KING (Seattle) Political Reporter Natalie Brand has left the Tegna station and the West coast for a gig in DC.

"KING 5 has had a long and proud history of excellent political reporting, and it’s an honor and privilege to be a part of that tradition. I’m so grateful for our engaged viewers and community; traveling across the state to talk to voters in all corners of Washington has been my favorite part of the job,” said Brand. “Leaving KING 5 is difficult, but I’m doing so to pursue my dream of national political reporting in Washington D.C. during this critical time for journalism and politics."

“Natalie is an outstanding and innovative Political Reporter for KING 5. Her in-depth reporting of Washington politics and perspective during the presidential election set us apart from the rest. She worked on our exclusive partnership with Microsoft during the presidential election, allowing viewers to follow along live. All of us here at KING 5 will miss Natalie but we look forward to watching her succeed in the nation’s capital,” said KING News Director Cheryl Carson.

Brand’s job has already been filled by Chief Reporter Chris Daniels.

“Natalie has garnered the respect of people from Olympia to Washington D.C., and continued KING 5’s market leading legacy for political reporting,” said Daniels. “I can remember the days of Jim Compton, and Robert Mak as well, and have always admired the station’s dedication to covering the issues and keeping our elected leaders in check. I look forward to doing the same and helping to tell the stories of people impacted by government policies.”