Mark Pazniokas
Mark Pazniokas covers how political power is exercised and contested in Connecticut, focusing on the decisions of governors, legislative leaders and state agencies and their consequences for ethics, money and public services. He is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror, with more than four decades of reporting on state politics. His current work ranges from corruption cases and enforcement standards to campaign strategy, public financing and the intersection of state and federal policy. His reporting combines close attention to individual actors with a sustained interest in the rules, institutions and historical context that shape political outcomes.
Kosta Diamantis, still a fugitive, sentenced to 7 years in prison
Pazniokas uses the long-running corruption case of former state official Konstantinos “Kosta” Diamantis to show how misconduct inside government plays out across the courts, agencies and the media.
He reports on Diamantis’ sentencing in absentia to 84 months in prison for extorting bribes from contractors, detailing the charges and the consequences of his failure to appear. In earlier coverage, he tracks Diamantis’ flight to Greece while facing more than a decade in prison, as well as ongoing attempts to remain in the public conversation through interviews and a push for a pardon. Across these stories, he treats the case as both a criminal narrative and a test of the state’s capacity to respond to corruption, returning to the subject as new developments emerge.
His focus on the Diamantis saga sits alongside other ethics and accountability pieces, including coverage of antisemitic content involving a legislative candidate and the response by House leadership.
CT’s public campaign financing: Here’s what to know
Pazniokas devotes significant attention to how campaigns are funded and fought, including explanatory work on Connecticut’s system of public campaign financing. In his explainer on public financing, he breaks down the rules and structures that govern how candidates access state funds, giving readers a practical guide to a complex system.
Around that, he covers how money and strategy play out in real contests, such as Gov.
Ned Lamont’s early general-election television ads against Republican Ryan Fazio and the ways those ads reflect Lamont’s comfort level with political combat. He follows polling and momentum in the same race, using Quinnipiac survey data to frame Lamont’s double-digit lead and what it signals about the campaign’s trajectory. His debate coverage of GOP candidates Ryan Fazio and Betsy McCaughey, including pledges to eliminate the income tax or deliver large tax cuts, shows how policy promises are packaged for voters and tested in live forums.
He also reports on special election results, such as Democrat Iris Sanchez winning a House seat, which keeps his campaign reporting grounded in who ultimately gains power. A story on Lamont wanting to charge companies whose employees rely on Medicaid fits the same pattern, tying tax and health policy directly to the governor’s approach to business and labor.
Police standards council recommends new rules on Flock cameras
Beyond electoral contests, Pazniokas covers how state-level bodies set rules for law enforcement and surveillance technology, emphasizing the policy details that affect civil liberties.
In his reporting on the police standards council, he describes recommendations for stringent new rules on automated license plate readers and other surveillance tools, explaining how different technologies - from fixed-camera networks to drones - are folded into statewide guidance. He highlights controversies in specific communities over Flock Safety license plate readers as invasions of privacy, showing how local disputes trigger broader regulatory responses.
His account of proposed limits on data retention, including a seven-day cap that tightens existing law, illustrates his tendency to follow technical provisions that carry significant implications for privacy and policing. This work sits at the intersection of politics, law and technology, reflecting his interest in how state institutions constrain or expand government power.
Blumenthal, Lamont: Trump blocking CT grants for political reasons
Pazniokas frequently situates Connecticut politics within a national frame, following federal decisions and national figures when they directly affect the state. In his reporting on claims that the Trump administration blocked clean energy grants to Connecticut for political reasons, he details a federal judge’s conclusion that the termination of $7.6 billion in grants was illegal and notes the portion that was slated for state recipients such as the University of Connecticut and major corporate players. That piece shows him explaining not just the political charge but also the legal outcomes and financial stakes tied to federal climate and energy programs.
Earlier, he covers Barack Obama’s rare public remarks at a Hartford forum, giving readers access to the substance and tone of a former president’s engagement with local audiences. His story on the remediation and redevelopment of a former coal-fired plant in Bridgeport similarly blends environmental, economic and political angles, tracking how an old industrial site is reimagined under contemporary energy and development policy.
Endorsement coverage, such as Rep. Jamie Raskin backing Rep.
John Larson as an advocate for change, rounds out his attention to how national figures influence or validate Connecticut’s political actors.
Over his career, Pazniokas has covered major state political stories, including a gubernatorial impeachment inquiry and resignation, a nationally watched Senate race won by an independent candidate, and high-spending U.S. Senate campaigns that reshaped expectations for money in Connecticut politics. He has reported on state politics for other newspapers and contributed political coverage to national outlets and broadcast media, building a long, continuous record on Connecticut’s government and campaigns.
His inclusion on a Washington Post list of the best state capitol reporters in the country underscores a sustained emphasis on rigorous, grounded reporting from inside the statehouse. Across daily stories, features and explainers, his work is marked by a consistent focus on power, rules and accountability in Connecticut’s public life.
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.