Anna Palmer

Early life and education Palmer was born, as Anna Alda, in Le Sueur, Minnesota and raised in North Dakota. She attended high school in Kindred, North Dakota, and served as a page for U.S. Senator Kent Conrad. She is a 2004 graduate of St. Olaf College, where she double-majored in political science and English, with a concentration in mass communications, and (starting in 2000) wrote for its newspaper, the Manitou Messenger, becoming its executive editor. Her multiple internships included a summer at the Washington, D.C. bureau of The New York Times.

Career

Early career After graduation, Palmer's first significant job was at the biweekly lobbying industry newsletter Influence.

Within a few weeks, two more cases were discovered by journalists, and a fifth woman alleged a long-time, recently-ended affair with Cain. The cumulative effect was blamed for Cain's sudden plunge in survey polls, and his early-December decision to suspend his campaign, less than a month and a half after Palmer's initial story broke.

Women Rule project Among Palmer's other responsibilities at Politico, Palmer took the lead in Women Rule—a project focused on expanding leadership opportunities for women—becoming its Editorial Director. She also hosted Politico's Women Rule podcast.

Sherman partnership and Schock revelations While at Politico, Palmer partnered with fellow journalist Jake Sherman, to cover political affairs in the capital, particularly the U.S. Congress. Palmer and Sherman have reported corruption among Democrats and Republicans. Their reporting on the spending habits of Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock reportedly led to his 2015 resignation.

Politico Playbook From 2016 to 2020, the duo co-authored the Politico Playbook —a media franchise tracking the early Trump administration and its relations with the U.S. Congress. (a New York Times best-selling account of the Congressional politics of the early Trump presidency), which attracted extensive media attention.

The book drew attention to Palmer and Sherman, who then became the subject of numerous interview and discussion programs related to the themes of the book—in the news media, and in the business-and-lobbying community.

At Punchbowl News Palmer and Sherman departed Politico, together, in late 2020 to start Punchbowl News, an online news service focused on non-partisan reporting of power players, and inside events and leaders, in Congress and the Washington establishment — Palmer becoming Punchbowl's CEO.

Awards and recognition Spring 2019: "Top 10" (books) in "Politics & Current Events," (for "The Hill to Die On"), Publishers Weekly (list announced December, 2018) 2020: "Star to Watch," Washington Women in Journalism Awards