Astead Herndon

Astead Wesley Herndon (born March 31, 1993) is an American journalist. Since October 2025, he hosts a podcast and directs political coverage at Vox. He was previously a reporter for The New York Times, where he covered politics and hosted the podcast The Run-Up. He has also contributed to CNN and reported for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Boston Globe.

Early life and education Herndon was born on March 31, 1993, in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in the suburb of Flossmoor. His father established a branch of the Church of God in Christ. He graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School in 2010. He later graduated from Marquette University with a degree in journalism. While there, he became involved with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). He worked with AmeriCorps during a gap year while at Marquette. His 2024 profile of Kamala Harris was nominated for a National Magazine Award.

Herndon hosted The Run-Up, a podcast created in 2022 and dedicated to election coverage and politics more broadly. It was named one of the best podcasts of 2022 by The Economist.

Herndon also works as a political analyst and contributor for CNN.