Anna Palmer

Last updated
Anna Palmer
Anna Palmer Open Congress 2022.jpg
Palmer in 2022
Born (1982-05-25) May 25, 1982 (age 40)
Le Sueur, Minnesota, U.S.
Other namesAnna Alda [1]
Education St. Olaf College (BA)
OccupationJournalist
Known forCo-founder and CEO of Punchbowl News

Anna Palmer (born May 25, 1982) [1] is an American political journalist based in Washington, D.C. She has been the co-founder and CEO of Punchbowl News since January 2021, and the host of the related Daily Punch Podcast. She was previously a reporter for Politico and became its senior Washington correspondent. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early life and education

Palmer was born, as Anna Alda, in Le Sueur, Minnesota and raised in North Dakota. She attended high school in Kindred, North Dakota, and served as a page for U.S. Senator Kent Conrad. She is a 2004 graduate of St. Olaf College, where she double-majored in political science and English, with a concentration in mass communications, and (starting in 2000) wrote for its newspaper, the Manitou Messenger, becoming its executive editor. Her multiple internships included a summer at the Washington, D.C. bureau of The New York Times . [2] [6] [7] [8]

Career

Early career

After graduation, Palmer's first significant job was at the biweekly lobbying industry newsletter Influence. [8] In 2005, working for the Legal Times, the parent company of Influence, she became one of the key journalists investigating the activities of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who orchestrated a vast network of corruption, resulting in over three years in prison for Abramoff, and convictions of 20 others. Palmer's work on the case brought her first national notoriety. [8]

In 2007, Palmer moved to Roll Call, a prominent Washington-insider newsletter. [2] [8]

At Politico

Initial work

In 2011, Palmer moved to Politico — a Washington political reporting journal. [3] [8]

Herman Cain revelation

In October of that year, she was one of the team of Politico reporters who investigated and reported on allegations against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, that — when he headed the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s — he had sexually harassed two female employees, and the lobbying organization had, in response, paid the women to resign and keep quiet about the matter. [9] [10] [11]

Within a few weeks, two more cases were discovered by journalists, and a fifth woman alleged a long-time, recently-ended affair with Cain. The cumulative effect was blamed for Cain's sudden plunge in survey polls, and his early-December decision to suspend his campaign, less than a month and a half after Palmer's initial story broke. [12] [13]

Women Rule project

Among Palmer's other responsibilities at Politico, Palmer took the lead in Women Rule — a project focused on expanding leadership opportunities for women — becoming its Editorial Director. She also hosted Politico's Women Rule podcast. [2] [6] [14]

Sherman partnership and Schock revelations

While at Politico, Palmer partnered with fellow journalist Jake Sherman, to cover political affairs in the capital, particularly the U.S. Congress. Palmer and Sherman have reported corruption among Democrats and Republicans. Their reporting on the spending habits of Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock reportedly led to his 2015 resignation. [3] [15]

Politico Playbook

From 2016 to 2020, the duo co-authored the Politico Playbook [3] [5] [16] [17] — a media franchise tracking the early Trump administration and its relations with the U.S. Congress. [3] [5] [16] The duo tripled the platform's readership and doubled its revenue. [2]

Book: The Hill to Die On

In 2019, the duo also co-authored The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America [18] (a New York Times best-selling account of the Congressional politics of the early Trump presidency), [2] [16] [19] [20] which attracted extensive media attention. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

The book drew attention to Palmer and Sherman, who then became the subject of numerous interview and discussion programs related to the themes of the book — in the news media, [22] [24] [25] [23] political/documentary media, [26] [27] and in the business-and-lobbying community. [28] [29]

At Punchbowl News

Palmer and Sherman departed Politico, together, in late 2020 to start Punchbowl News, an online news service focused on non-partisan reporting of power players, and inside events and leaders, in Congress and the Washington establishment — Palmer becoming Punchbowl's CEO. [2] [3] [4] [5] [16]

Other involvements

Palmer has spoken or moderated discussions at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations General Assembly, the Milken Institute Global Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Texas Tribune Festival and SXSW. [2]

Palmer has been a political commentator on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and PBS's Washington Week . [2] [22] [24] [30]

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<i>Roll Call</i> American newspaper

Roll Call is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of congressional elections across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Teller</span>

Paul Scott Teller is the Executive Director of Advancing American Freedom. He served in the Trump White House as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, and then Director of Strategic Affairs for Vice President Mike Pence. Teller was also the former Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Cruz and former Executive Director of the United States House of Representatives Republican Study Committee.

