The Top 10 Most Important Political Stories Of 2018, As Chosen By Readers

When we set out to try to look back on the year that was in politics, we started with a list that grew... and grew... and grew. After a couple of days, the list was just shy of 100 news events. That's about one notable story every three days.

Yes, it's been that kind of year. So we narrowed the list to 50 and asked readers on social media to pick what they thought were the 10 most important political stories of the year. Because voting took place last week, some important developments didn't make the cut, like, for example, Ret. Gen. Jim Mattis resigning as Pentagon chief, Trump pulling U.S. troops out of Syria or Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

Here are the top 10 most selected stories — by you the readers — with No. 1 being the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation battle and the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford.

1. Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation battle and Christine Blasey Ford's testimony

For all the news that happened in 2018, there. A reluctant witness accuses a man nominated for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court of sexual assault while they were in high school decades ago, and the nominee then lashes out with a defiant defense and partisan testimony. From there, senators and onlookers retreated into political corners.