I’m Molly Ball, a political reporter, analyst, commentator and author based in Washington, D.C. I write about the people, ideas and events driving American politics, from campaigns to Congress to the White House. I’m currently working on a book about America’s political realignment, to be published by Henry Holt in 2027. 

Previously, I served as the senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, covering campaigns, the White House, Congress, political personalities and policy debates across America. Prior to that, I covered U.S. politics for Time magazine, the Atlantic, Politico and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. I am the author of Pelosi, a New York Times bestselling biography of the first woman speaker of the House, published in 2020.

I have received numerous awards for my political coverage, including the Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress, the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency and the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting. I am a graduate of Yale University, a former Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan and once won $100,000 on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” 

I grew up in Idaho and Colorado. I currently live in the Washington, D.C., area with my husband and three children.