Rick Albin, Political Reporter

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After a stint in Washington as Senior Policy Advisor to Congressman Pete Hoekstra, Rick Albin rejoined 24 Hour News 8 as our political reporter. During the 2000 election, Rick interviewed a dozen presidential candidates, including one-on-one sessions with both George W. Bush and Al Gore. 

Rick was a panelist in a nationally televised Republican Presidential debate in Grand Rapids in 2000.  Additionally, he has appeared as a guest speaker for both the 2000  Radio & Television News Director Association national meeting in Minneapolis and 2000 Michigan Broadcasters Association in Lansing, MI. 

During the race for governor in 2002 he served as a panelist for the debate between Republican candidate Dick Posthumus and Democrat Jennifer Granholm. Using his Washington connections with local lawmakers, Rick was the only Grand Rapids-based reporter to cover the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003.

In 2004, he covered the funeral of Ronald Reagan, which was one of the most remarkable stories of his life. That year, he also covered the Democratic caucus in Iowa and the first primary in New Hampshire, landing one-on-one interviews with John Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean, Dick Cheney, John McCain and many others.

Rick originally joined 24 Hour News 8 in 1995. Before coming here, he was an anchor in Illinois.   Rick also owned and operated radio stations in Arkansas.

Rick and his wife live in the Grand Rapids area.