A New Year of Vulgar Marxism
The newsletter is back from its extended hiatus, and it could really use your support.
Readers,
I’d like to thank you for sticking with me over the past year and a half as Vulgar Marxism went through an unexpected hiatus. When I started publishing again two months ago, I wasn’t sure how many of my subscribers would still be around, so it’s been a great joy to see so many old readers pick up right where we left off: reading my content, emailing me their thoughts, and sharing my work with others. As for the reason behind my hiatus, I’m afraid that I went through some mental health struggles that took much longer to resolve than I had hoped. But I’m happy to say that at this point those are mostly behind me, and I’m looking forward to continuing to publish this newsletter at a far more regular pace.
In case you’ve missed it, here are the pieces that I’ve come out with since Vulgar Marxism’s triumphant return:
Will Twenty Years of Republican Gains Among the Working Class Continue? (Analysis of county-level presidential election results in all fifty states between 2000 and 2020, showing how the GOP has improved its numbers in poor areas of the country while Democrats have improved their numbers in wealthy ones.)
Trump Support Surges Among Pennsylvania’s Puerto Ricans (Analysis of precinct-level results from the 2024 presidential election in three Puerto Rican strongholds in Pennsylvania, showing how Trump improved his numbers there between 2020 and 2024.)
The Red Wave in Queens Was Years in the Making (Summary of several years of my previous reporting showing that Republicans were making inroads among voters of color in Queens and urging the left to take this seriously before it got any worse, plus precinct-level results of the 2024 presidential election showing how much worse it eventually got.)
Can Mike Lawler Make New York Red Again? (Analysis of county-level results from various gubernatorial elections in New York showing how George Pataki built a winning Republican coalition here and asking whether prospective GOP nominee Mike Lawler could do the same. Spoiler: it’s going to be harder than most people assume, even with Republicans’ recent inroads in New York City.)
I have many more ideas for stories - on both New York and national politics - that I plan to start rolling out in the new year, so be on the lookout for them soon. One thing that I’d like to ask as we roll into 2025 is that you consider upgrading to a paid subscription for just $5.60 per month - especially if you had one before that lapsed during the newsletter’s hiatus. It’s only because of the support of my readers that I’m able to dive so deeply into the stories I cover, trawling through decades of county- and precinct-level data to identify trends relevant to our current politics. The amount of time and effort that takes is considerable, so if you appreciate this type of coverage, please consider renewing your support of Vulgar Marxism is the new year. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Happy New Year and Solidarity Forever,
Matt