Anyone who follows Canadian politics on social media has probably come across Evan Scrimshaw at some point. Known for blunt commentary and a data-driven approach to elections, Evan Scrimshaw has built a following that stretches well beyond Canada’s borders. His mix of numbers, sharp opinions, and cross-border political knowledge makes him one of the more distinctive voices in political commentary today.
This article looks at who Evan Scrimshaw is, what he does, and why his analysis carries weight with readers who want more than surface-level political takes. We’ll cover his career path, his writing, his approach to political forecasting, and the questions people most often ask about him.
Who Is Evan Scrimshaw?
Evan Scrimshaw is a political commentator and writer based in Ottawa who covers politics across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. He’s built a reputation as a “number cruncher,” meaning his political takes lean heavily on polling data, seat projections, and electoral trends rather than pure punditry. That distinction matters in an industry where a lot of commentary is opinion dressed up as analysis.
Beyond politics, Evan Scrimshaw also writes about sports, giving him a broader audience than commentators who stick to a single lane. He’s also a published novelist, having written the book Salvation in the Storm, which shows a creative side that goes beyond his day-to-day political writing.
Evan Scrimshaw’s Career and Platforms
Evan Scrimshaw’s work is spread across several platforms, which is fairly typical for independent political writers who’ve built an audience outside traditional newsrooms. Understanding where he publishes helps explain how he’s grown his reach.
Scrimshaw Unscripted (Substack)
His primary home is Scrimshaw Unscripted, a Substack newsletter where Evan Scrimshaw publishes regular political analysis. The newsletter has built a subscriber base of several thousand readers who follow his take on elections, party strategy, and political trends across four different countries.
Contributions to The Line
Evan Scrimshaw has also written for The Line, a Canadian publication known for independent, non-partisan commentary edited by Jen Gerson and Matt Gurney. His pieces for The Line’s Alberta bureau have focused on provincial politics, including commentary on Alberta’s political landscape and figures like Danielle Smith.
The Lines and Sports Writing
At The Lines, Evan Scrimshaw covers both politics and sports, applying the same analytics-driven approach to athletic competition that he brings to elections. This dual focus reflects his stated interest in data and numbers as tools for understanding outcomes, whether in a ballot box or on a scoreboard.
Podcast and Social Media Presence
Evan Scrimshaw also hosts the Scrimshaw Show and has appeared as a guest on other political podcasts, including an extended interview on The True North Eager Beaver. On social platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), Evan Scrimshaw is known for direct, often provocative commentary on breaking political news.
What Makes Evan Scrimshaw’s Analysis Different
A lot of political commentators focus on narrative, who “won” the news cycle, which soundbite landed, or which scandal dominated headlines. Evan Scrimshaw takes a different approach by grounding his commentary in electoral mechanics.
Here’s how his style typically breaks down compared to more traditional punditry:
| Approach | Traditional Punditry | Evan Scrimshaw’s Style |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Narrative and optics | Polling data and seat math |
| Tone | Often measured or diplomatic | Direct, sometimes blunt |
| Geographic scope | Usually single-country | Canada, US, UK, and Australia |
| Format | TV soundbites, op-eds | Newsletter, long-form Substack posts |
| Secondary expertise | Rare | Sports analytics |
This combination of data literacy and willingness to state unpopular conclusions is part of why readers keep coming back to Evan Scrimshaw’s work, even when they disagree with his conclusions.
Evan Scrimshaw on Canadian Politics
Much of Evan Scrimshaw’s most-read commentary focuses on federal and provincial Canadian politics. He’s written extensively about:
- Federal Liberal Party dynamics — including commentary on leadership transitions and how they affect seat projections
- NDP strategy and relevance — offering blunt assessments of the party’s electoral standing
- Alberta provincial politics — including analysis of Danielle Smith’s government and opposition dynamics
- Conservative Party positioning — tracking how federal Conservatives navigate policy and messaging
His commentary doesn’t shy away from criticizing all sides of the political spectrum, which is part of what separates Evan Scrimshaw from commentators who write primarily for one partisan audience.
Evan Scrimshaw’s International Political Coverage
While Canadian politics forms the core of his work, Evan Scrimshaw regularly extends his analysis to American, British, and Australian politics as well. This cross-border perspective gives readers a comparative lens that’s fairly uncommon among political commentators who typically specialize in a single country’s system.
For readers trying to understand how electoral trends in one democracy might inform expectations in another, Evan Scrimshaw’s international coverage fills a gap that more narrowly focused commentators tend to leave open.
Frequently Asked Questions About Evan Scrimshaw
What does Evan Scrimshaw do for a living? Evan Scrimshaw is a political commentator and writer who publishes analysis on Canadian, American, British, and Australian politics, primarily through his Substack newsletter Scrimshaw Unscripted and contributions to outlets like The Line and The Lines.
Where can I read Evan Scrimshaw’s writing? His main platform is Scrimshaw Unscripted on Substack. He also publishes political and sports commentary through The Lines and has contributed political analysis to The Line’s Alberta bureau.
Is Evan Scrimshaw a novelist? Yes. Alongside his political commentary, Evan Scrimshaw wrote the novel Salvation in the Storm, showing a creative writing background beyond political analysis.
Does Evan Scrimshaw only cover Canadian politics? No. While Canadian politics is central to his work, Evan Scrimshaw regularly covers American, British, and Australian political developments as well.
Is Evan Scrimshaw associated with a particular political party? Evan Scrimshaw’s commentary criticizes multiple parties across the political spectrum, and his data-driven approach tends to prioritize electoral analysis over partisan loyalty.
Why Evan Scrimshaw’s Voice Matters Right Now
Political media has grown crowded with commentators offering hot takes with little grounding in actual data. Evan Scrimshaw stands out precisely because his analysis is rooted in numbers first, opinions second. That approach resonates with readers who are tired of predictions based on vibes rather than verifiable trends.
As Canadian politics continues to shift, with leadership changes, by-elections, and provincial tensions all playing out simultaneously, commentators like Evan Scrimshaw who can translate complex polling data into clear, readable analysis become more valuable, not less. His willingness to cover multiple countries also means readers get context that purely domestic commentators can’t offer.
Final Thoughts
Evan Scrimshaw has carved out a distinct space in political commentary by combining hard data with an unfiltered writing voice. Whether he’s breaking down Canadian federal politics, weighing in on Alberta’s provincial dynamics, or drawing comparisons to political trends in the US, UK, and Australia, Evan Scrimshaw consistently offers readers more depth than typical hot-take punditry.
If you’re looking for political analysis that treats numbers as seriously as narrative, following Evan Scrimshaw’s Substack and social media accounts is a reasonable place to start. Subscribe to Scrimshaw Unscripted, read his contributions at The Line and The Lines, and see for yourself why so many political watchers keep his commentary in their regular reading rotation.
