The Observer’s Best Longform Stories of 2020
We rounded up some of our hardest hitting longform stories from this unprecedented year.
2020
A Democratic Socialist Damn Near Won the Texas Primary
It took a small army of politicians and pundits to stave Bernie Sanders off.
Democratic Voters Surge in Texas Primary, Waiting in Punishingly Long Lines as Officials Struggle to Keep Up
Grueling wait times stretched hours past closing time at polling locations across Texas. One voter in Houston waited nearly seven hours to cast his ballot.
Texas Prosecutor Races Offer Competing Visions for Criminal Justice Reform
In Harris County, Kim Ogg’s more cautious approach to reform wins big while Travis County’s incumbent DA still faces a challenge from the left.
State Senator Eddie Lucio Is Headed to a Runoff
The Texas Senate’s most conservative Democrat may not be invincible.
John Cornyn Bets Big on Trump
During the impeachment proceedings, Cornyn proved that his calculation is the same as the entire GOP’s: Live with Trump, die with Trump.
1,500 Nueces County Voters Were Wrongly Sent Letters Demanding Proof of ID
A big mistake in the lead up to primary voting underscores the anxiety around misinformation on elections and barriers to voting.
Alec Karakatsanis on the ‘Usual Cruelty’ of the Criminal Justice System
In his book, Karakatsanis argues that lawyers and judges have become numb to the cruelties of the criminal justice system—and ultimately stand in the way of changing it.
A Modest Proposal: Replace the Iowa Caucuses
The process stinks, and we should be having a wider discussion about what ought to replace it.
What the GOP’s Big Win in Fort Bend County Means for 2020
The special election runoff rout is a sobering reminder for Democrats that the GOP still dominates much of Texas. But it wasn’t the 2020 death knell that Republicans have made it out to be.