Michael Scherer

Washington, D.C.

National political reporter covering campaigns, Congress and the White House

Education: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, MS in journalism; University of California at Santa Cruz, BA in literature

Michael Scherer is a national political reporter at The Washington Post. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Time magazine, where he also served as the White House correspondent. Before joining Time, he was the Washington correspondent for Salon.com.
Latest from Michael Scherer

Harris and Trump take divergent paths in a tied race

Trump says he’s winning. Harris says she could lose. But polls show a dead heat.

October 12, 2024
Left: Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign rally at the McHale Athletic Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Sept. 13. Right: Former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Saginaw Valley State University on Oct. 3.

Democrats attack Green Party’s Jill Stein amid spoiler fears

Stein is only polling near 1 percent in most polls, but Harris advisers fear even that margin could prove decisive in race against Trump.

October 11, 2024
Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein during a rally in Dearborn, Mich., on Sunday.

Harris campaign concerned about money after raising $1 billion

The massive spending advantages for Democrats have not yet translated into any clear advantages in public swing state polling.

October 9, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to Wisconsin voters during a rally at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 20.

Kamala Harris says America needs more homes. Here’s why that’s different.

Harris’s approach to affordable housing has inched closer and closer to what’s known as “YIMBYism,” shorthand for “Yes In My Backyard.”

October 8, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters in Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 16, 2024. (Cornell Watson for The Washington Post)

Harris launches unscripted interview blitz after cautious roll-out

In a neck-and-neck race, Harris is leaning more into unscripted question-and-answer sessions.

October 7, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions last month during a conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Harris is running a much bigger campaign than Trump. Will it matter?

She spends three times as much, employs hundreds more staff and dominates the ad war. But the race is effectively tied.

October 5, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris meets Nevada voters after a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Vance, Walz square off in what could be final meeting of presidential campaigns

The vice-presidential nominees repeatedly paid each other respect while launching biting attacks on each other’s running mates.

October 2, 2024
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), left, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) at Tuesday night's vice-presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.

Harris trolls Trump on second debate during Georgia-Alabama game

The campaign ran a television ad during the game to reach viewers in the key battleground state of Georgia.

September 28, 2024
Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at their Sept. 10 debate.

How Kamala Harris remade Joe Biden’s campaign and revived Democratic chances

In short order, the Democratic presidential campaign, almost entirely inherited from Biden, found a new direction.

September 28, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris greets attendees during a campaign rally in Madison, Wis., on Sept. 20.

The Campaign Moment: Trump’s security and a GOP problem in N.C.

Donald Trump’s campaign’s ramped-up security is hemming in the candidate. The Teamsters union declined to endorse Harris or Trump. And, how a scandal involving GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson could shape the presidential race in North Carolina.

September 20, 2024