AP announces politics, elections and democracy team; one reporter will cover rules and tactics that make voting harder

The Associated Press says it has been expanding its coverage of politics, elections and democracy with a reporting team that will "produce a deeper, more cohesive report the unifies AP’s journalism produced in Washington with reporting from bureaus across the country."

Nick Riccardi (AP)

Reporter Nick Riccardi, based in Denver, "will cover emerging threats to democracy, including new rules and tactics that make it harder to vote," AP says. Christina A. Cassidy, based in Atlanta, will cover how elections are administered in the states and localities. Gary Fields, based in Washington, will cover challenges to democracy with a focus on the marginalized and disaffected.

Other members of the team as announced by AP are:

· Steve Peoples, based in New York, will continue as chief political writer with a focus on the biggest trends, voter behavior and major statewide races.
· Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, will cover politics in Georgia, a state that is on the frontlines of some of the biggest political stories.
· Tom Beaumont, based in Des Moines, will continue to cover politics in Iowa and the Midwest, with a focus on U.S. House campaigns.
· Sara Burnett, in Chicago, will cover governors’ races and the intersection of gender and politics. 
· Jill Colvin, in New York, will cover former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
· J.J. Cooper, in Phoenix, will cover the rapidly changing politics of Arizona and the Southwest. 
· Adriana Gomez Licon, based in Miami, will cover the political influence of Latino voters. 
· Meg Kinnard, based in Columbia, South Carolina, will cover breaking news, the South and the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
· Michelle Price, in New York, will focus on the political players in the nation’s largest city.
· Brian Slodysko, based in Washington, will cover influence, money and politics.
· Will Weissert, also in Washington, will cover Democratic politics, including efforts to maintain control of Congress and the emerging 2024 campaigns.

"With their reporting expertise and strategic locations across the U.S., this team is in a strong position to cover upcoming elections with speed and sophistication," AP Washington Bureau Chief Anna Johnson said. "And this is only the beginning. We also posted a two-year reporting position for a journalist who will cover voting access and race in the U.S., and we will spend the coming months continuing to build out the team and our coverage." 

Working under Johnson to lead the team are Deputy Bureau Chief Steven Sloan, Democracy News Editor Tom Verdin and Deputy Political Editor Ashley Thomas.

Meanwhile, "Frontline" on PBS will begin its new season next Tuesday night, Sept. 6, with "Lies, Politics and Democracy," a documentary that it says is "told in part through the perspectives of key Republican players and party leaders" and will offer "startling new details from GOP insiders on how the embrace of Trump’s rhetoric helped bring the nation to this precarious moment."