Politico, known originally as The Politico, is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and internationally. It primarily distributes content online but also with printed newspapers, radio, and podcasts. Its coverage in Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, the media, and the presidency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter J. Brown</span> 9th United States Homeland Security Advisor

Peter James Brown is a retired United States Coast Guard rear admiral, who served as the Special Representative for Puerto Rico's Disaster Recovery. He previously served as the ninth Homeland Security Advisor in the Trump Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Parker</span> American journalist

Ashley Rebecca Parker is an American journalist, a White House reporter for The Washington Post, and senior political analyst for MSNBC. From 2011 to 2017 she was a Washington-based politics reporter for The New York Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedes Schlapp</span> American lobbyist, columnist, and Trump administration official

Mercedes Schlapp is an American communications specialist and political commentator for both English and Spanish media. She has served in two presidential administrations as director of specialty media under George W. Bush and as White House Director of Strategic Communications in the Trump administration from September 2017 to July 2019. She went on to work on the Trump 2020 re-election campaign as senior advisor for strategic communications.

Ross Elliot Barkan is an American journalist, novelist, columnist, and essayist.

Rosie Gray is a politics and media reporter for BuzzFeed News, who has also worked for The Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big League Politics</span> Far-right American political website

Big League Politics is a far-right American media website that promotes conspiracy theories. The website was founded by former Breitbart News employees. The site was announced in 2017 by one of its founders as an investigative outfit. In early 2018, Big League Politics was acquired by Mustard Seed Media which is owned by Reilly O'Neal and Noel Fritsch. The Wall Street Journal describes the website as "a scrappy, pro-Trump outfit backed by Republican operatives".

Zina Gelman Bash is an American attorney who was a senior counsel to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2018.

Kyle Cheney is an American journalist working as a congressional reporter for Politico and as a political analyst for CNN and MSNBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alyssa Farah Griffin</span> American political strategist and television personality

Alyssa Farah Griffin is an American political strategist and television personality. She was the White House Director of Strategic Communications and Assistant to the President in 2020 during the presidency of Donald Trump. Griffin appears on CNN as a political commentator. She is currently a co-host of the daytime talk show The View for its 26th season.

GMMB, Inc. is a political communications and advertising firm based in Washington, D.C. with additional offices in Seattle and San Francisco. Founded by Jim Margolis, it is the largest Democratic consulting firm in the United States.

Rachael Bade is an American journalist who is a co-author of the Politico Playbook newsletter and a political analyst for CNN. She spent two years reporting on U.S. Congress for The Washington Post.

Alayna Treene is an American journalist. She is currently a Congressional reporter for Axios, after previously covering the Trump White House.

Brian Jack is an American political advisor who served as White House Political Director for President Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Harrison (Texas politician)</span> Former American health official

Brian Edward Harrison is an American government official who served as chief of staff of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He ran for the United States House of Representatives in the 2021 special election for Texas's 6th congressional district, gaining 10.8% of the vote and placing fourth in a field of 23 candidates. He won the special election race for the Texas House of Representatives District 10 on September 28, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Sherman (journalist)</span> American journalist and writer (born 1985)

Jacob Scott Sherman is an American journalist and writer. He is the co-founder of Punchbowl News, a daily newsletter service focusing on Congress. He is an NBC News and MSNBC political analyst. He previously worked for Politico, among other media outlets.

Sarah Isgur is an American attorney, political commentator, and former spokesperson in the United States Department of Justice. While serving in the Trump administration, Isgur defended the Trump administration's family separation policy, as well as Executive Order 13769.

Punchbowl News is an online political news daily, in Washington, D.C., which debuted January 3, 2021 as "a membership-based news community," which focuses on the individuals "who power the US legislature." It intends to be non-partisan and non-judgemental, focusing on scoops and facts about Congress and the Washington power establishment, particularly core power-players.

