Background: Ms. Kelly was a corporate litigator before becoming a general-assignment reporter for ABC-affiliated WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., where her assignments included the D.C. sniper case.

She was hired in 2004 as a Washington-based general-assignment reporter for Fox News Channel, which deployed her on confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Chief Justice John Roberts; the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and the death of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist; and the indictments of Scooter Libby and Tom DeLay, among other assignments. Her profile grew as a member of FNC’s headquarters team on much-watched Election Nights and as a regular on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Buzz: Ms. Kelly seems possessed of an unlimited range of skills and appeal. Ratings rise when she’s on camera. She’s smart and quick on her feet. She can handle breaking news and is a natural in the studio, even up against the fierce O’Reilly. Men drool, but women still like her. She’s smart and able to communicate directly to viewers in their language. People who have worked with her say she has embarked on a career that will take her anywhere she wants to go.