Top 20 Political Reporters and Journalists to Follow in 2025
In today’s polarized political landscape, staying informed means following top political reporters who deliver breaking news and insights into complex regulatory dynamics. Policies shape more than headlines – they drive economics, foreign relations, and daily life.
A government shutdown, for instance, halts paychecks for federal workers, slows local economies, delays TSA screenings, and stalls businesses reliant on government contracts. Every policy creates such ripples, and the best political reporters uncover why these shifts happen, who’s driving them, and how they impact consumers – which is why political reporters are vital.
There can be hundreds of different angles about the implications of a policy shift, why the policy went into effect, and more – common themes covered by political reporters. As a result, businesses and individuals often follow these political journalists to stay up to date on regulations and to see how these moves will impact their daily lives.
For some organizations, there’s also a strategic reason to appear in key political stories. For example, an organization might want a large government contract; for other advocacy groups, they might want to influence public policy – the list goes on. Following and understanding the beat of different political reporters can help progress their key earned media goals.
What Do Political Reporters Do, and Why Do They Matter?
Political reporters are the pulse of regulations, delivering insights that shape key narratives and public relations strategies. Unlike other journalists, their work has unique scope and urgency, making them critical for PR professionals to understand. Here’s how they stand out:
- Impact on society as a whole: Political reporters cover topics that affect millions, from sweeping regulations to business dealings that can transform entire industries. While other reporters focus on niche beats – AI trends, Taylor Swift’s latest album, or sports – political reporting carries unmatched, far-reaching implications for society and commerce.
- Timeliness of stories: Breaking news happens across beats, like Google’s AI launches or hurricanes. Yet, political reporting faces relentless urgency: multiple daily shifts in regulations, policymaker perspectives, or foreign relations demand rapid coverage. This pace outstrips the frequency of most other beats, like technology or crime.
- Sources they work with: Political reporters often break scoops from anonymous “people familiar with the matter” – staffers in congressional offices or committees – rather than named spokespeople. This contrasts with other beats such as business to business technology, where journalists typically rely on identified executives for quotes.
Since political reporters operate differently, public relations and public affairs professionals must grasp these nuances to effectively engage them, build relationships, and drive impactful media strategies.
Political Journalism Moves Quickly, with an Investigative Focus
Political reporters shape narratives that sway elections, shift public opinion on policy debates, and influence national discourse. Unlike other journalists, their stories carry profound implications, making them essential for public relations and government affairs professionals aiming to steer these conversations. Regularly following political reporters empowers PR teams to craft strategic, impactful narratives that impact reputational PR in 2025’s dynamic political climate.
But political reporters aren’t all the same. Newswire reporters race to break news with all known facts the moment a story unfolds. Investigative reporters dive deep into a single issue, uncovering hidden truths. Political pundits, analysts, and columnists add personal flair and opinion, often leaning toward one side of the political spectrum. Most political reporters, however, blend these styles, defining their unique coverage. Their work demands speed, depth, and nuance, setting them apart from other beats.
For PR professionals, understanding these distinctions – between newswire urgency and investigative rigor – unlocks opportunities to align messaging with the right reporters. With this knowledge, public relations professionals can proactively manage their organization’s reputation and react to negative media coverage appropriately.
Here we will highlight 20 top political reporters whose beats blend newswire immediacy and investigative depth to inform public relations strategies.
Top 20 Political Reporters Defining the Conversation
ABC News
Mary Bruce is the Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News, appearing on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and other flagship broadcasts.
- Coverage areas: Presidential administration, elections, executive branch, major events.
- Why she stands out: As a network correspondent, she delivers headline moments on television and provides depth on how decisions ripple across governance and media.
Associated Press
Zeke Miller is a White House reporter at the Associated Press and a former President of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
- Coverage areas: White House, presidential administration, policy announcements, and how executive branch decisions affect national politics.
- Why he stands out: Working at AP, his reporting is fact-driven, immediate, and measured. Miller is seen as reliable for straightforward news on administration actions.
Axios
Alex Thompson is a National Political Correspondent at Axios and a CNN contributor. He previously helped run Politico’s “West Wing Playbook” and has built a reputation for breaking political stories.
- Coverage areas: White House, presidential politics, campaign strategy, institutional power in Washington.
- Why he stands out: He combines sharp sourcing with narrative storytelling and won the White House Correspondents’ Association Award for excellence in coverage.
Bloomberg
Catherine Lucey is a White House correspondent for Bloomberg. She previously reported on several administrations at The Wall Street Journal and was a White House wire reporter with the Associated Press.
- Coverage areas: Executive branch, administration decisions, regulatory and policy impacts.
- Why she stands out: She combines Bloomberg’s financial-policy perspective with traditional White House beat reporting, identifying intersections between governance and markets.
Kate Sullivan is a White House correspondent at Bloomberg. She previously worked at CNN, where she was a campaign reporter and producer, covering Donald Trump’s successful return to the White House.
- Coverage areas: Political news, broadcast commentary, Washington developments.
- Why she stands out: While at CNN, Sullivan covered Trump’s 2024 re-election bid, attending over 200 Trump rallies across 28 states over two years.
Politico
Rachael Bade is Chief and Senior Washington Columnist at Politico. Her work explores the shifting tides of power in Washington, focusing on behind-the-scenes maneuvering that shapes policy, politics, and governance.
- Coverage areas: Congress, political campaigns, legislative – executive relationships.
- Why she stands out: Bade specializes in telling the stories behind the news – the power plays on Capitol Hill and personal rivalries in the White House.
