Naftali Bendavid named senior national political correspondent at The Washington Post

Naftali Bendavid (Photo credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

An announcement from National Editor Phil Rucker, Deputy National Editor Amy Fiscus, Senior Politics and Democracy Editor Griff Witte, Politics Editor Nick Baumann and Political Enterprise Editor Dan

We are delighted to announce that Naftali Bendavid, an astute and deft journalist who as White House editor has guided our first-in-class coverage of the Biden presidency, will be taking on a new role as a senior national political correspondent.

Naftali will be charged with bringing clarity and context to startling news events, weaving together original reporting with fresh insight and historical perspective. He will write with a colorful and vivid but unimpeachably factual voice. And he will partner with beat reporters to deepen our coverage of the incoming Trump administration, Congress and national politics more broadly.

Naftali is an ideal choice for this important assignment. His decades as a reporter and editor covering politics have deepened his understanding of the evolving landscape and honed his authoritative and analytical perspective, which will serve our readers, especially at moments of chaos in the news. A polished writer, Naftali is experienced in conceiving ideas and framing stories for maximum impact. He also is a natural collaborator and mentor to talented reporters.

As White House editor for the past four years, Naftali guided our team of star reporters to a variety of scoops, compelling stories and several major awards. Before that, he was deputy campaign editor helping to run coverage of the 2020 presidential campaign.

Naftali joined The Post in January 2019 from The Wall Street Journal, where he was an editor in the Washington bureau overseeing coverage of the Justice Department, the Supreme Court and the special counsel’s Russia investigation, as well as the health and education beats.

Before becoming an editor, Naftali had a rich career as a reporter, covering everything from Congress to the White House to the courts. He also did a three-year stint for the Journal in Brussels covering NATO and the European Union. He wrote a book about the 2006 midterm elections.

Naftali, who grew up in the D.C. area and attended Woodrow Wilson High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.

Please join us in congratulating Naftali on his new role. He begins in late January.