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23 years of Daily Kos: Built by you. Built for you. [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2025-05-26

Holy shit, Daily Kos is 23 years old. That’s geriatric in internet years.

And the reason we’ve lasted this long? It’s not the headlines. It’s not the algorithms. It’s not even the staff (including me!).

It’s you. The community.

From the earliest days of Daily Kos, this wasn’t a traditional publication. It was a rowdy, passionate, purpose-driven community of progressives who understood something powerful: When we organize, when we tell the truth, when we fight together—we win.

That spirit is alive and well. In the past year alone:

You published over 40,600 stories

More than 4,500 different writers contributed

The community submitted 1.9 million comments

And logged-in users viewed community-authored stories 17.5 million times

On an average day, 21,000 of you log in to read, write, recommend, and respond. On Election Day last year, nearly 45,000 of you showed up. You’re not background noise. You’re the engine.

And that’s why celebrating our first 23 years—and looking forward to what comes next.

For much of our history, Daily Kos made money through ads, political campaigns, and partnerships with advocacy groups. That meant that we were selling access to you. You were the product.

But that’s changed. Today, around 80% of our revenue comes directly from you—through subscriptions and donations.

That shift changes everything. It means that everything we do—every technical upgrade, every editorial decision, every community feature we develop—has to answer a few simple but essential questions:

Does it help you stay informed—without all the both-siderism noise?

Does it give you the facts and framing to push back on right-wing spin?

Does it make you feel more equipped to talk to others about what’s at stake?

Does it help you feel a little less alone in the fight?

And yeah—does it also make this place more fun?

Because it’s not just about politics. It’s about people. About joy, and connection, and that strange, powerful solidarity that comes from knowing you’re in it with thousands of others who give a damn.

Indeed, years ago, a community member coined the phrase, “Came for the politics, stayed for the community”—and it instantly became the community’s motto. That sense of solidarity matters more than ever—especially in a country that turned even harder toward Donald Trump last year.

So thank you—for 23 years of fighting, building, laughing, grieving, winning, and growing. Thank you for sticking with us. And thank you for helping shape the future of Daily Kos—not just as readers, but as the reason this place exists at all.

Here’s how you can help us keep going strong for the next 23 years:

Here’s to what comes next.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/26/2323258/-23-years-of-Daily-Kos-Built-by-you-Built-for-you?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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