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Staff

Mel Leonor Barclay

Politics Reporter (She/Her)

I’m Mel Leonor Barclay, a politics reporter at The 19th. My work is fueled by curiosity about the forces that drive everyday people to become politically engaged and shape their political beliefs. So far at The 19th, I’ve reported on how gender, race, ethnicity, economic reality, immigration story and experiences with gun violence have shaped candidates’ decisions to run for office and voters’ decisions at the ballot box.

I got my start in journalism covering government and elections in localities around South Florida for the Miami Herald and the Naples Daily News. I moved to Washington, D.C., to cover Donald Trump’s presidential transition for Politico in 2016 and went on to cover education and labor policy for the outlet. As Trump’s first term was coming to an end, I took a job at the Richmond Times-Dispatch covering Virginia state politics, a tumultuous time that included several political scandals and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’m an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, a forever Floridian and proud graduate of Florida International University. I live in Richmond, Virginia, with my husband and daughter. When I’m not reporting or feeding pricey blueberries to my insatiable toddler, you can find me covered in mud at the pottery studio.

My work is free to consume and free to republish because of contributions from readers like you. A donation of $19 goes a long way toward sustaining our nonprofit newsroom.

Contact mleonor@19thnews.org

Latest from Mel

ICE keeps detaining pregnant immigrants — against federal policy

But the number is impossible to measure since Congress let lapse a requirement that ICE report how many pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants are in custody.

Shefali Luthra, Mel Leonor Barclay · October 20, 2025
Immigrant victims of domestic violence and human trafficking sue over ICE policies

Immigrants with pending applications for visas created to protect victims of crime argue that new Trump administration policies are illegally stripping away deportation protections.

Mel Leonor Barclay · October 16, 2025
ICE fears put pregnant immigrants and their babies at risk

Fear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for their health — and the health of their pregnancies.

Mel Leonor Barclay, Shefali Luthra · October 7, 2025
Most men want a return to traditional gender roles, but women aren’t so sure

A new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll shows how men and women of every generation, including Gen Z, are divided over questions about who takes on which roles in the family.

Mel Leonor Barclay, Mariel Padilla · September 25, 2025
Arizona votes to send its first Latina to Congress

Adelita Grijalva, who will succeed her late father to represent Arizona’s 7th District, is projected to win a special election in the Copper State.

Mel Leonor Barclay, Jessica Kutz · September 23, 2025
Why Tuesday’s special election in Arizona marks a milestone for Latinas in politics

Adelita Grijalva is poised to step up amid concerns over reproductive and immigrant rights in a state where a Latina has never been elected to Congress.

Mel Leonor Barclay, Jessica Kutz · September 19, 2025
A push to ditch Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban hinges on this year’s elections

Marriage equality advocates say there’s an urgent need to overturn the legacy ban as civil rights come under threat.

Mel Leonor Barclay · September 9, 2025
Trump downplays domestic violence in speech about religious freedom

"If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime," Trump said Monday.

Mel Leonor Barclay · September 8, 2025
The protective visas that may never come

Programs meant to make it easier to prosecute domestic violence and trafficking cases are under threat. The safety of thousands of immigrant women is at risk.

Mel Leonor Barclay · September 3, 2025
Who’s questioning women’s right to vote?

A post from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showed his support of a fringe evangelical Christianity that is gaining more traction in the Republican Party.

Mariel Padilla, Grace Panetta, Mel Leonor Barclay · August 12, 2025