Meet the Herald-Leader’s new Kentucky politics and government reporter
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Amancai Biraben joins the Herald-Leader as a Kentucky politics reporter.
- Biraben brings reporting experience from California and South Dakota.
- Herald-Leader prioritizes its government coverage amid key political shifts.
It’s an exciting time in Kentucky politics.
Gov. Andy Beshear seems to be eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The Republican-dominated General Assembly continues to flex its might in Frankfort. And the race to replace Kentucky’s longest-serving senator is creating ripple effects down to the statehouse level.
The Herald-Leader has a new reporter to help cover it all.
Amancai Biraben joined the newspaper’s Bluegrass Politics team this July as the Kentucky government and politics reporter. She fills the position vacated by Austin Horn, who was promoted in April and now covers the commonwealth’s Congressional delegation.
“I am thrilled to continue my reporting journey with the Herald-Leader’s outstanding political team during a remarkable time in American politics,” Biraben said.
Biraben’s experience in several markets, including Los Angeles and New York City, will bring a new dimension to the Herald-Leader’s political coverage, Executive Editor Richard Green said.
“I’m incredibly pleased that Amancai has joined our newsroom,” he said. “She brings a deep intellectual curiosity and considerable knowledge of statehouse politics with her to Kentucky. She also doesn’t flinch in a competitive news environment. She’s a fair, thoughtful writer, and I have no doubt she’ll be an immediate contributor.”
Biraben was born in Los Angeles to a bilingual family in the film industry, which she said instilled in her an early interest in story and language. After working at her high school newspaper and interning at the local Santa Monica Daily Press, she studied literature at UC Santa Cruz and covered general news for her college newspaper, City on a Hill Press.
After graduating, she joined the Associated Press as a news associate in Los Angeles, where she wrote about immigration, city politics and California’s wildlife. Biraben also contributed to an investigation of more than 1,000 civilian deaths at the hands of the police using methods deemed to be non-lethal, and covered South Dakota’s 2023 legislative session.
After two years, Biraben went to graduate school at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York and freelanced real estate coverage for The New York Times.
In January 2025, she covered the devastating wildfires throughout greater Los Angeles and the ensuing aftermath for both the Times and the Southern California News Group.
Those experiences have instilled in her a passion for reporting on the stories of our time through deep sourcing, public records and compelling narratives, Biraben said.
Tessa Duvall, the Herald-Leader’s politics and public affairs editor, said Biraben is a strong addition to Kentucky’s best team of political journalists.
“The Herald-Leader is committed to dogged but fair coverage of our state government, elected leaders who make policy decisions and the real Kentuckians who feel the impact of those choices,” Duvall said. “Amancai is passionate about the kind of journalism that is important to our newsroom — and our commonwealth — and we’re so glad to have her here.”
In addition to Biraben, the Bluegrass Politics team comprises:
- Austin Horn, senior politics reporter. He covers Kentucky’s eight-member delegation in Congress and the elections for U.S. House and Senate races across the commonwealth. Reach him at ahorn@herald-leader.com.
- Alex Acquisto, politics and health reporter. Acquisto covers state government, with a particular emphasis on health policy and social issues. Reach her at aacquisto@herald-leader.com.
- John Cheves, government accountability reporter. Cheves, who has been with the Herald-Leader since 1997, is the paper’s chief investigative reporter. His recent investigations include issues within the state Department of Juvenile Justice, poor oversight of Kentucky nursing homes and the rise of abuse and neglect in child care facilities. Reach him at jcheves@herald-leader.com.
- Tessa Duvall, politics and public affairs editor. Duvall joined the Herald-Leader as Frankfort bureau chief in 2022 before becoming an editor in 2024. She oversees the work of the Bluegrass Politics team. Reach her at tduvall@herald-leader.com.
Bluegrass Politics also publishes a free weekly newsletter each Wednesday, rounding up the latest must-read politics and government news from around the commonwealth.
Biraben can be reached at abiraben@herald-leader.com.
She is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, is a movie buff and loves to practice (and teach) yoga in her free time.
“We know Kentucky politics, campaigns, candidates, platforms and priorities are a passion topic in our commonwealth,” Green said. “We’re committed to providing the best, deepest and most relevant coverage, from Capitol Hill and the White House to Frankfort. Amancai will give us an additional boost to that quest.”
