Brownstein's encyclopedic knowledge of politicians, political history, and Beltway issues is widely renowned. Hired out of college to be Ralph Nader’s chief staff writer, he quickly moved to political reporting, eventually rising to chief political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. As an analyst, Brownstein is considered one of the most trusted bellwethers of political trends. His horse-race analysis is frequently grounded in details of American history. Writing about both Republican and Democratic politicians, Brownstein seldom pounds the pulpit for either party.

More pollster than polemicist, Brownstein leans heavily on reporting and empirical studies to make his arguments. All of this has won him a high regard and influence among the political elite, who form his primary audience. No less a judge than Bill Clinton cited him as "one journalist who generally gets it right, explaining what the issues are and what's going on in the country."