Andy Brack
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and a veteran political columnist who uses his weekly commentary to track how power, campaigning and policy collide in South Carolina and beyond. His columns for the paper and its sister policy outlet Statehouse Report focus on elections, governance and civic responsibility rather than day-to-day process stories. Alongside politics, he occasionally turns to cultural coverage such as his feature on Danny McBride’s new short story collection, bringing the same clear, reported voice to arts and entertainment.
Brack: Presidential candidates flocking to South Carolina
Brack’s most consistent thread is his attention to the state’s role in national elections, especially the way presidential campaigns use South Carolina as a proving ground. In columns on presidential hopefuls visiting the state, he dissects why they come, how they message and what their presence means for local voters, treating campaign stops as evidence of broader strategic trends rather than isolated events. When he writes about whether the country is at a political “tipping point,” he uses national anxiety as a backdrop to examine voter sentiment and institutional strain, linking the mood of the electorate to the mechanics of campaigning and governing.
Coverage of the governor’s race and congressional campaigns follows the same pattern: detailed attention to strategy, money and messaging framed by what it means for policy outcomes and democratic norms.
His work in Statehouse Report reinforces this focus on campaigns as systems, not spectacles. Brack’s recurring political columns there have appeared for more than two decades, giving him a long view on how parties, consultants and interest groups adapt their playbooks across election cycles. He writes as someone who has covered politics professionally and worked inside a U.S. Senate office, using that experience to explain the incentives driving candidates and legislative actors without turning the column into insider gossip.
The result is commentary that is firmly opinionated but grounded in the mechanics of how power is built and exercised in the state’s political arena.
Brack: Tough messaging ahead for S.C.’s fall campaigns
Brack spends substantial time on political communication - how campaigns talk to voters and how those messages land.
In his writing on “tough messaging ahead” for fall campaigns, he outlines the constraints facing candidates in a polarized environment, from issue selection to tone, and identifies which narratives are likely to stick with South Carolinians. He often uses specific races, such as statewide contests or high-profile congressional campaigns, to show how national party themes are translated into local language, highlighting the difference between a national talking point and a message tailored to the state’s electorate.
Rather than just reporting what campaigns say, he analyzes why they choose particular frames and what that reveals about their view of voters and the political landscape.
His election and messaging columns are tightly written, with a clear thesis and a limited set of examples instead of broad, unsourced speculation. Brack’s long-running syndicated work means he writes for readers across different outlets, which encourages general explanations of political dynamics while still grounding the discussion in South Carolina policy debates and legislative maneuvering.
That combination makes his pieces useful for stories that touch on campaigning strategy, voter behavior, policy stakes and the interplay between state and national politics.
Brack: On hurricanes, Senate race, debates, AI
Brack’s columns often braid politics with public policy and emerging risks, showing how seemingly disparate issues share common threads of governance and accountability. In the piece that ranges from hurricanes to a Senate race, debates and artificial intelligence, he uses weather threats, electoral competition and technology regulation to illustrate how leaders manage uncertainty and how well they listen to expert advice.
He points readers to an editorial in the Charleston City Paper calling for stronger oversight of AI, using it as an example of how fast-moving technology can outpace law and public understanding. Similar pieces on election safety, gas taxes and infrastructure treat technical policy questions as part of a wider discussion about trust in institutions and the quality of public decision-making.
These multi-topic columns show a preference for connecting immediate news - storms, campaign milestones, legislative proposals - to systemic challenges such as climate resilience, fiscal responsibility and digital risk.
Brack approaches policy as something that is shaped by political incentives but judged by practical outcomes, stressing the real-world impacts of choices made by officials rather than the theatrics of the process. This makes his work relevant for stories on regulation, public investment, emergency preparedness and technology governance, especially where those issues intersect with electoral politics.
Brack: October trip to showcase listening across America
Another recurring theme in Brack’s writing is civic culture, particularly the role of listening and dialogue in a divided country. In his column on an October trip “to showcase listening across America,” he uses the idea of a journey to frame questions about how people hear one another across geographic and ideological boundaries. The focus is less on travel detail and more on the habits of attention and respect that underpin a functioning democracy, tying everyday conversations to the broader health of the political system.
This fits with his wider body of work, which frequently returns to civic responsibility, participation and the need for citizens and leaders to engage beyond their immediate interests.
