Alexis Simendinger

Senior staff writer

When I started covering Congress and the White House, southern senators were Democrats, reporters used phone booths, the Defense Department had the best version of an internet and the Secret Service let the president jog to McDonald’s.

That’s a short way of saying things have changed in politics, governance, national security and the news media during my time in Washington. Yet some things have circled the capital twice or three times, such as budget deficits, immigration battles and impeachments. I try to add a seasoned perspective to the reporting we do at The Hill. The past can indeed be prologue. I’ve tracked six presidents and presidential campaigns, taken two turns covering Congress, wrote about regulatory departments and the Supreme Court, and contributed to an investigation of the causes of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

With decades spent at newspapers, a nonpartisan weekly magazine, daily digital outlets, newsletters and even a podcast, I have a front row seat to a rapidly changing news industry and the evolving preferences of news consumers.

Before joining The Hill in 2017 as national political correspondent, I covered Joe Biden as vice president and as a senator. I covered Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama for RealClearPolitics and was on the trail during the 2012 and 2016 election cycles. For National Journal magazine, I covered two-term Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and was a Senate reporter. I got my start covering the White House during an election year, trailing former President George H.W. Bush, an experienced incumbent who was defeated during a tough economy.

🎙️ On Mondays, I join Sirius XM’s “The Julie Mason Show” to preview The Hill’s reporting and the week ahead on POTUS Politics Channel 124.

Recognitions:

• Aldo Beckman Memorial Award for sustained excellence in coverage of the presidency.

• Hall of Fame Award, Society of Professional Journalists, Washington, D.C.

Education: M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Articles by Alexis Simendinger