Marc Rod

About

I'm an experienced digital, print, and multimedia journalist specializing in politics and breaking news, with a particular focus on Capitol Hill and congressional campaigns. I am currently the Capitol Hill reporter for Jewish Insider. I write a combination of breaking news and feature stories focusing on subjects including U.S. foreign policy, national security, congressional campaigns, domestic extremism and other major Congressional news, as well as congressional campaigns. I identify, generate, and pursue most of my own story ideas, and work independently on a variety of stories simultaneously with minimal supervision. I have developed a strong understanding of current political dynamics and a keen ability to spot emerging political trends and issues. My coverage has made me widely read in the political and foreign policy communities and has frequently driven conversations on and off the Hill.Recently, I have repeatedly landed scoops about Congressional responses to the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, particularly skepticism among House Democrats. Additionally, my consistent scoops about delays to Biden administration nominee Deborah Lipstadt’s confirmation prompted a major Jewish community pressure campaign and drove coverage in larger media outlets. Other scoops have included key details about the Iron Dome funding debate on Capitol Hill and the confirmation proceedings for Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides and various facets of Congressional Israel policy.I have covered the 2020 and 2022 congressional campaign cycles closely. In 2020, I interviewed around 60 congressional candidates — primarily in critical swing districts, open seats and hotly-contested primaries. I have continued this reporting in the 2022 cycle. This campaign cycle, I was the first to report that AIPAC was launching a PAC and super PAC — which have become a major force in the Democratic primaries — and have consistently broken news about the groups’ efforts. My reporting on the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District sparked ongoing debate over PAC spending between the candidates and elucidated some of the key dynamics in the race. Recently, I secured the only interview with attendees at John Fetterman’s first fundraiser since returning to the campaign trail. In 2020, I was the first reporter to expose Marjorie Taylor Greene’s QAnon blog, and among the first to extensively cover her history of conspiracy theory promotion, before she won her primary.