Covering state politics is complex — and what matters isn’t always clear.

That’s why we created Capitol Confidential.

Capitol Confidential is built on original reporting from journalists who track state and local politics and policy, expose corruption, and uncover government inefficiencies.

Our New York newsletter is led by Times Union’s Dan Clark and the Capitol Bureau team. The Times Union has been named Newspaper of the Year by the New York Press Association for several years and has reported from the State Capitol for over a decade — often breaking stories others won’t touch.

Kathryn Palmer leads our California newsletter, backed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The San Francisco Chronicle is the largest newspaper in Northern California, the second largest on the West Coast, and has been awarded seven Pulitzer Prizes for journalistic excellence.

Meet the Newsroom

Dan Clark

Author of the Capitol Confidential newsletter from the Times Union. I've covered government and politics in New York for more than a decade.

Kathryn Palmer

Author of the Capitol Confidential newsletter from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Timothy Fanning

Producer of Capitol Confidential and reporter for the Albany Times Union.

Brendan J. Lyons

Brendan J. Lyons is the Times Union’s managing editor overseeing the award-winning Capitol Bureau and investigative teams.

Grace Jiang

Grace Jiang is a reporter for the Times Union’s Capitol Bureau team.

Alexander MacDougall

Alexander MacDougall is a reporter for the Times Union’s Capitol Bureau team in Albany.

Meet our customer support team. Email [email protected] with any payment or product inquiries or technical issues.

Mollie Leavitt

Product Lead. Reach out to me for any Capitol Confidential support needs at [email protected]

Courtney Taylor

Growth Lead. Reach out to me for any event inquiries and partnership opportunities at [email protected].