We asked each of our three photojournalists to select their favorite photographs from 2019. Below is their unique view of political news events in Washington, as well as daily life on and around Capitol Hill.
You can also listen along to the photo staff discuss the stories behind some of these photos in the Political Theater podcast:
BREHMAN’S PICKS | Caroline Brehman started at Roll Call as a photo intern in May and was hired as a full-time staff photographer in August. She previously served as the photo intern at the Las Vegas Review-Journal after graduating from Elon University. Here are her photos of 2019:
Ben Haskell, 11, participates in the ‘Commander-in-Tweet’ exhibit at “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’s Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library” attraction in Washington on June 14.Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., listens as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference outside of the Capitol to discuss college affordability legislation on June 24. Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va., tumbles as he fields a ground ball during the 58th annual Congressional Baseball Game at Nationals Park on June 26. A girl stands on July 2 in front of the temporary fencing installed along the National Mall for President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” event that took place July 4 at the Lincoln Memorial to honor the military service branches.Kids stand with their trophies after competing in the championship round of the Mutton Bustin’ competition at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 18. A man does a handstand as he skateboards past the Capitol on Sept. 4. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., center, talks with Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., left; Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas; Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla.; Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.; and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., after the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony on the House steps of the Capitol. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., departs a press conference after the Senate Republicans’ lunch in the Capitol on Oct. 16. A quote is displayed on a monitor from a phone call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, director of European affairs at the National Security Council, and Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, testify during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of Trump in Longworth House Office Building on Nov. 19. Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, arrives to testify before the House Intelligence Committee during a hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump in Longworth House Office Building on Nov. 20.
WILLIAMS’ PHOTOS | Tom Williams started with Roll Call in 1999 as an intern and is now the senior staff photographer. He has won numerous photo awards, including the 2018 Political Photo of the Year at the White House News Photographers Association “Eyes of History” photo competition. Here are his photos of 2019:
Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., receives the gavel from outgoing House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the House chamber before she was sworn in on the first day of the 116th Congress on Jan. 3. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., top center, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., bottom center, pose for a group photo of House Democrats in the Capitol Visitor Center, who planned to wear “suffragette white” to the State of the Union address on Feb. 5 to show solidarity for women’s agendas. Members react as acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker informs House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., his five-minute questioning period was over, during an oversight hearing Feb. 8 on the Department of Justice. Appearing from left are Reps. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; Nadler; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and ranking member Doug Collins, R-Ga.Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., stands as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg mentions that his mother was born in Paterson, N.J., during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber on April 3. President Donald Trump throws a Make America Great Again hat to the crowd during a rally at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville, Pa., on May 20. Hope Hicks, the former White House communications director, is seen on June 19 during a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee about their investigation of President Donald Trump and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s report.Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg prepares to take the stage for a discussion during the Library of Congress National Book Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Aug. 31. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., attends a ceremony on Sept. 10 in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall to mark the 400th anniversary of the first-recorded forced arrival of enslaved African people. The casket of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., is carried through the Capitol Rotunda to Statuary Hall for a memorial service on Oct. 24. Fans cheer for the Washington Nationals along Constitution Avenue during a parade to celebrate the World Series champions on Nov. 2. Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., make their way to a vote in the Capitol during a break in the House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearing on Nov. 15. Fiona Hill, former National Security Council adviser on Russia, testifies during the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump in the Longworth House Office Building on Nov. 21. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and his wife, Marcelle, hold hands in the Ohio Clock Corridor after the Senate policy luncheons on Dec. 10. The portrait above is an 1873 painting of Massachusetts Sen. Charles Sumner by Walter Ingalls.
CLARK’S SELECTIONS | Bill Clark came to Roll Call in the summer of 2000 as a freelance photographer and returned as a staff photographer in 2006. He now serves as photo editor. He has won awards in the White House News Photographers Association “Eyes of History” and Pictures of the Year competitions. Here are his photos of 2019.
Architect of the Capitol employee Gary Bullis hangs the nameplate at the entrance to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite after she was elected speaker on Jan. 3. Capitol officials check for signs of water dripping in the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 22. The Architect of the Capitol office attributed the water to condensation accumulating on the window arches due to the extreme cold. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walks through Statuary Hall to the House chamber for President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the Capitol on Feb. 5. Kevin Harris stands outside of the Russell Senate Office Building directing AIPAC conference attendees to the various Senate office buildings for their lobby day on March 26. Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, lead the procession of senators through the Capitol rotunda to the House chamber for NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s address to a joint session of Congress on April 3.Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and chef José Andrés hug after running into each other in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on May 23. Andrés was on Capitol Hill for a briefing held by the Power 4 Puerto Rico Coalition, calling on Congress to help Puerto Rico achieve future growth and prosperity after the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. A thunderstorm passes over the U.S. Capitol building on July 11. Jon Stewart, former host of “The Daily Show,” smiles as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks by at the Ohio Clock Corridor in the Capitol on July 23. The Senate voted later in the day to pass a permanent authorization of the Sept. 11 victim compensation fund. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the Capitol via the carriage entrance to attend the Senate Republicans’ policy lunch at the National Republican Senate Committee on July 30. A coalition of progressive activist groups, including MoveOn.org, hold a rally at the Capitol calling on Congress to impeach the president on Sept. 26. Capitol workers lower the flag to half staff after the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Oct. 17.
Also watch:
Loading the player...
Recent Stories
Are these streaks made to be broken?
Supreme Court airs concerns over Oregon city’s homelessness law
Supreme Court to decide if government can regulate ‘ghost guns’
Voters got first true 2024 week with Trump on trial, Biden on the trail
Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on abortion and Trump
House passes $95.3B aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
