Professional Affiliation

Chief Political Correspondent, New York Times Magazine

Expert Bio

Matt Bai is the chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine, where he covered the last three presidential campaigns.

He also writes the "Political Times" column that appears regularly in the Caucus, the Times' political blog. Bai often explores issues of generational change in American politics and society. His cover articles in the magazine include the 2008 essay "Is Obama the End of Black Politics?" and a 2004 profile of John Kerry titled, "Kerry's Undeclared War." Bai is also the author of ''The Argument: Inside the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics,'' which was honored as a New York Times Notable Book for 2007.

Before joining The Times Magazine in 2002, Bai was a national correspondent for Newsweek and a city-desk reporter for The Boston Globe. In 2001, he was a fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government. Bai is a graduate of Tufts and Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism.

Wilson Center Project

"Troublesome Gulch: The Week that Changed American Politics"

Project Summary

He was an American visionary, the first of the sixties generation to reach the threshold of the presidency. Then, in the space of five days in 1987, Gary Hart’s promising political career came crashing down in a sex scandal unlike any that came before. In this book, to be published by Alfred A. Knopf, Matt Bai revisits the first modern political scandal and its underlying causes, and he explores its profound impact on today’s political journalism and the culture of Washington.

Major Publications

The Argument: Inside the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics (2007)