Associate, Elections Data & Analytics

The Cook Political Report; Virginia; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cook Political Report in Arlington, Virginia seeks an Associate, Election Data & Analytics to join our editorial team. This role sits at the intersection of data and journalism — maintaining and analyzing candidate, race, and election data that underpins our nonpartisan ratings and analysis, and turning that data into clear visualizations for our readers.

The ideal candidate will combine strong writing and data skills, work with R and Datawrapper, and collaborate across race pages and

Qualifications

• 1–2 years in data analysis, research, journalism, or related field.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Proficiency with R and advanced spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets).
• Experience with Datawrapper or similar data visualization tools.
• Familiarity with CMS platforms (Drupal a plus).
• Attention to detail and ability to judge data classifications.
• Interest in AI tools to improve workflows.
• Interest in U.S. politics and nonpartisan analysis.
• Bachelor's degree in political science, data science, statistics, journalism, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and update candidate profiles, polling, and election data across House, Senate, Gubernatorial, and Presidential contests, exercising sound judgment when reconciling ambiguous or conflicting information.
• Build charts, maps, and interactive graphics in Datawrapper for our newsletter, website, and social media, including on tight turnarounds around election nights and primaries.
• Enter and QA new data as it becomes available (FEC filings, election results, candidate announcements), flagging discrepancies to editors as needed.
• Use R and spreadsheets to clean, organize, and analyze data to support editorial research and trend analysis.
• Write brief campaign summaries for race pages as requested.
• Collaborate with editors and analysts across our House, Senate, Governor, and Presidential teams to support their data & research needs.
• Maintain data integrity and consistency across our CMS (Drupal) and related spreadsheets/databases.
• Explore and pilot AI tools to improve data workflows, and stay current on emerging AI/data tools relevant to political data journalism.
• Provide support to Cook Political Report newsletter and content publishing as needed.

Skills

Data analysis

Writing

R

Spreadsheet proficiency

Data visualization

Attention to detail

AI tools

U.S. politics interest

Education

Bachelor's degree in political science or related field

Tools

Datawrapper

Drupal

Job description

Arlington, United States | Posted on 10/19/2026

The Cook Political Report is seeking an Associate, Election Data & Analytics to join our editorial team. This role sits at the intersection of data and journalism — maintaining and analyzing the candidate, race, and election data that underpins our nonpartisan ratings and analysis, and turning that data into clear visualizations for our readers. In addition to a keen eye for data, this role requires someone with excellent writing and communication skills. This position reports to the Managing Editor, Carrie Dann, offering a unique opportunity at a trusted nonpartisan outlet for someone early in their career who seeks hands‑on experience in political data, analytics, and visualization and mentoring by highly‑respected experts in the field.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and update candidate profiles, polling, and election data across House, Senate, Gubernatorial, and Presidential contests, exercising sound judgment when reconciling ambiguous or conflicting information;
• Build charts, maps, and interactive graphics in Datawrapper for our newsletter, website, and social media, including on tight turnarounds around election nights and primaries;
• Enter and QA new data as it becomes available (FEC filings, election results, candidate announcements), flagging discrepancies to editors as needed;
• Use R and spreadsheets to clean, organize, and analyze data to support editorial research and trend analysis;
• Write brief campaign summaries for race pages as requested;
• Collaborate with editors and analysts across our House, Senate, Governor, and Presidential teams to support their data & research needs;
• Maintain data integrity and consistency across our CMS (Drupal) and related spreadsheets/databases;
• Explore and pilot AI tools to improve data workflows, and stay current on emerging AI/data tools relevant to political data journalism;
• Provide support to Cook Political Report newsletter and content publishing as needed.

Requirements

• 1-2 years of relevant experience (internships included) in data analysis, research, journalism, or a related field
• Strong writing and communication skills
• Proficiency with R and advanced spreadsheet skills (Excel/Google Sheets)
• Experience with Datawrapper or similar data visualization tools
• Familiarity with CMS platforms (Drupal experience a plus)
• Strong attention to detail and comfort making judgment calls on data classification and updates
• Interest in emerging AI tools and how they can improve data and editorial workflows
• Interest in U.S. politics and elections, with a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisan, accuracy-first analysis
• Bachelor's degree in political science, data science, statistics, journalism, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Nice to Have

• Experience working with election or campaign finance datasets (FEC, Census, voter file data, etc.)
• Basic familiarity with mapping/GIS tools
• Prior experience in a newsroom or research environment

This full-time position is eligible for a generous benefits package including options for medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) with company match, and bonuses. From flexible PTO to promoting wellness, we believe in the value of relationships and working as hard as you play.

Invincible Summer Media, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. In addition to federal law requirements, Invincible Summer Media, Inc complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Invincible Summer Media, Inc. expresses prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.