Michael Scherer is TIME’s Washington Bureau Chief. After joining TIME in December 2007, he was named White House correspondent in January 2009.

During the 2012 presidential race, Scherer traveled regularly with the President on Air Force One, explored the swing states, and worked his sources inside the West Wing. The result was a wide spectrum of stories, both online and in the magazine, three of which became TIME covers. These include a story explaining Obama’s plans for a second term, a profile of Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign talents, an explanation of the campaign’s Latino strategy, a long deconstruction of Obama’s victory and the first ever inside look at the cutting-edge digital and data operation.

Previously, Scherer was TIME’s Washington correspondent, a role in which he covered general politics and traveled extensively with Senator John McCain during the 2008 campaign.

Before joining TIME, Scherer was the Washington correspondent for Salon.com, where he covered politics and elections. Before joining Salon, he was a Washington correspondent for Mother Jones, an assistant editor at the Columbia Journalism Review and an education reporter for the Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, Mass.). His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone and The Nation.

Scherer received an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

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