Don Gonyea

Although Don Gonyea is a NPR National Political Correspondent based in Washington, D.C., he spends much of his time traveling throughout the United States covering campaigns, elections, and the political climate throughout the country. His reports can be heard on all NPR programs and at NPR.org.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Gonyea chronicled the controversial election and the ensuing legal recount battles in the courts. At the same time George W. Bush moved into the White House in 2001, Gonyea started as NPR's White House Correspondent. He was at the White House on the morning of September 11, 2001, providing live reports following the evacuation of the building.

As White House correspondent, Gonyea covered the Bush administration's prosecution of wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq and during the 2004 campaign he traveled with President Bush and Democratic nominee John Kerry. In November 2006, Gonyea co-anchored NPR's coverage of historic elections when Democrats captured control of both houses of the US Congress. In 2008, Gonyea was the lead reporter covering the entire Obama presidential campaign for NPR, from the Iowa caucuses to victory night in Chicago. He was also there when candidate Obama visited the Middle East and Europe. He continued covering the White House and President Barack Obama until spring 2010, when he moved into his current position.

Gonyea has filed stories from around the globe, including Moscow, Beijing, London, Islamabad, Doha, Budapest, Seoul, San Salvador, and Hanoi. He attended President Bush's first ever meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Slovenia in 2001, and subsequent, at times testy meetings between the two leaders in St. Petersburg, Shanghai and Bratislava. He also covered Mr.Obama's first trip overseas as president.

In 1986, Gonyea got his start at NPR reporting from Detroit on labor unions and the automobile industry. He spent countless hours on picket lines and in union halls covering strikes, including numerous lengthy work stoppages at GM in the late 1990s. Gonyea also reported on the development of alternative fuel and hybrid-powered automobiles, Dr. Jack Kevorkian's assisted-suicide crusade, and the 1999 closing of Detroit's classic Tiger Stadium — the ballpark of his youth.

Over the years Gonyea has contributed to PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, the BBC, CBC, AP Radio, and the Columbia Journalism Review. He periodically teaches college journalism courses.

Gonyea has won numerous national and state awards for his reporting. He was part of the team that earned NPR a 2000 George Foster Peabody Award for the All Things Considered series "Lost & Found Sound."

A native of Monroe, Michigan, Gonyea is an honors graduate of Michigan State University.

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11:52am

Sat February 16, 2013
It's All Politics

College Republicans Offer GOP Advice For Winning Over Their Generation

Originally published on Sat February 16, 2013 11:59 am

During President Obama's State of the Union address this week, 14 members of the College Republicans at Ohio State University gathered in a meeting room at their student union on campus in Columbus, Ohio.

The president's speech, which they watched on a giant flat-screen TV, was punctuated with groans, rebuttal, criticisms and sarcasm from this young audience. These students worked hard, to no avail, to deliver the much prized battleground state of Ohio to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

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6:41am

Sat February 16, 2013
Politics

Young Republicans Say 'Grand Old Party' Needs To Win Youth Votes

Originally published on Sat February 16, 2013 12:16 pm

A group of young Republicans at Ohio State University discuss the president's policies, his popularity with their cohort and what the GOP needs to do to win more young votes.

4:48pm

Tue February 5, 2013
Politics

How The Labor Movement Did A 180 On Immigration

Originally published on Tue February 5, 2013 6:36 pm

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images

The AFL-CIO begins a big push this week to build momentum for comprehensive changes to the nation's immigration laws.

But it wasn't long ago that organized labor viewed illegal workers in the U.S. as a threat — and fought against proposals that would lead to citizenship.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, referenced the labor movement's history with the immigration issue in a YouTube message to members late last year.

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5:27am

Sat January 26, 2013
It's All Politics

For GOP Comeback, Leaders Urge Stepped-Up Outreach

Originally published on Sat January 26, 2013 5:36 pm

Credit Mark Wilson / Getty Images

In their first big party gathering since Election Day, Republican leaders from around the country met in Charlotte, N.C., this week.

The GOP is promising a great deal of change in advance of the next election, but one area where there will be no change for the party is in its leadership. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was elected to another two-year term.

In his acceptance speech, he cited a simple reason why Republicans failed to win the White House and lost seats in the House and Senate in November.

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6:46am

Fri January 25, 2013
Politics

GOP To 'Aggressively Court' Minority Voters

Originally published on Fri January 25, 2013 9:14 am

GOP leaders are in Charlotte, North Carolina, trying to map out a comeback from the drubbing they took in the November elections. The Republican National Committee says it will not abandon core conservative principles. But party officials are looking to attract Latinos and other minority voters, along with young people.

5:17pm

Thu January 24, 2013
It's All Politics

At Winter Gathering, GOP Asks: Where Do We Go From Here?

Originally published on Thu January 24, 2013 5:22 pm

Credit Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images

11:08am

Mon January 21, 2013
Inauguration 2013

Taking A Train From Chicago To D.C. For Obama's Big Day

A group of women traveled 18 hours by train from Chicago to Washington, D.C., for Inauguration Day. We hear about why they and others decided to attend this year's festivities, which fall on Martin Luther King Day.

3:32am

Fri January 18, 2013
It's All Politics

Latino Voters Urge Obama To Keep Immigration Promise

Originally published on Fri January 18, 2013 9:35 am

Latino voters were a key to President Obama's victory in November, turning out in big numbers and supporting Obama by more than 2 to 1 over Republican Mitt Romney.

Now, many of those voters say it's time for Obama to do something he did not do in his first term: push hard for and sign a comprehensive immigration overhaul.

Let's start with a group of Latinos — young and old, some U.S. citizens, some not — heading from Florida to Washington, D.C., for Obama's inauguration and for meetings with members of Congress. As caravans go, it's a small one: 13 people in two vans.

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5:57pm

Thu January 10, 2013
It's All Politics

For Young Republican, Defying Boehner In Washington Plays Well Back Home

Originally published on Thu January 10, 2013 6:50 pm

When the rumored rebellion against House Speaker John Boehner's bid for a second term played out last week, the very first Republican to not vote for Boehner was Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., just three names into the alphabetical roll call.

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5:23pm

Tue December 11, 2012
Politics

Key Part Of Negotiating Is Running Into The Deadline

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 9:34 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

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