Mitch Perry
The Washington, D.C.-based political website Politico began in 2007 with 35 employees.
It now maintains more than 400 staff members globally. Among the most notable hires for political junkies in Florida was when the site raided Marc Caputo from the Miami Herald in January.
Now Politico says Caputo will be joined by a “team of political and policy writers in Tallahassee.”
The news was released via an email from President and CEO Jim VandeHei to the Politico staff Wednesday morning. He said that as part of providing more coverage in state capitals, Politico will begin by hiring more reporters in Trenton, N.J., and then follow up in Tallahassee, with bureaus also to open in California, Illinois and Massachusetts, with more to follow.
“[A]ll expansion will take place under the POLITICO banner in the states and overseas,” VandeHei wrote. “We will have lots of outposts but all will fall under one name. We are blessed with a brand people know and respect — and a publisher in Robert Allbritton who wants to spread it everywhere. This starts with our Capital New York operation. It will become POLITICO New York. It will be the same great staff and approach under a new name. We have New York politics and policy wired — and this will allow readers to not only enjoy our local coverage but benefit from knowing what’s happening in other states. …
“Later this year, we will launch POLITICO in Jersey with a mix of free and paid content for the state written by reporters with expertise and experience in the state,” he said. “We will create a bureau with the clear mandate to dominate coverage in Trenton and beyond. This process is underway. Shortly after, we will launch in Florida, hiring a team of political and policy writers in Tallahassee to join Caputo, who’s already killing it down there. We will follow with additional states as quickly as we can.”
