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.
Share confidential news tips with The Post
Latest from Michael Scherer

Can an independent candidate like RFK Jr. win the presidency?

There is no requirement that a candidate belong to a major political party. That said, there are large barriers to entry for independent candidates.

April 24, 2024
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a campaign event in Royal Oak, Mich. (Jose Juarez/AP)

Group backing RFK Jr. spent more than $2 million on abandoned ballot effort

American Values 2024 is the latest group to struggle while using unlimited donations from the very wealthy to subsidize traditional presidential campaign expenses.

April 21, 2024
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a February campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich.

As Meta flees politics, campaigns rely on new tricks to reach voters

Meta’s shift away from politics is forcing campaigns to change their outreach tactics, transforming the 2024 election.

April 21, 2024
A mobile billboard outside the Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023.

You asked: Does a vote for RFK Jr. hurt Trump?

This is an open question. It remains to be seen how both the polls and the Kennedy campaign play out.

April 19, 2024
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month in Los Angeles.

Mike Pence pushes a post-Trump path for conservatives and GOP

The former vice president, who decided not to endorse his old running mate, believes many in the conservative movement have lost their way to populism.

April 13, 2024
Former vice president Mike Pence has said he won't vote for former president Donald Trump in November.

Trump in ‘full sprint’ to close Biden’s money lead as legal bills mount

Former President Trump is in a “full sprint,” pushing his team and his donors hard to narrow Biden’s huge money advantage ahead of a key fundraiser Saturday.

April 6, 2024
Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd after speaking at a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday.

Nebraska lawmakers vote against Trump-fueled push to change electoral vote system

Nebraska is one of only two states that divide electoral votes among statewide and congressional district winners, which allowed Joe Biden to pick off an electoral vote in 2020.

April 4, 2024
Former president Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd after speaking at a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday.

Centrist group No Labels won’t field a ticket in presidential election

No Labels struggled to find anyone with significant stature to run, in the face of opposition from Democrats who believed the effort would help Donald Trump.

April 4, 2024
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), left, and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman (R) participate in an event in Manchester, N.H., sponsored by the centrist group No Labels on July 17.

How Republicans texted and emailed their way into a money problem

Small-dollar donations to Donald Trump and the GOP are way down since 2019 and 2020. But the former president’s team says they see a turnaround.

April 1, 2024
Attendees record on their phones as former president Donald Trump arrives for a rally in Greensboro, N.C., on March 2.

Democrats spar over registration as worries over young and minority voters grow

The rise in Trump support among nonregistered voters has run up against a long-held Democratic policy priority of growing the voter rolls.

April 1, 2024
A booth set up by Pathways for Housing in D.C. on Sept. 4, 2020.