Jenna Johnson named The Washington Post’s deputy democracy editor

Jenna will play a central role in managing reporters both in Washington and around the country who will chronicle the impact of new voting laws, political pressure on election administrators and attempts to undermine the public will. She will also help lead collaborations with journalists across The Post engaged in democracy coverage.

In her nearly 15 years at The Post, Jenna has worked on several desks and teamed with nearly every section in the newsroom. Since her move last year into editing, Jenna has distinguished herself with her sharp ideas and keen ability to elevate reporters’ work in stints on the America, Health and Science, and Politics desks.

Jenna worked as a National politics reporter for six years, first covering Scott Walker's 71 days as a presidential candidate and then serving as The Post’s lead reporter on Donald Trump's campaign, traveling to nearly every state to attend dozens of rallies and interview thousands of Trump supporters — waiting for hours in line after the campaign revoked media credentials for Post journalists. Jenna examined the types of communities where Trump held his events and documented how Trump made suspicion of Muslims, immigrants and other marginalized groups a centerpiece of his pitch to voters.

She covered the Trump White House for more than a year and continued to travel around the country to document what Americans thought of the president and his agenda. Through the next two elections, she wrote about the deepening divisions in the country and voters who feel ignored by both political parties, including a family living in a motel near Disney World, Black voters in Milwaukee and Latinos in Texas, Iowa and Georgia.

She started on Local in 2007 as a summer intern, covering D.C. crime, then moved to the now-shuttered Southern Maryland bureau. For several years, Jenna covered higher education and youth culture, anchoring a blog. In early 2013, Jenna spent several weeks on the Syrian border in southern Turkey, reporting on refugees. The next year, Jenna switched to politics and covered the 2014 Maryland governor's race and the statehouse.

Jenna grew up in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her parents, Jim and Bridget Johnson, met while working at their college newspaper and for several years owned two weekly newspapers in rural Iowa.

Please join us in congratulating Jenna on her new role, which starts immediately.