At this point, reporters from Politico gravitating to CNN is like a game of Red Rover.
Red Rover Red Rover, let Manu Raju come over!
And with that, Raju, one of Politico‘s top reporters, will be a senior political reporter for the network, straddling the worlds of Congress and politics.
Politico cannot be pleased. Raju is the 11th reporter since last summer to jump ship and head to CNN. At this point they’re going to have to turn off CNN in the newsroom and keep the dial permanently on HGTV.
At a recent company wide meeting in May, Raju was among the few reporters who rose up out of the audience to say a few words about his job covering Congress. It was clear that Raju’s role was something Politico higher-ups wanted the others to aspire to.
See the internal memo below.
We are thrilled to announce that Manu Raju is joining CNN as a senior political reporter.
Manu, now a senior congressional reporter at POLITICO, will use his expertise and tremendous reporting skills to straddle the worlds of Congress and politics. He’ll focus on the senators who are running for president and also will work with our fabulous congressional team to bring us high-impact, behind-the-scenes reporting on Congress as we embark on an eventful and consequential fall.
Manu has years of experience on the Hill and has won multiple journalism awards, most recently in June when he received first prize from the Society of Professional Journalists for beat reporting.
Manu will help with both digital and television coverage in our integrated bureau. He starts here September 8. Please join us in welcoming him to CNN.
Virginia and Rachel
Raju posted a heartfelt note on Facebook:
Friends: I have some personal news to share. After seven amazing years at POLITICO, I am opening a new chapter in my career. I am joining CNN as a senior political reporter, covering Capitol Hill and the 2016 elections.
I can’t thank my friends and colleagues at POLITICO enough for the last seven years. I’ve been with the company since it was a rag-tag startup through the time where POLITICO has become a dominant force covering national politics, reshaping how politics is covered in the U.S. and expanding to Europe and across a number of state capitals. It has been remarkable to be part of this truly stellar and talented team of reporters and editors, especially the top-flight group of journalists who have aggressively covered Capitol Hill with me. I am greatly going to miss working with them.
At the same time, I am extremely excited about the new gig at CNN. I am tasked with covering all the drama in Congress, as well as the campaign trail, including the senators who are running for president and the consequential Senate races as well. I will be reporting both on TV and digital platforms and writing extensive reports for CNNPolitics.com. I start Sept. 8.