Steve Benen is a political writer, an Emmy Award-winning producer with MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, editor of The MaddowBlog, and a New York Times bestselling author.
Born and raised in Miami, Fla., Steve graduated from Florida International University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He then attended the George Washington University, earning a master’s degree in political science in 1997. Before graduating, he also interned at the Clinton White House.
After graduating, Steve worked as a staff writer at Church & State magazine from 1997 to 2002, before creating his own independent political blog, The Carpetbagger Report, which he published from 2003 to 2008. From there, Steve was picked up by the Washington Monthly, where he authored the magazine’s Political Animal blog. He left to join Rachel Maddow’s team at MSNBC in January 2012.
Steve’s first book, “The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics,” was published in 2020 and was a national bestseller. His second book, “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past,” was published in 2024 and reached the New York Times’ bestsellers list.
In 2009, The Atlantic included Steve on the list of the top 50 most influential political commentators in the United States.
Steve’s articles and op-eds have appeared in a variety of publications, including The New York Times, the Washington Monthly, The American Prospect, The Huffington Post, and the New York Daily News. He has also been a contributor to Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, and Political Wire.
Steve has been a guest on dozens of radio and television programs. He lives in Vermont with his wife.
