As a host and editorial director at Vox, Astead Herndon helps lead politics coverage across text, video, audio, and social media platforms. Herndon comes to Vox from the New York Times, where he distinguished himself as a sharp, accessible voice on American politics, hosting The Run-Up podcast and reporting stories in text, audio, and video formats. His reporting is known for translating complex political dynamics into clear, nuanced stories that resonated with both political insiders and those outside the political bubble.

Herndon has been named the 2025 Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists, and he also won the Distinguished Journalist Award from DePaul University in 2025. He lives in Brooklyn.