Jim VandeHei

James "Jim" VandeHei (born 1971) is the executive editor and co-founder of Politico. Previously, he was a national political reporter at The Washington Post, where he worked as White House correspondent.

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.