Politico's flagship newsletter, Playbook, will no longer be authored by British journalist Jack Blanchard, who had to look up Franklin D. Roosevelt on Wikipedia. Blanchard's tenure as Playbook managing editor and lead author was marked by a series of mistakes, including botching Chuck Schumer's title, misspelling Billy Ray Cyrus's name, and referring to the field at the Super Bowl as a "pitch." However, the most notable mistake was when Blanchard forgot about FDR while arguing that Donald Trump's "impactful start" to his second term was without precedent in U.S. history.
Blanchard's mistakes were widely criticized, with Vox reporter Zack Beauchamp writing that there was a "consistent pattern of colossal mistakes, and (even worse) poor analysis." As a result, Politico's leadership started to draw up a succession plan, acknowledging that Blanchard's tenure "hasn't worked out" for a "variety of reasons." The news blog announced Playbook's "next chapter" in a statement on Sunday, introducing a new team of authors, including Adam Wren, Dasha Burns, and Will Steakin, all of whom are American citizens with elite credentials.
Adam Wren has spent his career "decoding how power works in American politics," according to Politico. Wren has written about various topics, including a 2023 article on James Talarico, which helped the Texas state lawmaker raise his national profile before running for U.S. Senate. Dasha Burns is "known for her deep sourcing" and has interviewed notable figures, including Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan. Will Steakin, who studied politics at Columbia, has written about various topics, including a report on Morris Katz and Daniel Moraff, the wunderkind operatives who failed to vet Graham Platner after recruiting him to run for U.S. Senate in Maine.
The new team of authors is expected to bring a fresh perspective to the Playbook newsletter, which had gradually faded into irrelevance under Blanchard's leadership. The quality of the newsletter had inarguably gone downhill since Eugene Daniels left Politico for MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) in 2025. Daniels was best known for his work on behalf of former vice president Kamala Harris and signed off with an impressive scoop, reporting that Harris was getting "serious about considering" a run for governor of California.
Other notable Playbook alumni include Ryan Lizza, a former CNN analyst who was fired from the New Yorker for "improper sexual conduct." Lizza is best known for launching his Substack site by revealing that his ex-fiancée, disgraced journalist Olivia Nuzzi, cheated on him with former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. The new team of authors is expected to restore the Playbook newsletter to its former glory, providing readers with in-depth analysis and reporting on American politics.
The replacement of Blanchard with a new team of authors is seen as a positive move by many in the media industry. It is expected that the new team will bring a more nuanced and informed perspective to the Playbook newsletter, which will be beneficial for readers who are looking for in-depth analysis and reporting on American politics. The move is also seen as a reflection of Politico's commitment to providing high-quality journalism and its willingness to make changes when necessary.