Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency. It was a sponsor of the 2008 Republican Presidential candidates debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on May 3, 2007, the 2008 Democratic Presidential candidates debate at the Kodak Theater on January 31, 2008, and the 2012 Republican Presidential candidates debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 7, 2011.

John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei left The Washington Post to become Politico's editor-in-chief and executive editor, respectively, launching the newspaper on January 23, 2007. Frederick J. Ryan Jr., former assistant to President Ronald Reagan, is president and chief executive officer.

Politico is owned by Allbritton Communications, which owns television stations in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, all affiliated with the Disney-owned ABC network.

James Kotecki (born 23 October 1985 in Syracuse, New York) is an American video blogger, online commentator, and self-described "political geek" who turned into a YouTube celebrity during the United States presidential election in 2008.

James graduated from Raleigh Charter High School, then magna cum laude from Georgetown University in May 2007 with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service.

As a senior student at Georgetown, James spent his spare time in his dormitory, creating videos critiquing the 2008 presidential campaign candidates, and subsequently posting them on YouTube.

His witty and slightly cynical remarks and occasional rapping and playing the guitar in his videos had caught the attention of many people including politicians who agreed to appear in his dormitory for an interview; namely, Mike Gravel, former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska and a candidate in the 2008 presidential election, and Ron Paul, Republican Congressman for the State of Texas. James was also able to interview Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi ( /pəˈloʊsi/; born March 26, 1940) is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. She was the first woman to hold the office and to date, has been the highest-ranking female politician in American history.

A member of the Democratic Party, Pelosi has represented California's 8th congressional district, which consists of four-fifths of the city and county of San Francisco, since 1987. The district was numbered as the 5th during Pelosi's first three terms in the House. She served as the House Minority Whip from 2002 to 2003, and was House Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007, holding the post during the 108th and 109th Congresses. Pelosi is the first woman, the first Californian and first Italian-American to lead a major party in Congress. After the Democrats took control of the House in 2007 and increased their majority in 2009, Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House for the 110th and 111th Congresses.

Louis Carl "Lou" Dobbs (born September 24, 1945) is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.

He was born in Texas and lived there and in Idaho during his childhood. After graduating from Harvard University, Dobbs worked in government and banking before becoming a news reporter for several local media outlets. He had worked with CNN since its founding in 1980, serving as a reporter and vice president. He was the host and managing editor for CNN's Moneyline, which premiered in 1980 and was renamed Lou Dobbs Tonight in 2003. Dobbs resigned from CNN in 1999, rejoined in 2000, and resigned again in November 2009. He also hosts a syndicated radio show, Lou Dobbs Radio and has written several books since 2001.

Dobbs describes himself as an "independent populist" and is known for his opposition to NAFTA and support for immigration enforcement. For his reporting, he has won Emmy, Peabody, and Cable ACE awards.

Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell (/rɛnˈdɛl/; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania, from 2003 to 2011. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003. He was recently a member of the Democratic Governors Association Executive Committee and served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the 2000 presidential election. Rendell is also a football analyst on Comcast SportsNet's Eagles Postgame Live, hosted by Michael Barkann.

From 2008 to 2009, Governor Rendell was the Chairman of the National Governors Association. He was married to Marjorie Rendell, a federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit until they amicably separated in 2011. Rendell is also a faculty member of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, and chair of Team Pennsylvania Foundation.

Rendell was born in New York City, the son of Emma (née Sloat) and Jesse T. Rendell. His parents were Jewish and all four of his grandparents were immigrants from Russia. He attended Riverdale Country School before the University of Pennsylvania, where he joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity in 1962 and earned a B.A. degree, 1965, and Villanova University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 1968. He served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1968 to 1974.