Kelly O’Donnell is a veteran political correspondent currently working a Pennsylvania Avenue beat for NBC News reporting from both the White House and Capitol Hill. 

During the 2016 campaign season, O’Donnell followed numerous candidates in both parties. She was the only NBC News correspondent assigned to report on the campaigns of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Traveling more than 100,000 miles around the country’s battlegrounds gave O’Donnell unusual insight and context about the political landscape of an extraordinary year. O’Donnell broke a number of stories including the election night bulletin that Hillary Clinton had conceded to Donald Trump, the Democratic National Committee’s removal of its own party chairwoman at the convention, and the secret visit of Governor Mike Pence to interview with Donald Trump to become his running mate.

O’Donnell’s reporting has taken her to all 50 states and to 49 countries. From the Rose Garden to Baghdad, four Olympic Games, Capitol Hill, and the campaign trail, the scope of her assignments is uncommon.

She has covered six presidential cycles and White House duty reporting on three presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Her Capitol Hill reporting tracked the extended battle over health care, the rise of the Tea Party movement, the government shutdown, Supreme Court nominations, and bipartisan brinksmanship. She has reported on the speakerships of Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, and Paul Ryan. 

O’Donnell has covered numerous international stories, including the deadly terrorist attack at Brussels airport, Queen Elizabeth’s 50th Jubilee, and Pope John Paul II on international tours. In Iraq, she was embedded with the Third Infantry Division during operations in Fallujah in 2003. Domestic stories included the September 11th attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the OJ Simpson saga.

O’Donnell’s work on the 2008 presidential election earned an Emmy and National Headliner Award. She received the 2009 New Hampshire Primary Award for political reporting and two Los Angeles Press Club Awards for feature reporting. She was inducted into the Ohio Radio/Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004 and has received dozens of Emmy nominations.

O’Donnell has received the 2014 Alumnae Award and in 2010 the Alumni Merit award from Northwestern University. She graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree from the School of Education and Social Policy.