References

  1. 1 2 "Palmer, Anna A. (Anna Alda), 1982–". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Library of Congress. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Anna Palmer," June 3, 2019, updated February 19, 2021, Washington Week, on PBS, retrieved April 19, 2021
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Media Equation: They Seem to Think the Next Four Years Will Be Normal: A Beltway school of journalism wants to get back to just-the-facts-ma’am reporting...", January 3, 2021, The New York Times, retrieved April 19, 2021
  4. 1 2 "Punchbowl,", 2021, Muckrack, retrieved April 19, 2021
  5. 1 2 3 4 Vernon, Pete: "Q&A: Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman on Capitol coverage in the new Washington," January 19, 2021, Columbia Journalism Review, retrieved April 19, 2021
  6. 1 2 3 "Meet the Winners of the 2020 Washington Women in Journalism Awards", September 22, 2020, The Washingtonian, ("In 2016, she took over one of the highest-profile spots in political journalism: Politico’s daily Playbook newsletter . She’s coauthor of “The Hill to Die On,” a bestselling book..."), echoed at Politico , September 22, 2020, retrieved April 19, 2021
  7. ↑ "The State of Journalism and Reporting in 2020: Ole alumni panel and discussion," March 5, 2021, St. Olaf College News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Peterson, Erin: "Politico Insider," Fall, 2016, St. Olaf Magazine, retrieved April 19, 2021
  9. ↑ Palmer, Anna; Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman and Kenneth P. Vogel: "Exclusive: 2 women accused Cain of inappropriate behavior," October 30, 2011, Politico, retrieved April 20, 2021
  10. ↑ "Third woman claims inappropriate behaviour from Cain," November 3, 2011, BBC News, retrieved April 20, 2021
  11. ↑ Sides, John and Lynn Vavreck: book: The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election (updated edition), September 7, 2014, Princeton University Press, retrieved from Google Books April 20, 2021
  12. ↑ Lin, Joy (December 2, 2011). "Cain Poll Numbers Plummet in Iowa". Fox News . Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  13. ↑ Oliphant, James (December 3, 2011). "Herman Cain drops out of presidential race". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Anna Palmer," February 4, 2019, modified February 21, 2020, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, retrieved April 19, 2021
  15. ↑ Rutenberg,Jim: "Mike Allen, Politico’s Newsletter Pioneer, Is Handing Over the Reins" [to Palmer and Sherman], June 19, 2016, The New York Times, retrieved April 19, 2021
  16. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Ted: "Media Startup Punchbowl News Launches Podcast As D.C. Spotlight Shifts To Capitol," February 1, 2021, Deadline, retrieved April 19, 2021
  17. ↑ Dalton, Meg and Pete Vernon:"Podcast: A dive into the swamp with the authors of Politico Playbook," November 30, 2017, Columbia Journalism Review, retrieved April 19, 2021
  18. 1 2 Kushnick, Hannah: "Top 10" in "Spring 2019 Announcements: Politics & Current Events" (book release announcements), Dec 07, 2018, Publishers Weekly, retrieved April 20, 2021
  19. ↑ Eilperin, Juliet: Review: "In this portrait of Congress, lawmakers’ ambition breeds dysfunction," April 5, 2019, The Washington Post, retrieved April 19, 2021
  20. ↑ Green, Lloyd: "The Hill to Die On review: Trump, Ryan and a Republican dumpster fire," April 6, 2019, The Guardian, retrieved April 19, 2021
  21. ↑ VanDenburgh, Barbara:"5 books not to miss: ...'The Hill to Die On,' ..." April 7, 2019, USA Today, retrieved April 19, 2021
  22. 1 2 3 Video:"Authors of 'The Hill to Die On' talk new book, Congress and Trump" April 9, 2020, CBS News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  23. 1 2 Audio and transcript:"Reporters Say Members Of Congress Are 'Obsessed' With Getting Re-Elected" April 9, 2020, National Public Radio, retrieved April 19, 2021
  24. 1 2 3 "Anna Palmer On Why President Trump Gets Along With Senator McConnell & Didn’t Get Along With Speaker Ryan" April 9, 2020, Fox News, retrieved April 19, 2021
  25. 1 2 Costa, Robert and Jake Sherman (journalist): "Discussing 'The Hill to Die On' with Jake Sherman," April 12, 2019, Washington Week, on PBS, retrieved April 19, 2021
  26. ↑ "Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer on The Hill to Die On," April 22, 2019, Washington Journal on C-SPAN, retrieved April 20, 2021
  27. ↑ "Anna Palmer, Co-Author, The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America," October 2019, Frontline on PBS, retrieved April 20, 2021
  28. ↑ "Talks at GS: POLITICO Playbook’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, Co-Authors of The Hill to Die On," April 12, 2019, Goldman Sachs, retrieved April 20, 2021
  29. ↑ "Speakers: Featured Session Speakers," June 23–25, 2020, ACJ Member Summit, Association for Corporate Growth, retrieved April 20, 2021
  30. ↑ "Sunday on 'This Week':...", September 23, 2017, ABC News, retrieved April 21, 2021
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.