Mary Bruce has been named ABC News’ chief White House correspondent

EXCLUSIVE: Mary Bruce has been appointed chief White House correspondent for ABC News.

Bruce, who served as the network’s senior White House correspondent, succeeds Cecilia Vega, who joined CBS News earlier this year. 60 minutes.

In an interview, Bruce said she was “deeply humbled” and “grateful for this opportunity.” She also said it was “surreal,” as she grew up in Washington, DC and idolized key White House correspondents.

In a letter to employees Friday, ABC News President Kim Godwin wrote: “Mary has been an integral part of our team in Washington for more than 15 years. As a senior White House correspondent, she covered every step of the Biden campaign and covered the 2020 election, including the primaries, presidential and vice presidential debates, conventions, and covering five consecutive days as the winner of the historic election was determined.She traveled with President Biden on many of his trips, both domestic and internationally, including his recent visit to Ireland. Mary also brought her coverage and insight to our coverage of the 2022 midterm elections, State of the Union addresses and President Biden’s historic trip to Ukraine.”

Bruce joined ABC News in 2006 as a desk assistant and then joined This week with George Stephanopoulos as segment producer. During the Obama administration, she was a White House producer for five years and worked as a cross-platform reporter before being promoted to congressional correspondent in 2015. She was the 2020 campaign correspondent and was hired early in Joe Biden’s tenure.

There are reports that Biden will announce his re-election bid next week, and Bruce said she anticipates the daily demands of the news cycle as she “works through the lens of the 2024 campaign.” Her role will also be to push the government forward on issues that matter most to voters and viewers, she said. “There is a lot of room for that,” she said.

As always, White House officials will push for more access to the president. Biden has held few formal press conferences, but often answers questions after making statements or on the South Lawn en route to Marine One. “Any White House correspondent knows the art of the shouted question,” Bruce said.