Brack’s emphasis on listening complements his attention to messaging and campaigns, creating a consistent interest in how political language is produced and received. He treats voters as active participants whose reactions help shape the next cycle of messages, policies and candidates, not just as targets of outreach. That perspective provides a useful lens for narratives about civic engagement, political polarization and efforts to rebuild trust in institutions.
McBride’s new collection twinkles with trademark creativity
While politics dominates his work, Brack occasionally steps into arts and entertainment coverage, such as his feature on Danny McBride’s short story collection. In that piece, he introduces McBride through visual detail - “twinkle in his eyes” - and professional context before moving into the substance of the book and its launch event. He describes the collection’s range, from robots and humans to an outsized tale of a writer stalked by someone burning his book, using plot snapshots to convey tone and themes without turning the article into a review essay.
The story also notes the publisher and the planned conversation with another journalist and magazine publisher, situating the book within the broader media and literary landscape.
This occasional cultural coverage shows that Brack applies the same straightforward, reported style to creative work as he does to politics.
He foregrounds the subject - McBride and his stories - while keeping his own voice restrained and factual, making the piece accessible to readers who may not follow his political commentary. For communications teams working on projects that sit at the intersection of culture and public conversation, his ability to move between political analysis and arts storytelling is a notable part of his portfolio.
4 more politics journalists.
A.D. Quig
A.D. Quig follows money and power through Chicago and Cook County government, showing how political decisions, taxes and public spending affect residents and businesses. At the Chicago Tribune, she covers city and county politics, municipal finance, tax policy, budgets and the structures shaping mayoral and council authority. She joined the Tribune in 2022 after covering politics for Crain’s Chicago Business and The Daily Line. Her work examines council power, ethics rules, police leadership, tax incentives, public agencies and pandemic aid. She has reported on data center tax breaks, property tax errors, federal relief spending and the fiscal effects of major development proposals. Quig combines insider government reporting with public accountability journalism. She uses public records, data and budget documents, follows committees and staff negotiations, and explains complex decisions in plain language with precise numbers and a direct link to everyday consequences.
Adam Daly
Adam Daly covers politics for amNewYork with a focus on the inner workings of city and state government and the low-profile forums where power is exercised and negotiated. He reports on commissions and panels that shape how New York is governed, treating charter reform and government efficiency as central political terrain. His coverage of moves to replace an Adams-era charter commission with a new government efficiency panel foregrounds mandate, authority, and what “efficiency” means in practice for agencies and services. He tracks who gains and loses influence when one commission supplants another and which constituencies are being answered to. Daly explains dense procedural questions in clear, reader-facing terms, using specific institutional details and occasional wordplay to connect jargon-heavy reforms to public spending, service delivery, and mayoral power.
Adam Pack
Adam Pack covers Capitol Hill through power struggles, investigations and ideological fights, focusing on how Congress intersects with Donald Trump’s agenda. He is a politics writer on Fox News Digital’s Capitol Hill team, covering Congress, federal elections, legislative battles, election rules, war powers, primaries and intraparty fights. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller News Foundation. His reporting examines deadlines, vote counts, bill language, campaign spending, court rulings, oversight reports, culture clashes and emerging issues such as AI-backed political groups. He has covered FISA reauthorization, defense spending, the SAVE America Act, housing policy, redistricting, candidate absences, primary spending and disputes over sex, gender, religion and race-based caucuses. He reports primarily through news features and investigative-style pieces built around documents, committee reports, court records, unearthed video and specific legislative details. He often co-writes complex Capitol Hill stories and publishes “FIRST ON FOX” exclusives.
Adam Sullivan
Adam Sullivan is a veteran politics reporter for WCAX who connects elections and party disputes to everyday life. He covers statewide races, party primaries, federal representation, political rhetoric, extremism, and accountability across the Upper Valley and neighboring states. His reporting includes Becca Balint’s victory over Molly Gray in the Democratic U.S. House primary to replace Congressman Peter Welch. He also reports when political controversies affect public safety, political culture, towns, and institutions, including a New Hampshire Libertarian Party post endorsing violence against elected Democrats. Sullivan follows cultural stories with civic consequences, such as Noah Kahan’s appeal to fans to stop stealing a Strafford road sign linked to his music. He writes straight news centered on concrete events, official reactions, political context, community impact, and what comes next.