Cillizza Names Top Local Politics Reporters

By: E&P Staff Chris Cillizza, who runs the popular The Fix blog at washingtonpost.com, recently asked readers for nominations for best state political reporters. He got flooded with names and this weekend posted the 33 finalists, most from local newspapers.

Here is the list. There's more from Cillizza at:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix

* Arkansas: John Brummett

* California: Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Weintraub, Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton, San Francisco Chronicle reporters Phil Matier and Andrew Ross, and Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters

*Delaware: Delaware Grapevine editor Celia Cohen

* Florida: St. Petersburg Times columnist/politics editor Adam Smith

* Georgia: Bill Shipp, Southern Political Report Editor Tom Baxter, InsiderAdvanatge Georgia editor Dick Pettys.

* Idaho: Idaho Statesman columnist Dan Popkey

* Illinois: Capitol Fax Blog author Rich Miller

* Indiana: Howey Political Report editor Brian Howey

* Iowa: Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen, Associated Press reporter Mike Glover, Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson

* Louisiana: Louisiana Political Fax Weekly editor John Maginnis

* Kansas/Missouri: Kansas City Star reporter Steve Kraske

* Kentucky: Louisville Courier-Journal columnist Al Cross, Kentucky Enquirer political reporter and columnist Pat Crowley

* Massachusetts: Boston Globe statehouse bureau chief Frank Phillips

* Minnesota: Former Star Tribune reporter Eric Black

* Missouri: St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Jo Mannies

* Mississippi: Jackson Clarion-Ledger editor Sid Salter

* Montana: Lee Newspapers reporter Chuck Johnson

* Nevada: Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston

* New Hampshire: Union Leader columnist John DiStaso, Nashua Telegraph reporter Kevin Landrigan

* New Jersey: Newark Star-Ledger columnist John Farmer, Newark Star-Ledger reporter Josh Margolin, Newark Star-Ledger columnist Tom Moran

* New York: New York Post columnist Fred Dicker, Albany Times Union reporter Jim Odato, radio talk show host Alan Chartock, Newsday columnist Rick Brand

* North Carolina: Raleigh News & Observer columnist Rob Christensen

* Ohio: Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Tom Suddes, Columbus Dispatch senior editor Joe Hallett, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Howard Wilkinson

* Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Inquirer columnist -- and Fix friend -- Dick Polman

* Rhode Island: Providence Journal columnist Charlie Bakst

* South Carolina: The State's Lee Bandy, Greenville News reporter Dan Hoover

* South Dakota: Sioux Falls Argus-Leader's Dave Kranz

* Tennessee: Knoxville News Sentinel reporter Tom Humphrey, Tennessee Journal editor Ed Cromer

* Texas: Texas Monthly senior executive editor Paul Burka, Dallas Morning News senior political writer Wayne Slater, Houston Chronicle reporter Clay Robison, Houston Chronicle reporter R. G. Ratcliffe, Austin American Statesman reporter and columnist W. Gardner Selby

* Virginia: University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato

* Washington: Seattle Post-Intelligencer correspondent Joel Connelly, Seattle Times political reporter David Postman, Associated Press reporter Dave Ammons

* Wisconsin: Wispolitics.com editor Jeff Mayers

* West Virginia: Radio host Hoppy Kercheval