Jim VandeHei

Life and career

VandeHei graduated from Lourdes High School in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1989. In 1995, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh with a double major in journalism and political science. While an undergraduate, he served an internship with Democratic Senator Herb Kohl in 1994, which led to his decision to be a political journalist.

After working as a sports reporter for the Oshkosh Northwestern, VandeHei moved to Washington, D.C. In 1995 he worked for Inside Washington Publishers. In 1996, he was hired by "Inside the New Congress", a weekly newsletter that focuses on the House and Senate. In 1997, he began working as a reporter for Roll Call, which covers Capitol Hill. While at Roll Call, VandeHei broke the story of House Speaker-elect Bob Livingston's affairs in 1998. He was the first to report in 1998 that Republicans were formally planning to impeach President Clinton. He is married to Autumn Hanna VandeHei, a former staffer for House Republican Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. They have two children, Sophie and James, and reside in Falls Church, Virginia.

After a stint as a national political reporter for The Wall Street Journal in 2000, VandeHei joined The Washington Post.

VandeHei's work has appeared in Capital Style and The New Republic. He has appeared as a pundit on television shows on all the major networks.

In 2006, VandeHei left The Washington Post to found a new political publication, Politico.

In early 2016, it was announced that VandeHei was leaving Politico after the presidential elections. In April he abruptly left, prior to his previously stated departure date and penned a piece in The Information about the current vapid state of media, the downward spiral of chasing clicks, and the future vision for media.