Rachael Bade is POLITICO's Senior Washington Correspondent and a Co-Author of Playbook. She specializes in stories illuminating the power struggles and personal dynamics animating the Beltway, breaking news on everything from private Capitol Hill negotiations, to inter- and intra-party clashes impacting the legislative process.

A more than 10-year veteran of the congressional press corps, Rachael covered Congress for POLITICO for six years beginning in 2015. Her work chronicled President Trump's remaking of the GOP, and she churned out stories with behind-the-scenes details about the struggle between pro-Trump lawmakers and those fearful of the new direction of the party.

In 2019, Rachael joined The Washington Post, where she covered House Democrats' oversight of the Trump Administration and routinely broke news on the party's attempts to hold the president accountable as well as the historic impeachment effort. Her work culminated in a book: She is the author of "UNCHECKED: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump," a scoopy narrative uncovering how Pelosi’s Democrats twice fumbled their efforts to oust the 45th president — and with Republican complacency, undermined the tool of impeachment forevermore.

Rachael is a frequent guest on the Sunday show circuit, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," CBS's "Face the Nation," ABC's "This Week" and Fox News' "Fox News Sunday." She spent half-decade working as a political analyst for CNN. A small-town, Ohio-native, she graduated from the University of Dayton with degrees in political science and communication and is a former classical ballet dancer.