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Stephen Reader

Stephen Reader covers politics for It's a Free Country, WNYC's interactive politics site. He joined the station in 2010 and has also worked for Studio 360, WNYC's Peabody Award-winning show about art, culture, and creativity.

Stephen got his start in radio at the College of William & Mary, where he was a DJ and Music Director for the student-run station WCWM. He was a frequent contributor to the station's music magazine Vinyl Tap, and continues to do occasional freelance work in arts and entertainment. His work has appeared on Studio 360, where he also helped produce a piece on Jimi Hendrix for the show's American Icons series, and in The Awl.

As a political reporter, Stephen has covered redistricting, gay marriage legalization, and Egyptian solidarity protests in New York. At the national level, Stephen has covered 2012 electoral politics, campaign finance, health care reform, budget debates, tax policy, and more. He has produced features for the WNYC newsroom and has been a guest on The Takeaway, WNYC's national morning news show.

Born in New Orleans, raised in Virginia, Stephen has a degree from the College of William & Mary. He's on Twitter @reader_stephen.

Blogs:

Stephen Reader appears in the following:

Who Had the Better Week—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, June 01, 2012

Cuomo approval reaches new heights, and Chris Christie takes in a Beyonce concert.

Comment

Zombie Tweets: The Next Social Media Threat to Politicos

Thursday, May 31, 2012

For the past six months, a website called Politwoops has been bringing politicians' deleted tweets back to life. Does that mean it's time for them to change their social media strategy?

Comment

Another 2013 Candidate? NYS Regents Chancellor Tisch Considering Run

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

New York State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch is reportedly leaving the door open for a 2013 mayoral run.

Read More

Comments [1]

Name Your Own Political Party

Friday, May 25, 2012

Use our Political Party Name Generator to get the creative juices flowing, then tell us what you'd name your party.

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Who Had the Better Week—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, May 25, 2012

Both rock stars in their own right, both trying to right their states' ships, and both building serious momentum for a potential presidential run. Every Friday, we'll look at whose week will look better on a résumé come 2016.

Check out last week's results here.

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Need to Register to Vote in the NY Congressional Primary? Here's How

Thursday, May 24, 2012

New York's congressional primary is a month away, but the deadline to register to vote in the election comes next week. Here's what you need to do if you've never registered to vote, or changed addresses (or parties) since last time.

Read More

Comment

In Little Egypt, New Yorkers Cast a Ballot for Mubarak's Successor

Thursday, May 24, 2012

When the polls close on Thursday after two days of voting – and over a year of post-revolution confusion – Egypt will have elected its first president since Hosni Mubarak. Who that should be depends on who you ask.

Read More

Comment

Explainer: If Oil Production Increased, Why Aren't Republicans Gassed?

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A June auction of over 38 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico for drilling may look nice on the President's energy résumé, but leaves oil companies and Republicans wanting more.

Comment

Who Had the Better Week—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, May 18, 2012

In a Guv-Mayor tag-team matchup, Cuomo and Bloomberg are at odds over food stamp fingerprinting, while Christie and Booker score a big viral video success.

Comments [1]

Explainer: Why Don't Non-Profits Lose Their Tax-Exempt Status for Lobbying?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Non-profits can lose their tax-exempt status if they engage in lobbying, but the rules are vague enough that most political activities go unpunished.

Comment

Study: Matching Funds Up Donor Diversity in NYC

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Less wealthy, more racially diverse: That's the donor profile for elections in New York City, where a system of matching small campaign donations with public funds allows minorities and lower-income individuals greater influence than in state elections without a similar system, according to a new study.

Comments [1]

On Week of Obama's Gay Marriage Switch, Who Fared Better—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, May 11, 2012

When President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage, Cuomo applauded while Christie dug in.

Comments [3]

Explainer: Why 60 percent of NC Voters Didn't Understand Amendment One

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

On Tuesday voters in North Carolina voted in huge numbers to ban same-sex marriage. And yet, 60 percent don't fully understand what the legislation they voted on actually does.

Comments [1]

Timeline | Pedro Espada's Long Dance with the Law

Monday, May 07, 2012

Former state Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada is currently facing charges that he looted around a half million dollars from the nonprofit Soundview Healthcare Network, but it is far from the first time the politician has had brushes with the law. WNYC created an interactive look back at Espada's fraught history with the rules dating back to 2000.

Read More

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Who Had the Better Week—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, May 04, 2012

Cuomo continues to work around the Legislature, while Mr. Christie goes to Wisconsin.

Comments [2]

Thanks SuperPACs! Negative Political Ads Up 70 Percent

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Seven out of ten political ads have been negative during the 2012 election cycle. It's a far cry from 2008, when only one in ten ads attacked candidates by name — and when interest groups weren't funding the majority of political ads.

Comments [4]

Adios Newt: What Gingrich's SuperPAC Should Buy Next

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

That's all, folks. Now what happens to the Super PAC leftovers?

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On bin Laden Anniversary, Romney and Giuliani Visit 9/11 First Responders

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

A year to the day after a team of Navy SEALs stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, Mitt Romney was visiting firefighters in New York.

Comments [2]

As GOP Opens Field Offices, Romney Trailing in Most Battleground States

Monday, April 30, 2012

The Republican Party will have field offices open in 12 key battleground states by mid-May. It's an infrastructure Mitt Romney will inherit when we finally stop putting "presumptive" in front of "nominee," and one he'll rely on to overcome recent polling deficits in crucial contests.

Comments [1]

Who Had the Better Week—Cuomo or Christie?

Friday, April 27, 2012

Cuomo welcomes solar energy, and Christie bids farewell to the New Jersey Nets, as only he can.

Comments [1]