Anna Palmer

Anna Palmer is a renowned journalist and the founder and CEO of Punchbowl News, a membership-based news community focused on power, people, and politics in Washington, D.C.

Background and Education

Anna Palmer is a native of North Dakota and a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she majored in English and Political Science with a concentration in Mass Communications. During her time at St. Olaf, she served as the executive editor of the weekly campus newspaper, the Manitou Messenger.12

Career

Palmer has an extensive career in Washington journalism, spanning over 15 years. Here are some key highlights:

• Punchbowl News: Since January 2021, she has been the founder and CEO of Punchbowl News, which provides a suite of newsletters, breaking news, and analysis on the politics of governing and the exercise of power in Washington. The company is named after the Secret Service's nickname for the Capitol.124

• POLITICO: From July 2011 to December 2020, Palmer was a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-authored the influential morning newsletter, POLITICO Playbook. During her tenure, she also co-authored the daily newsletter POLITICO Influence and led the Women Rule platform, which aimed to expand leadership opportunities for women. She and her co-author Jake Sherman chronicled President Donald Trump’s first term and significantly grew the Playbook's revenue and readership.123

• Previous Roles: Before joining POLITICO, Palmer worked as a staff writer for Roll Call, covering House leadership and lobbying. She began her career in Washington journalism as a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence and later worked at Legal Times, where she covered the intersection of money and politics for the legal and lobbying industry.123

Notable Works

• Author: Palmer co-authored the New York Times and national bestseller "The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump's America" with Jake Sherman in 2019. This book provided an inside look at Congress during the first two years of the Trump Administration.235

Public Engagement

Anna Palmer is a frequent political commentator on major news networks such as CNN, Fox News, NBC, and MSNBC. She has also spoken and moderated conversations at prominent events including the World Economic Forum, the Milken Institute Global Forum, the UN General Assembly, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Texas Tribune Festival, and SXSW.23

Palmer is widely respected for her insightful and nonpartisan analysis of American politics, making her a trusted voice in the field.