Brakkton Booker

Brakkton Booker is a National Political Correspondent with POLITICO based in Washington D.C. He writes on the intersection of race, politics, culture and power. He is also the author of The Recast newsletter he helped launch in 2021.

Prior to joining POLITICO he spent more than 17 years at NPR, serving in various roles including a National Desk reporter. During the nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd, he led NPR’s America Reckons with Racial Injustice vertical, where he tracked high-profile encounters of Black Americans and law enforcement.

He also covered both Senate impeachment trials of former President Donald Trump and has covered national elections dating back to 2012.

Originally from the Los Angeles area, Brakkton graduated from Howard University and got his first paid journalism gig as a CBS News desk assistant during the early days of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

In his free time, he enjoys working on his middling golf game and sampling new brands of fine whiskey.