Institute of Politics

Overview of Organization: The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter is an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the US House of Representatives, US Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends.

Internship Summary: This internship is an excellent opportunity for any student interested in politics and public affairs. We are a small team that punches above its weight and love working with interns who are dynamic, independent and comfortable working with a team. This summer will be busy with briefings, political conventions and the fast-moving developments of the 2024 election cycle. There will be independent research projects, tasks and the opportunity to support our involvement with the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and Cook Political Report joint political convention programming. Our interns will also help us as we celebrate the CPR's 40th anniversary. This internship provides a multifaceted experience, allowing interns to engage in various aspects of political affairs, research, and content development within an energetic and fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities: We won't know the specifics of this position’s tasks and projects until late spring. As a guide, interns may be responsible for:

Research

• Editing candidate profiles on select House, Senate and/or Governor races.
• Compiling a list of campaign contacts / consultants working on major races.
• Learning to create a FEC report & pull ad spending data.
• Assisting with historical research of past elections.

Possible Projects

• Assisting an editor on a project with a deliverable.
• Supporting the production of CPR multi-media offerings
• Writing and editing
• Learning AP style and providing copy editing support for the website.
• Supporting website content updates by searching for broken links and other errors on the website.
• Helping to compose social media posts (text and visual) Admin and education
• Learning basic skills related to teamwork in an office setting.
• Attending any virtual education seminars, press conferences or briefings.

Internal meetings

• Attending weekly staff meetings.
• Attending meetings with the supervising editor/mentor.
• Attending short weekly “coffee breaks” with the internship coordinator.
• Attending any training calls with editors to support efforts on their weekly projects and tasks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of HTML
• Canva
• Drupal CMS
• Social media
• Excel / Sheets / r
• Google for Business
• Working knowledge of US Politics
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work as a member of a team

About the Supervisor: Ally is the Managing Editor of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. She works across the editorial and business teams to bring the Cook Political Report to life for subscribers. Ally has been at the Cook Political Report since 2015 and is known as a dynamic team player and problem-solver.

During her tenure, her leadership has galvanized exponential subscription growth and expanded the Cook Political Report's footprint in its transition from print to digital publication. She executed the 2017 redesign of the website.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Ally holds a B.A. in government from Georgetown University.

Location, Modality: In person - 600 New Hampshire Ave, 9th Fl

Start and End Date: Summer internships will take place during the period of June 10-September 27 with specific dates to be determined by the employer partner and intern during the interview process.