As a political reporter I cover campaigns, but I focus on the juncture between politics and policy, with a special emphasis on economic issues that influence political trends and the waxing and waning power of organized labor. A side specialty is reporting on the causes of and suggested cures for partisan division. My work has taken me to Silverton, Colo., to map a small town’s divisions driven by the passions of national politics, to rural Georgia to see the rise of President Biden’s clean energy economy, to the border region of Laredo, Texas, and to the tidewater of Virginia to see the strains on democracy from the political left and the political right. I strive to chronicle political trends through those seeking office, and those driven to vote — or to abstain from voting — based on economic, social and cultural forces.
My Background
I have worked for several national newspapers, including The Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and USA Today, as well as other publications, with coverage beats that have included the White House, Congress, the Treasury, the Defense and Energy departments, military and nuclear policy, economic policy and politics.
I wrote a critically acclaimed novel, “No. 4 Imperial Lane,” and a nonfiction book “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in American in the Age of Trump,” that chronicled the rise of bigotry and white nationalism that accompanied Donald Trump’s political movement.
I grew up in Atlanta, studied journalism and African and Middle Eastern history at Northwestern University and served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines and Guinea Bissau. With my two daughters now grown, I live in Chicago with my wife, Jennifer Steinhauer.
Journalistic Ethics
In keeping with Times policy, I do not campaign for or donate to political candidates, and I don’t give money to advocacy groups or political organizations.
Contact Me
I prefer contact by email but sensitive information can be sent through The Times tips line or Signal.
If Ms. Harris were to win the “blue wall” and lose the Sun Belt swing states, the single electoral vote in Greater Omaha could determine the winner of the presidential election.
Strong showings in new Times/Siena College polls leave a narrow path open for Democrats to keep hold of the chamber, but Republicans maintain an advantage with the map.
In a campaign they would like to center on the economy and the border, Republican candidates keep drifting back to abortion rights, an issue that favors Democrats.
A single Republican state senator appears to be holding back a push by Donald J. Trump to net a potentially pivotal electoral vote even before ballots are cast.
The Teamsters president, Sean O’Brien, has shown an openness to former President Donald J. Trump, dividing the powerful union. Neither candidate will be the beneficiary of its considerable organizing muscle.
The claim that Aurora, Colo., has been overrun by gun-toting migrants stemmed from the city’s fight with a landlord. Now it is central to one of former President Donald J. Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign promises.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump joined President Biden and other dignitaries in a daylong journey to sites of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Vice President Kamala Harris baited traps for Donald J. Trump in their debate on Tuesday night — and he walked right into them, spinning into conspiracy theories. But did she say enough about her plans? Jonathan Weisman, a politics reporter for The New York Times, gives his analysis of how each candidate fared in the ABC News presidential debate.
By Jonathan Weisman, Claire Hogan, Gabriel Blanco and Nikolay Nikolov
The morning after their first face-to-face meeting, the two candidates attended a ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the terror attacks. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared to say “thank you” to her rival.
The survey finds that Donald J. Trump is retaining his support and that, on the eve of the debate, voters are unsure they know enough about where Kamala Harris stands.
JD Vance’s campaign said he “doesn’t believe in guilt-by-association cancel culture” but doesn’t share the views of Tucker Carlson’s guest, who claimed the Holocaust was not premeditated genocide.
In an address about the kind of economy he hopes to build for the 21st century, the former president harked back to the end of another century: the 19th.
The party’s candidates are likely to benefit from running alongside ballot measures to protect abortion rights. But the deeply conservative nature of many of these states poses a serious challenge.
The president introduced his No. 2, Kamala Harris, at a Labor Day event in Pittsburgh as the Democrats campaigned in crucial Midwestern “blue wall” states.
Vice President Kamala Harris said it would be “really important” for her administration to reflect “different views,” according to early clips of her interview released by CNN.
The 2024 presidential race is the first in 24 years without a major American ground war, but Donald J. Trump continues to stoke division over the post-9/11 conflicts that helped give rise to his movement.
Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, is in high spirits at a convention where union leaders have been treated well.
On Day 2, Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, is expected to deliver soaring oratory as he implores the United States to elect its first Black female president.
On Day 2, Barack and Michelle Obama electrified the crowd, while Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, shared stories of their early romance.
The former president has been preoccupied with the popularity of the pop music megastar, who endorsed Joseph R. Biden Jr. over him during the 2020 election.
Harris campaign officials and Democratic leaders have stepped up outreach to Arab and Jewish voters before the event, but large protests are still expected.
An unusual and chaotic set of political circumstances forced Illinois’s billionaire governor to take the lead in securing the Democratic convention for Chicago.
The head of the union, which has not backed a presidential candidate this year, asked to speak at both parties’ conventions. He spoke at the Republican convention in July.
John Legend is set to headline one of the week’s biggest events so far — a bash by Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois — but despite speculation, there’s no sign yet of Beyoncé or Taylor Swift in Chicago.
A quiet diplomatic effort to ease tensions with uncommitted delegates and head off televised confrontations inside the Democratic convention hall next week has been underway for months.
The vice president spoke briefly with leaders of a group that mobilized a protest vote against U.S. support for Israel, and was interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists at a rally.
By Erica L. Green, Kellen Browning and Jonathan Weisman
Kamala Harris’s running mate was picked for his rapport with Middle America, but his progressive record as governor parallels his state’s move toward more liberal politics.
Democrats were initially favored to hold the seat, but President Biden’s struggles in the state — fueled in part by Israel’s war in Gaza — shifted the contest to a pure tossup.
Many Jewish organizations backed Harris’s pick for running mate, but beneath that public sentiment is unease over antisemitism on both the left and the right.
At least three candidates — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — are scheduled to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, an observant Jew, is seen as bringing plenty of upsides to the Democratic ticket. But some worry about setting off opposition to the Democratic ticket from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
In an appearance before the National Association of Black Journalists, Donald Trump also said his choice of Senator JD Vance as vice president will not matter to voters.
By Jonathan Weisman, Maya King and Zolan Kanno-Youngs