Dan Balz is chief correspondent at The Washington Post. He joined the paper in 1978 and has been involved in the paper’s political coverage as a reporter or editor throughout his years at the paper. Balz has served as national editor, political editor, White House correspondent and as the paper’s Texas-based Southwest correspondent.

He is co-author with Haynes Johnson of the 2009 book “The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election.” He is also co-author with Ronald Brownstein of the 1996 book, “Storming the Gates: Protest Politics and the Republican Revival.”

He is a past recipient of the American Political Science Association award for his coverage of politics and the Gerald R. Ford journalism prize for coverage of the presidency. Also, he was given the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Before coming to the Post, he worked as a reporter and deputy editor for National Journal and as a reporter for thePhiladelphia Inquirer.

Balz was born in Freeport, Illinois, graduated from the University of Illinois and served in the U.S. Army. He is married to Nancy Johnson Balz and they have one son.

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