About Hotline On Call Editor Jennifer Skalka

Jennifer Skalka is the editor of Hotline On Call, a lively and original political reporting blog.

She comes to National Journal’s Hotline from The Baltimore Sun, where she covered the Maryland State House and the 2006 U.S. Senate contest between Benjamin L. Cardin and Michael S. Steele. Skalka also reported for The Sun on the gubernatorial administrations of Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Martin O’Malley.

Skalka worked previously for the Chicago Tribune, writing for the Metro desk from a suburban beat and covering the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. Her first reporting job was for the Concord Monitor. There, she had a range of assignments, including John F. Kerry’s 2004 presidential primary campaign, the New Hampshire Legislature, then-Gov. Craig Benson, Concord City Hall and a regional beat. Primary night aside, her favorite day of New Hampshire reporting … The Old Man of the Mountain’s demise.

A native of Washington, D.C., Skalka graduated from Tufts University with a degree in political science. She holds a master’s from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where she was awarded a fellowship to cover the 2000 presidential campaign with a focus on issues of interest to younger voters. Her work for the project was published by several outlets, including MTV and PBS Washington Week in Review, as well as the Idaho Statesman, Trenton Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Philadelphia Daily News. The position was funded by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

When not writing or blogging, Skalka can be found in the park with her four-year-old, (New Hampshire-born) golden retriever, Stella.