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2020 Election Staff Updates

In a note to newsroom staff Chief Washington Editor Shirley Henry and editor Arnie Seipel, announced new hires and staffing updates:

Hello - We are excited to announce some new arrivals just in time for the final sprint into the 2020 campaign.

Benjamin Swasey will join NPR as Deputy Political Editor through January 2021, planning and editing daily coverage of the presidential campaign. We were very glad to find someone for this position within the public radio system. Ben comes from the outstanding newsroom at WBUR in Boston where he has worked for a decade, most recently as political editor and before that as digital managing editor. Given that the role of Massachusetts politicians in the 2020 campaign has continued to grow, we are lucky to add another WBUR alum to the team!

Caroline Amenabarwill join NPR as a production assistant for engagement through January 2021, elevating our campaign coverage online and on social with her considerable visual skills, providing graphic design and illustration to make our reporting as vibrant and impactful with readers as possible. Caroline comes to us from the Center for Strategic and International Studies where she has led graphics and illustrations for data visualizations, podcasts, video projects and more.

They will both start on December 9.

Their arrivals will fill out the Washington Desk's team assigned full-time to the 2020 campaign, working closely with National, shows, digital engagement, visuals, stations and others as we cover this huge and important story.

Scott Detrow and Asma Khalid are our lead reporters on the Democratic candidates.

Tamara Keith and Ayesha Rascoe are leading our coverage of the Trump campaign from their perch on the White House team.

Danielle Kurtzleben is our lead on campaign policy and coverage of gender and politics.

Juana Summers joined us this fall to cover the campaign through the lens of demographics and culture.

Jessica Taylor keeps us on top of breaking political news and brings context, history and data to bear to explain the phenomena and mysteries of politics to our audience.

National Political Correspondent Don Gonyea continues taking our audience into the hearts and minds of voters across the country, and bringing forth vivid scenes from the campaign trail as only he can.

National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson provides her unique analytical skill and intense reporting to explain the what and why of the campaign, and continues as part of our White House team.

Senior Political Editor and CorrespondentDomenico Montanaro also provides his incisive analysis, reporting and expertise on public opinion, campaigns and the electorate to our coverage.

Washington Desk Senior Editor and Correspondent Ron Elving provides his unique insight and perspective on all things in Washington and on the campaign trail.

Election security coverage is crucial for NPR, led by Pam Fessler, Miles Parks, Phil Ewing and Brett Neely with strong station partners, plus contributions from others on our desk and across the newsroom.

Carl Craft is with us from the Ops desk for the year as our logistics producer, attending to every detail as we plan to report from across the country for debates, primaries, conventions, Election Night and the inauguration.

Elena Moore is our researcher for the campaign season, taking the lead on both daily editorial support and the many briefing books that will serve the network through the year (and she got a jump start with impeachment!).

Sam Gringlas will work with our team, splitting his time with his regular duties at ATC, producing and stretching his reporting muscles.

On the editing front, Brett Neely is leading our election collaboration with stations across the country, working hand in hand with Acacia Squires and the state governance collaboration on the National Desk.

Arnie Seipel manages the full campaign operation, leading our coverage and coordinating election initiatives among the many units in the newsroom and departments across the company that contribute — working closely with Dana Farrington and Brandon Carter who make sure our work reaches audiences on all platforms.

And we're excited to team up with Eric Marrapodi, who will lead the network's special coverage in 2020, as Sarah Gilbert recently announced.

Of course, the election is a big enough story that it's a full team effort on the Washington Desk. In addition to pulling our existing Hill and White House reporters into our coverage, many others are also involved in planning our digital and social coverage, editing pieces and projects across the desk, producing in the field and in the podcast studio.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Arnie Seipel is the Deputy Washington Editor for NPR. He oversees daily news coverage of politics and the inner workings of the federal government. Prior to this role, he edited politics coverage for seven years, leading NPR's reporting on the 2016, 2018 and 2020 elections. In between campaigns, Seipel edited coverage of Congress and the White House, and he coordinated coverage of major events including State of the Union addresses, Supreme Court confirmations and congressional hearings.
Shirley Henry is the Chief Washington Editor for NPR News. In this role, she oversees all aspects of the Washington Desk. Its correspondents, editors and producers cover the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, the Justice Department, presidential campaigns and other electoral politics, and tell stories across all of NPR's broadcast and digital platforms. She also oversees and edits the NPR Politics Podcast.