, a political scientist calls out the mistaken notions commonly perpetuated by election commentators. More »

Why Republican Governors Hate the Republican Congress

Why Republican Governors Hate the Republican Congress

The party's stars in the states have stayed popular by showing they can govern -- unlike their counterparts on Capitol Hill. More »

Will the Border Ever Be Secure Enough for Immigration Hawks?

Will the Border Ever Be Secure Enough for Immigration Hawks?

El Paso is the safest city in the U.S., the Border Patrol is bigger than ever, and illegal crossings have reached a 40-year low -- among other surprising facts. More »

Issue March 2013

A More Perfect Poll

As opinion researchers hung up the phone and headed online last year, election forecasts grew more accurate. Has the Web-based survey finally come of age?

It's Been 951 Days Since the Senate Passed a Major New Law

It's Been 951 Days Since the Senate Passed a Major New Law

If you're wondering whether President Obama's ambitious second-term agenda has a chance to make it through Congress, that might be worth keeping in mind. More »

The GOP Divide Over Sequestration (and Everything Else)

The GOP Divide Over Sequestration (and Everything Else)

The battle over the budget cuts, pitting Rand Paul Republicans against John McCain Republicans, is a symptom of the disarray plaguing the party. More »

Obama's State of the Union: What America Heard

Obama's State of the Union: What America Heard

The president's message about helping the middle class resonated broadly with voters -- but they wonder if he can get it done. More »

Why Would Anyone Oppose the Violence Against Women Act?

Why Would Anyone Oppose the Violence Against Women Act?

22 Republican senators voted against reauthorizing the law Tuesday. Assuming they don't favor domestic violence, why would they take such a politically risky stand? More »

State of the Union: What Do You Want Obama to Say?

State of the Union: What Do You Want Obama to Say?

As America braces for an address that tends to be uneventful, here's what Washington's major constituencies would like Obama to talk about. More »

How to Name a Mountain After Ronald Reagan

How to Name a Mountain After Ronald Reagan

If this activist gets his way, there will be a Mount Reagan in Nevada, possibly as soon as next year. But it hasn't been easy. More »

How the Gun-Control Movement Got Smart

How the Gun-Control Movement Got Smart

Why are advocates so optimistic now when reform has failed so many times before? Because they have a totally new strategy. More »

The Assault-Weapons Ban Isn't Happening—Get Over It

The Assault-Weapons Ban Isn't Happening—Get Over It

Expanded background checks are more likely to pass, and they could have a much greater impact. More »

Is Washington Getting Less Dysfunctional?

Is Washington Getting Less Dysfunctional?

From immigration reform to the debt ceiling, there are rampant signs the Capitol isn't the gridlocked mess to which we've become accustomed. More »

Obama's Permanent Campaign: Can He Use His Reelection Playbook to Change Washington?

Obama's Permanent Campaign: Can He Use His Reelection Playbook to Change Washington?

No president has ever pulled off what Obama now hopes to do -- move Congress by mobilizing a standing grassroots army. More »

What Should the Republican Party Stand For?

What Should the Republican Party Stand For?

GOP leaders don't just want to be the party of "no" -- but they have a hard time articulating what they want to say "yes" to. More »

The GOP Plan to Take the Electoral-Vote-Rigging Scheme National

The GOP Plan to Take the Electoral-Vote-Rigging Scheme National

A Republican operative reveals his initiative to award presidential electors by congressional district in states across the country. More »

Why Republicans Are Keeping the Man Who Led Their 2012 Disaster

Why Republicans Are Keeping the Man Who Led Their 2012 Disaster

Reince Priebus presided over an electoral drubbing. The party is directionless and adrift. But nobody wants to rock the boat. More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Photos of Tornado Damage in Moore, Oklahoma

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