Ruth Allyn Marcus (born May 15, 1958) is an American political commentator and journalist who currently writes an op-ed column for The Washington Post and serves as the Deputy Editorial Page Editor for the newspaper. In March 2007, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Unusual among the majority of journalists, she is also a law school graduate, although she opted to continue with a career in journalism versus practicing law as an attorney. Ideologically and politically, she identifies as a liberal and is registered as an Independent.