The Battle for Congress

As Democrats and Republicans compete for control of the House and Senate, a look at the themes driving races across the country and what to look for in November.

Jonathan Shorman is The Kansas City Star’s lead political reporter, covering Kansas and Missouri government. Shorman has spent more than a decade covering politics in both states, including previously at The Wichita Eagle. He was part of a team of Eagle reporters who won the 2019 George Polk Award for political reporting.

Natalie Andrews covers the Trump campaign for The Wall Street Journal. Before that she reported on the U.S. Congress, writing about House and Senate leaders and intraparty dynamics, as well as domestic policy and government spending legislation. She’s covered two presidential impeachments, the Democrats’ effort to win the House majority in the 2018 midterms, and the battle for Congress since. She joined the Journal in 2014 as a social media editor. Previously, Natalie worked at KSL News in Salt Lake City and for the San Diego Daily Transcript, a business daily. She grew up near Salt Lake City, Utah, where she fell in love with hiking and the outdoors.

Nathaniel Birkhead is an Associate Professor and Department Head of Kansas State University’s Department of Political Science and a University Distinguished Teaching Scholar. His research and teaching focuses on Congress and state legislatures, and the representational relationship between constituents and their elected officials.