Rose Schmidt
Rose Schmidt connects the mechanics of power - elections, budgets, surveillance technology and the justice system - to how they play out in the lives of people in Illinois and beyond. As a political reporter and producer for NBC 5 Chicago, she tracks campaigns, policy fights and oversight hearings while grounding each story in what is at stake for voters and communities. Her coverage blends on-the-ground reporting with clear explanations of complex systems, from super PAC spending and credit-card legislation to data privacy and the conduct of law enforcement.
Illinois elections and shifting political power
Schmidt’s political coverage focuses heavily on how Illinois elections redistribute power and money at the state and federal level.
She breaks down why super PACs are pouring money into the Illinois primary, explaining in plain terms how industries like crypto and artificial intelligence, as well as pro-Israel groups, have driven more than $31 million in spending across four congressional races. She frames the 2026 primary as a generational turning point, emphasizing that five open congressional seats give voters a rare opportunity to reshape Illinois politics for decades to come. On individual races, she tracks outcomes and implications, reporting on Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller’s victory in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd District and what that means for representation after Robin Kelly’s departure.
Schmidt also covers the evolving field for Chicago’s 2027 mayoral election, providing updates as new contenders enter the race and situating their campaigns in the city’s broader political narrative.
Chicago mayoral politics and budget battles
Schmidt follows Chicago’s mayoral politics with an emphasis on how fiscal choices and leadership contests intersect. She reports on the city’s projected $882.4 million budget deficit for 2027, clarifying how that shortfall, reduced from an earlier $1.2 billion estimate, shapes the mayor’s options and the pressure on the administration’s financial team. Her coverage centers on what city leaders are and are not willing to say publicly about how they plan to close the gap, highlighting the transparency and accountability dimensions of budget forecasting.
On air, she contributes to deeper political analysis, joining “The Takeaway” with Alex Maragos and Mary Ann Ahern to discuss Mayor Brandon Johnson’s performance, poll numbers and political future as he approaches the midpoint of his term. She brings long-view context to these conversations, drawing on experience covering four different Chicago mayoral administrations in her career.
Law, public safety and civil liberties
Schmidt often works at the intersection of politics, public safety and civil liberties, covering how policy decisions and law enforcement practices affect individuals in concrete ways. Her reporting on Flock license plate readers follows the story from a heated public debate in Will County - where officials approved cameras on highways across multiple municipalities - to a U.S. Senate hearing where privacy concerns and data-retention limits took center stage. She tracks both the local votes that authorize surveillance infrastructure and the national oversight efforts that seek to regulate that data, showing how federal funding and rules cascade down to state and local practice.
In coverage of an Evanston case where federal agents went to the wrong address and a man was hurt during the mistaken arrest attempt, she documents what happened and foregrounds the questions it raises about training, accountability and redress.
Her work on UChicago Law’s ban on electronics in first-year classrooms looks at how institutional rules around technology shape critical thinking and classroom culture, tying an academic policy decision back to broader debates about attention and learning. She also reports on serious violent incidents in and around Chicago, including the shooting after the city’s tree lighting ceremony that left seven teens injured and a mass drive-by shooting in Princeton Park that wounded at least a dozen people.
Across these stories, she blends detailed case reporting with the larger policy context, such as ongoing investigations or legislative responses.
Money, campaigns and government accountability
Schmidt’s political beat extends into stories about how money, technology and institutional power collide in government operations and campaigns.
She covers the dispute between Cook County officials and the technology contractor hired to overhaul the county’s property tax and court systems, reporting on allegations that Treasurer Maria Pappas verbally abused staff during the upgrade process and the broader stakes for taxpayers when core systems are modernized under public scrutiny. Her reporting on the “Credit Card Chaos” ads explains a complex Illinois bill on swipe fees that has triggered intense pressure from banks and card companies, unpacking both the messaging blitz and the legal challenges to the law as its July 1 effective date approaches. On the campaign side, she connects advertising strategies, funding sources and legislative outcomes, showing how targeted communications are aimed at shaping both voter perceptions and policymaker decisions.
Earlier in her career, Schmidt reported at stations in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee and Madison, covering everything from Wisconsin’s contentious state legislature to the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship run, experience that informs her ability to track political and civic stories across different cities and statehouses. That background reinforces a through-line in her current work: she treats budgets, bills, surveillance tools and elections not as abstractions, but as systems that can be clearly explained and tested against the lived experiences of the people they affect.
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.