Rachael Bade

Rachael Bade
Birthplace	Tipp City, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist, author, newsletter writer
Employer	Washington Reporter, Substack
Known for	Congressional reporting, Politico Playbook, Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump
Education	University of Dayton (BA)

Rachael Bade is an American journalist, author, and political commentator who has spent more than a decade covering Congress and national politics in Washington, D.C. She rose to prominence as a congressional reporter for Politico, where she covered major legislative battles including the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, congressional immigration disputes, and both impeachments of Donald Trump. She later became a Senior Washington Correspondent and co-author of Politico's influential morning newsletter, Playbook. Bade has also served as a contributing political correspondent for ABC News and appeared on programs including This Week and Good Morning America. In 2022, she co-authored the book Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump with Karoun Demirjian, published by William Morrow. The book received favorable reviews from The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Kirkus Reviews. A native of Tipp City, Ohio, and a graduate of the University of Dayton, Bade has established herself as one of Washington's closely followed political reporters, and in recent years has expanded into independent media through a Substack newsletter and a new media venture alongside Sean Spicer and Dan Turrentine.

Early Life

Rachael Bade was born and raised in Tipp City, Ohio, a small city in Miami County north of Dayton. Details about her family background and upbringing have not been widely documented in public sources. Tipp City, with a population of roughly 10,000, is located in the greater Dayton metropolitan area, and Bade would go on to attend college nearby at the University of Dayton.

Education

Bade earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Dayton, a private Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Further details regarding her specific field of study or graduation year have not been publicly confirmed in available sources.

Career

Early Reporting Career and Politico

Bade began her journalism career around 2010 and became a member of the congressional press corps, a beat she would cover for more than a decade. She joined Politico, where she became one of the outlet's most prominent congressional reporters. During her tenure at Politico, Bade covered some of the most significant legislative and political events of the era.

Among her notable reporting was her coverage of the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act during the early months of the Trump administration. In May 2017, Bade reported on the timeline and internal dynamics of the GOP's push to dismantle the health care law, a legislative effort that consumed much of the political oxygen in Washington and ultimately failed in the Senate.

In June 2018, Bade authored a detailed account of the internal Republican meltdown over immigration policy, capturing the tensions within the GOP caucus as members struggled to find consensus on one of the most divisive issues in American politics. Her reporting, headlined "'This is bull': Inside the GOP's immigration meltdown," provided an inside look at the party's fractious debate.

Later that year, in December 2018, Bade reported on the legacy of Paul Ryan, the outgoing Speaker of the House, examining how Ryan's tenure had been shaped and constrained by his relationship with Donald Trump and the dynamics of congressional Republicans.

The Washington Post

In January 2019, Bade left Politico to join The Washington Post's national political team. The Post announced her hiring in a press release, noting her experience covering Congress. At The Washington Post, Bade continued her congressional reporting during a period of intense political activity, including the first impeachment of Donald Trump in 2019 and the second impeachment following the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.

Return to Politico and Playbook

In December 2020, Bade returned to Politico, where she was named co-author of Playbook, the outlet's widely read morning political newsletter. She was announced as part of a revamped Playbook team alongside Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri, and Eugene Daniels. Playbook has long been considered essential reading for Washington insiders, political operatives, and journalists, and Bade's role as co-author placed her at the center of the capital's daily political conversation.

During her second stint at Politico, Bade held the title of Senior Washington Correspondent. She authored editions of Playbook covering a wide range of topics, including exclusive polling data related to the midterm elections.

Unchecked and Book Publication

In October 2022, Bade and her former Washington Post colleague Karoun Demirjian published Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump through William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins. The book offered an extensive behind-the-scenes account of both impeachment proceedings against Trump, arguing that Democrats bore significant responsibility alongside Republicans for what the authors characterized as failed efforts to hold the president accountable.

In a Politico Magazine excerpt published ahead of the book's release, Bade and Demirjian detailed the role of Jamie Raskin, the Maryland congressman who served as lead impeachment manager during the second trial, examining the internal deliberations and strategic decisions that shaped the proceedings. Another excerpt focused on Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, portraying her as a reluctant figure who resisted impeachment before ultimately moving forward with the first proceedings in 2019.

The book received notable critical attention. The Washington Post published a review that examined how the politics of both parties had hindered the impeachment process, aligning with the book's central thesis. The Wall Street Journal published a review under the headline "Impeachment Malpractice," praising the book's reporting. The Guardian reviewed the book in the context of the January 6 committee's work and the broader question of accountability for the Trump era. Kirkus Reviews also evaluated the book, contributing to a broad critical conversation about the work's merits and arguments.

ABC News

Following her time at Politico, Bade served as a contributing political correspondent for ABC News. In this role, she appeared regularly on the network's flagship Sunday public affairs program This Week and on Good Morning America, providing political analysis and reporting on major news developments. She also appeared on ABC News's streaming platform, offering analysis during segments on topics such as the Republican strategy for the presidential race.

In August 2023, as part of broader staffing changes at ABC News, Selina Wang joined the network from CNN in a move that was reported alongside other personnel developments at the network, a period during which Bade was among the contributing correspondents on the ABC News roster.

Independent Media and Recent Work

By late 2025 and into 2026, Bade had expanded her work into independent media. She launched a Substack newsletter, through which she published original reporting and political analysis. Her Substack has featured scoops on congressional politics and the Trump administration, including reports on Democratic strategy regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations at airports and analysis of intelligence community oversight hearings featuring Tulsi Gabbard.

Bade has also contributed opinion columns to Washington Reporter, a political news outlet. Her columns have addressed topics including the political risks and rewards of military operations ordered by the Trump administration, internal Republican disputes over the SAVE America Act, and Republican strategy on health care policy ahead of the midterm elections.

In November 2025, Status reported that Bade was teaming up with Sean Spicer, the former White House Press Secretary, and Dan Turrentine on a new media venture, entering the competitive landscape of independent political media.

Public Speaking and Academic Engagement

In October 2025, Bade participated in a discussion at the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School, alongside her Unchecked co-author Karoun Demirjian and Walter Shorenstein Fellow Brian Stelter. The event focused on midterm media coverage and the challenges of reporting on Congress.

Personal Life

Bade is originally from Tipp City, Ohio. Further details about her personal life have not been widely documented in public sources. She is based in the Washington, D.C., area, consistent with her career covering Congress and national politics.

Recognition

Bade's book Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress's Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump received critical attention from several prominent publications upon its release in October 2022. The Washington Post reviewed the book favorably, examining its central argument that the politics of both the Democratic and Republican parties undermined the impeachment proceedings against Trump. The Wall Street Journal published a review highlighting the book's detailed reporting on what the reviewer termed "impeachment malpractice." The Guardian reviewed the book in the broader context of the January 6 investigations and questions of presidential accountability. Kirkus Reviews also published an assessment of the work.

Her role as co-author of Politico's Playbook newsletter placed her among a select group of Washington journalists whose daily output was considered essential reading by political professionals, lawmakers, and media figures. Her transition from institutional media outlets to independent platforms, including her Substack and her collaboration with Sean Spicer and Dan Turrentine, reflects broader trends in political journalism during the mid-2020s.

Bade's C-SPAN appearances, spanning her career in the congressional press corps, are archived as part of the network's public affairs programming records.