Michael D. Barone (born September 19, 1944) is an American conservative
political analyst, historian, pundit and journalist. He is best known as the principal author of The Almanac of American Politics.
Barone was born in
Highland Park, Michigan, the son of Alice Katherine (née Darcy) and Charles Gerald "Jerry" Barone, a surgeon.[5] His father was of
Italian descent, and his mother of
Irish descent.[6]
In 1975, Barone married
Joan Shorenstein. She died at age 38 in 1985 after a 10-year battle with cancer.
Political analyst
Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner, where he writes a twice weekly column and contributes to the newspaper's blog. His column is syndicated by
Creators Syndicate.[9] He is also a frequent contributor during
Fox News Channel's election coverage. His political views are predominantly
conservative. Barone has said he is not
religious, although he is sympathetic to and respectful of
social conservatives.
His commentary has largely focused on the topic of
immigration.
In November 2008, Barone said journalists criticized Republican vice presidential nominee
Sarah Palin because "she did not abort her
Down syndrome baby." Barone later said he was "attempting to be humorous and ... went over the line."[11]
Barone has been covered the 2020 presidential election, writing numerous opinion columns on the race for the Examiner.[12] Barone argues in 2020 that
national presidential nominating conventions are no longer needed or useful. He welcomes their replacement by virtual conventions with minimal participation. They were useful before the advent of television in 1952, he says:
National conventions no longer serve their original purpose, or the uses the parties and the press have made of them in the past half-century. The national conventions were, for their first 130 years, a unique communications medium. They were the only place and time where party politicians could communicate frankly and bargain personally. They were the only place where people could discover which candidates had genuine support and which just gave lip service.[13]