The complete story: ten chapters on how political power was built
The final chapters follow the return to government, the election-data network and the questions that remain open.
Independent research archive
How did we get here?
Follow the people, organizations, money, media, law, data and policy systems that have shaped American politics—from Goldwater to today.
Why this project exists
I started with a question I couldn't put down:
What happened to my country?
The changes I was seeing felt too large to explain with one election, one president or one political party. So I started following the people, organizations, money, media, law, data and institutions behind political power.
I don't want to replace one information bubble with another. I want the evidence to be able to surprise me.
When something can't be proven, I want to say so. When the answer is “I don't know,” that is an acceptable answer. And when the public record supports naming the people and institutions involved, I will name them.
The goal isn't outrage. The goal is understanding.
Why I started this project →The Story
How did we get here?
The story follows how political power was built over decades, beginning with Goldwater’s 1964 defeat. Read it in order, or follow the source links into the archive.
Start reading the story →New in the archive
What changed since your last visit?
A clearer funding trail around CPI and election groups
New tax filings show separate grants from CPI to FAIR and from FAIR to election groups and a consulting company. They do not trace one donor’s dollars through the full chain.
The source of a California voter file is still unknown
A sworn filing says an unnamed DHS senior counselor gave HSI what appeared to be California’s voter list. The public record does not name that person, and key recipient details are redacted.
Explore
Four ways into the archive.
1
History
Over decades, political groups built networks, money, media, legal groups and trained people that did not disappear when an election ended.
2Who’s Who
People, organizations, companies, projects and legal cases with sourced relationships.
3Case Files
Case files follow one question, what happened and what the records show.
4What It Adds Up To
What the evidence adds up to—and where the limits still are.
Flagship investigations
Three good places to start.
CPI & Patriots’ Row
Finding and training people, supporting organizations, and building alliances outside government.
Read the case →Project 2025
Policy ideas, government job preparation, training and plans for putting them into action.
Read the case →Election-data network
How voter data moved, what records show, and what remains unknown.
Read the case →The pattern in the evidence so far
A lot of governing work starts before Election Day.
Think tanks, legal groups, donor networks, media, data systems and advocacy organizations can work continuously between elections.
Policy ideas, experienced people, legal strategies and implementation plans may already be in place when a new administration takes office.
Follow what moves between organizations and government: people, money, policy ideas, data, contracts and expertise. The sources show which connections are documented and which remain uncertain.
Every published relationship should have a source. Unknown stays unknown. Challenge a claim or submit a correction →