John D. McCormick
Encyclopedia
John McCormick is a Bloomberg News reporter based in Chicago who covers national politics and government. He followed Barack Obama
's presidential bid from its start in February 2007 and traveled with the candidate to nearly 40 states while working for the Chicago Tribune
.
Obama and McCormick developed a friendly rapport during the campaign. In August 2008, McCormick asked Obama if he was still "shopping" for a vice president. Obama's rebuke was, "John, how long did it take you to think of that question?"
On Nov. 7, 2008, during the Q&A portion of a news conference carried live on all major U.S. television networks, the then-president-elect allowed a handful of reporters to ask questions. Then, looking at the list of potential questioners on his podium, Obama smiled and called out, "Where is John McCormick?". McCormick's question was about the Senate seat Obama was vacating and whether he had any advice for the Illinois governor who, by statute, would be naming Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate.
A testier exchange took place on Dec. 16, 2008, when the reporter asked Obama about a list of favored potential replacements for his senate seat that had reportedly been given by his aides to then Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Washington Post made mention of the exchange in a column by Dana Milbank
.
McCormick is not to be confused with John P. McCormick
, a deputy editorial page editor for the Chicago Tribune whom Blagojevich allegedly pressured the Tribune to fire in November and December 2008.
and 1991 graduate of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
.
newspaper. About a month after graduation, he started a job at the Rochester Post-Bulletin
in southeastern Minnesota, where he covered police, courts, local government, before being assigned to cover the Minnesota Legislature and state government in St. Paul.
In 1997, he moved to The Des Moines Register, where he initially worked as a business reporter and then became the paper's first computer-assisted reporting coordinator. He also helped cover the 2000 Iowa caucuses and was one of two Iowa Poll writers.
McCormick was hired by the Chicago Tribune in 2002. There, he has done investigative and project reporting, and has covered major news stories in Chicago and across the Midwest, including the 2002 fatal plane crash of Sen. Paul Wellstone in northern Minnesota. In 2003 and 2004, he was on a team of reporters who covered the presidential campaign.
In 2007, McCormick won the Chicago Tribune's Beck Award for Outstanding Profession Performance with another reporter for a year-long series on teen driving fatalities that led to changes in Illinois law. In 2009, he won the Chicago Tribune's Beck Award for Domestic Reporting with two other reporters for coverage of Obama's campaign.
After being promoted to the Tribune's Washington Bureau, McCormick resigned from the newspaper in July 2009 to join Bloomberg's Chicago Bureau.
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential bid from its start in February 2007 and traveled with the candidate to nearly 40 states while working for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
.
Obama and McCormick developed a friendly rapport during the campaign. In August 2008, McCormick asked Obama if he was still "shopping" for a vice president. Obama's rebuke was, "John, how long did it take you to think of that question?"
On Nov. 7, 2008, during the Q&A portion of a news conference carried live on all major U.S. television networks, the then-president-elect allowed a handful of reporters to ask questions. Then, looking at the list of potential questioners on his podium, Obama smiled and called out, "Where is John McCormick?". McCormick's question was about the Senate seat Obama was vacating and whether he had any advice for the Illinois governor who, by statute, would be naming Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate.
A testier exchange took place on Dec. 16, 2008, when the reporter asked Obama about a list of favored potential replacements for his senate seat that had reportedly been given by his aides to then Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The Washington Post made mention of the exchange in a column by Dana Milbank
Dana Milbank
-Biography:He is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of Trumbull College, the Progressive Party of the Yale Political Union and the secret society Skull and Bones. He is a graduate of Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, New York...
.
McCormick is not to be confused with John P. McCormick
John P. McCormick
John Patrick McCormick , known professionally as John P. McCormick, is a former correspondent for Newsweek and the current deputy editorial page editor for the Chicago Tribune. Before joining the Tribune, he was Newsweek's Midwest correspondent for 18 years...
, a deputy editorial page editor for the Chicago Tribune whom Blagojevich allegedly pressured the Tribune to fire in November and December 2008.
Early life and education
McCormick was born in St. Paul, Minn. He is a 1987 graduate of Roseville (Minnesota) Area High SchoolRoseville Area High School
Roseville Area High School is a public high school located in Roseville, Minnesota near the Twin Cities. It serves Roseville and the surrounding communities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, and Shoreview, Minnesota...
and 1991 graduate of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
The University of St. Thomas is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and archdiocesan university located in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States...
.
Professional career
During his senior year of college, McCormick interned at the Minneapolis-based Star TribuneStar Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
newspaper. About a month after graduation, he started a job at the Rochester Post-Bulletin
Rochester Post-Bulletin
The Post-Bulletin is the major newspaper for Rochester, Minnesota. Published Monday through Saturday each week, it is the largest afternoon newspaper in the state. The Post-Bulletin also offers an exact replica of the print edition online to subscribers...
in southeastern Minnesota, where he covered police, courts, local government, before being assigned to cover the Minnesota Legislature and state government in St. Paul.
In 1997, he moved to The Des Moines Register, where he initially worked as a business reporter and then became the paper's first computer-assisted reporting coordinator. He also helped cover the 2000 Iowa caucuses and was one of two Iowa Poll writers.
McCormick was hired by the Chicago Tribune in 2002. There, he has done investigative and project reporting, and has covered major news stories in Chicago and across the Midwest, including the 2002 fatal plane crash of Sen. Paul Wellstone in northern Minnesota. In 2003 and 2004, he was on a team of reporters who covered the presidential campaign.
In 2007, McCormick won the Chicago Tribune's Beck Award for Outstanding Profession Performance with another reporter for a year-long series on teen driving fatalities that led to changes in Illinois law. In 2009, he won the Chicago Tribune's Beck Award for Domestic Reporting with two other reporters for coverage of Obama's campaign.
After being promoted to the Tribune's Washington Bureau, McCormick resigned from the newspaper in July 2009 to join Bloomberg's Chicago Bureau.