Reuters
Jeff Mason is a White House correspondent for Reuters, covering the presidency, policy, and international relations.
- Coverage areas: Executive branch, foreign policy, presidential decisions, international impact of U.S. domestic policy.
- Why he stands out: He balances the speed of wire service reporting with deep access, frequently quoted across newsrooms for his measured, fact-driven coverage.
Andrea Shalal is a Reuters correspondent focusing on White House coverage and U.S. executive branch affairs.
- Coverage areas: Administration policy, federal agencies, regulatory and executive branch news.
- Why she stands out: She is adept at translating dense policy shifts or regulatory decisions for broad audiences, often identifying early signs of administration priority changes.
Semafor
Burgess Everett is the Congressional Bureau Chief at Semafor, joining after a long tenure at Politico, where he covered the Senate and led congressional coverage.
- Coverage areas: Congress, legislative process, political power dynamics, policy debates.
- Why he stands out: He is viewed as one of the top Senate reporters, deeply connected to the internal dynamics on Capitol Hill and the personalities behind legislation.
Telos News
Ryan Lizza is a veteran political journalist and former New Yorker staffer, now writing for Telos News.
- Coverage areas: Power elites, institutional politics, Washington culture.
- Why he stands out: His long tenure in political journalism provides perspective across administrations, making his commentary resonate beyond the immediate news cycle.
The Atlantic
Ashley Parker is a seasoned political reporter and feature writer who has won three Pulitzer Prizes. With previous roles at The Washington Post and The New York Times, she has a strong track record in covering Washington politics.
- Coverage areas: White House, presidential staff, Washington dynamics, political narrative.
- Why she stands out: Her work blends personality, decision-making, and context – going beyond incident reporting to show how politics functions behind the scenes.
The Hill
Ellen Mitchell is the senior defense reporter for The Hill, covering military affairs at the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and beyond, a beat she has covered for nearly a decade.
- Coverage areas: National defense, Department of Defense, international conflict.
- Why she stands out: She brings subject-matter expertise in defense, covering Pentagon affairs, military readiness, and Congress’s oversight of security.
Amie Parnes is a senior political correspondent at The Hill, where she covers national politics. She is also the co-author of four political books.
- Coverage areas: Elections, campaigns, governance, political power.
- Why she stands out: With nearly 20 years of political reporting and four books, Parnes has a deep understanding of the political landscape.
The New York Times
Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent for The New York Times and a CNN political analyst. She previously covered Trump’s campaigns and presidency and won a Pulitzer Prize.
- Coverage areas: White House, presidential administrations, political strategy, media ethics.
- Why she stands out: Haberman’s extensive coverage of the Trump era, with unmatched access, allows her to break down complex political dynamics into compelling narratives.
Lisa Lerer is a reporter at The New York Times, covering campaigns, elections, and political power. She previously worked at AP, Politico, Bloomberg, and Businessweek and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.
- Coverage areas: Elections, campaigns, Congress, political power, policy developments.
- Why she stands out: Her reporting offers deeper analysis of news headlines, providing narrative on how people shape public policy and elections.
Jonathan Swan is a White House reporter for The New York Times, covering the administration of President Donald J. Trump, whom he has reported on since 2015.
- Coverage areas: White House, investigations.
- Why he stands out: Swan’s persistence in asking direct follow-up questions and his now-iconic facial reactions have earned him a reputation for tenacity.
The Washington Post
Karen Tumulty is a longtime political journalist, formerly with Time and the Los Angeles Times, now serving as a columnist at The Washington Post.
- Coverage areas: Congress, elections, White House, national politics.
- Why she stands out: She combines deep sourcing, analytical features, and institutional memory. Tumulty’s reporting is known for nuance in explaining political decision-making and power structures.
Amy B. Wang is a reporter at The Washington Post, covering political and social issues with a focus on race, policy, and cultural intersections.
- Coverage areas: Politics, social issues, policy, cultural impact of governance.
- Why she stands out: She brings cultural, demographic, and human-interest perspectives to hard politics, broadening the narrative beyond power and policy.
The Wall Street Journal
Rebecca Ballhaus is a two-time Pulitzer Prize — winning journalist who covers the White House and money in politics for The Wall Street Journal.
- Coverage areas: White House, conflicts of interest, investigative deep dives into the financial-politics intersection.
- Why she stands out: She blends investigations with White House beat coverage, focusing on the intersection of money and governance.
Sadie Gurman is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, focusing on the Justice Department and federal law enforcement, breaking stories on DOJ and internal investigations.
- Coverage areas: DOJ, legal policy, enforcement, investigations of federal agencies.
- Why she stands out: Her decade-long focus on DOJ coverage provides access to leaks and internal dynamics that many political reporters lack.
Building Effective Relationships with Political Reporters
Many of the principles that go into building effective earned media relationships with reporters across every beat work with political reporters too. It is essential to only pitch them news that they might actually cover, and serve as a helpful resource who can provide the industry commentary on deadline, when it is needed. Additionally, just like offering an exclusive on a funding round to a tech reporter – political reporters often like to break stories no other reporters have access to – with scoops. Offering a reporter a scoop can help increase the chances of coverage and build a relationship that leads to working together in the future.
Additionally, when it comes to working with political reporters, it is time to talk politics. This often involves answering tough questions directly and to the point, rather than walking around the subject. All day, political reporters are interacting with sources who are well media trained and can answer a question – without really answering it – so reporters on the beat tend to pry further and dig in to pull out a true answer if they don’t get it the first time around. By giving these reporters the answers they need – when they need them, public relations professionals can build lasting relationships.