David Lauter named senior editor at The Times

The following announcement was sent on behalf of Executive Editor Kevin Merida and Managing Editor Scott Kraft:

We are pleased to announce that David Lauter is taking on important new duties as a senior editor.

In his new role, he will significantly expand his work overseeing our polling coverage, leading an effort to broaden our range of polling into communities, subcultures and subjects that have not traditionally been part of survey research. Part of that effort will include building on our existing polling partnerships and bringing in new partners to do groundbreaking reporting projects.

In addition, along with other senior editors, Lauter will help guide special projects across the newsroom, work with Steve Padilla on editing Column Ones and continue to do the Essential Politics newsletter on Fridays. He will report in to Los Angeles, though remain based in Washington, D.C.

Lauter’s distinguished career includes vast experience in both Los Angeles and D.C., including as Washington bureau chief, a position he held for nearly a decade, and most recently as senior Washington correspondent. He joined The Times in 1976 after covering legal affairs and the U.S. Supreme Court for the National Law Journal. As our White House correspondent, he covered the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He moved to L.A. in 1995 and oversaw coverage of the 1996 presidential campaign followed by stints as deputy foreign editor, Metro editor and assistant managing editor, before his return to Washington.

He starts in his new role Monday.