Eli Yokley, 22, is a political reporter at Roll Call.
Yokley began his career covering Missouri and national politics in the spring of 2010 while he was 18-years-old and graduating high school. There, he covered the contentious House primary race in Southwest Missouri that was created by Roy Blunt’s decision to run successfully for U.S. Senate, coverage that propelled Yokley to national recognition for his shoe-leather journalism on PoliticMo.com.
Yokley’s work in Missouri brought him recognition that ultimately led to him being asked to help national media outlets navigate the complicated politics of the Show-Me State that impacted the national environment and players – from the Todd Akin saga in 2012, unrest in Ferguson in 2014 to political suicides and fierce debates in the legislature in 2015. In addition to PoliticMo, Yokley has contributed to The New York Times, POLITICO, The Daily Beast, and his hometown paper, The Joplin Globe. Yokley is from Webb City, Mo., and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2015.
In 2014, Yokley was lauded by the Washington Post as one of the “best state Capitol reporters in America.” In 2010 and 2012, he was noted as one of the top state political bloggers by the Washington Post. In 2011, Yokley was awarded “Top Political Blog” for PoliticMo by the Riverfront Times. And in December 2012, Missouri Scout praised Yokley for his work covering 2012 and beyond.
Yokley has appeared on KY3-TV in Springfield, KOMU-TV in Columbia, KOAM-TV in Joplin, SkyNews in Britain, KMOX and KTRS radio in St. Louis, KFRU radio in Columbia, and numerous other broadcast stations to discuss Missouri news and politics.
In addition to his workload, Yokley – a proud Joplin-area native and graduate of Webb City High School – studied Political Science at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Missouri Scout: “Eli Yokley could write an e-book: ‘How to Start a Blog, Work Your Ass Off and Get Multiple Job Offers While Still in College.’”
Vox Magazine: “Eli Yokley covers Missouri politics as a one-man powerhouse… Yokley has a strong working relationship with members of both parties because he delivers news fairly and objectively.”
Former McCaskill spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki: “Yokley [is] a ‘shoe-leather’ journalist, the kind of reporter dedicated to going to the story.”