Washington Post hires WSJ’s Bendavid

Washington Post national editor Steven Ginsberg, deputy national editor Lori Montgomery and senior politics editorPeter Wallsten sent out the following announcement on Friday:

We are very excited to announce that Naftali Bendavid is joining The Washington Post as deputy campaign editor.

Naftali comes to us from The Wall Street Journal, where he was an editor overseeing coverage of the Justice Department, Supreme Court and Mueller investigation, as well as the health and education beats. At The Post, he will work alongside Campaign Editor Cathy Decker to help run the team covering the 2020 presidential race.

Naftali had a long background in reporting before he joined the editing ranks. He worked for the Journal in Brussels, covering the European Union and NATO. Before that, he covered Congress for the Journal and the White House for the Chicago Tribune. He trailed Al Gore during the 2000 presidential campaign and election recount, and he led the Tribune’s coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also wrote a book, “The Thumpin’,” about the 2006 Democratic takeover of the House. In the more distant past, Naftali worked for the Miami Herald, covering local government and municipal corruption.

Naftali, who grew up locally and went to Woodrow Wilson High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University and a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. He lives with his wife and two children in Takoma Park.