CNN picks up another political contributor: the D.C. bureau announced today that columnist John Avlon is joining the network. Avlon is senior political columnist at the Daily Beast, the author of Independent Nation and Wingnuts, and was Rudy Giuliani‘s speechwriter.
He’s appeared a number of times over the past year on CNN programming.
Release after the jump…
John Avlon Joins CNN as Political Contributor
John Avlon, a political columnist who specializes in the analysis of the country’s independent movement, will serve as a CNN political contributor, it was announced today by David Bohrman, CNN senior vice president of Washington programming and bureau chief. Avlon will appear on the full line-up of CNN programming as part of the network’s diverse group of analysts and contributors.
“Elections are won and lost in the center and having a voice like John that understands centrist philosophy is critical for political conversations,” said Bohrman “With CNN’s commitment to go above and beyond the political spin, John will be able to provide necessary perspective and insight to the network’s viewers.”
“I’m honored to join CNN as part of ‘the best political team on television,’” said Avlon. “As an independent voter and a centrist, CNN is the network which best reflects my values. I’ll continue to stand up to the extremes of both sides—while trying to restore a sense of humor and historic perspective to our political debates—in the belief that most Americans want to move our country not left or right, but forward.”
For the past year, Avlon has made regular appearances on CNN, including launching the “Wingnuts of the Week” segment on American Morning. In addition to writing about the independent movement as a senior political columnist for TheDailyBeast.com, Avlon has authored books on the subject, titled Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America. He also served as chief speechwriter and deputy policy director for Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Additionally, Avlon has served as a columnist and associate editor for the New York Sun. Avlon received an MBA from Columbia University, and a B.A. degree from Yale University.
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