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Alice Stewart, CNN political commentator, dies at 58
Alice Stewart, a CNN political commentator and veteran political adviser who worked on a number of GOP presidential campaigns, has died at age 58, the news network reported Saturday.
Police in northern Virginia told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outdoors in the Bellevue neighborhood early Saturday morning and that no foul play was suspected. Officials believe Stewart suffered a medical episode, according to CNN.
In an email to staff, the network’s CEO Mark Thompson called Stewart “a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN.”
“A political veteran and an Emmy Award-winning journalist who brought an incomparable spark to CNN’s coverage, known across our bureaus not only for her political savvy, but for her unwavering kindness,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such an extraordinary loss.”
James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images
No further information about the cause of death or survivors was available Saturday.
Stewart was born on March 11, 1966, in Atlanta, and began her career as a local reporter in Georgia before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, to be a news anchor. She went on to serve as the communications director in then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. She assumed similar roles during Huckabee’s presidential run in 2008 and served as communications director for the 2012 presidential bids of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and then former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Most recently, Stewart was the communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign.
“Heartbreaking,” Cruz posted Saturday on social media. “Alice was wonderful and talented and a dear friend. And she loved America fiercely. She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply missed. May God’s comfort and peace be upon her loved ones. RIP.”
Stewart came on board CNN as a political commentator before the 2016 election and frequently appeared on air to provide insight on the political news of the day. She last appeared Friday on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Stewart told the Harvard Political Review in 2020 that she brings “a perspective that I think CNN appreciates.”
“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice yet an independent thinker,” Stewart said. “I’m not a Kool-Aid drinker; I’m not a never-Trumper, and I didn’t check my common sense and decency at the door when I voted for (Trump).”
Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson posted on X that Stewart’s “sudden death is such a loss to all who valued her friendship as well as her political passion.”
“I first met Alice in Arkansas and I am proud that she focused on making friends in politics and not making enemies,” he posted. “Thank you Alice Stewart!”
Stewart also co-hosted the podcast “Hot Mics from Left to Right” alongside fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona, and served on the senior advisory committee at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School where she was previously a fellow.
In her free time, Stewart was an avid runner, according to CNN. She frequently posted photos from road races on social media, including from the TCS New York City Marathon, which she ran in November, and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race, which she ran last month.
NEW YORK – CBS News projects George Latimer has won the closely watched Democratic Primary Election in New York’s 16th Congressional District, beating incumbent Jamaal Bowman.
It was the most expensive House primary race in U.S. history: More than $25 million was raised and spent.
A recent Emerson College poll showed Latimer, who got into the race in December, pulling significantly ahead of Bowman 48%-31%, with 21% of voters undecided.
The race divided prominent Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Bowman, while Latimer was endorsed by former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a Westchester County resident, as well as Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey along with former Bowman ally Mondaire Jones.
What’s at stake
The race has been highly scrutinized because it was viewed as a battle between the Democratic party’s left and centrist wings. A core distinction between Bowman and Latimer was their approaches on the Israel-Hamas war. Bowman, the incumbent, has been highly critical of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, and has called for a cease-fire.
Latimer currently serves as the Westchester County Executive. He is broadly supportive of Israel since the attack, even visiting the country.
Another point of interest for political observers is that Bowman is also a member of the so-called “Squad,” which includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. Bowman is the first member of the “Squad” to lose a race, unseated by a centrist.
“One side has tremendous resources, and the other side has organizing ability. What we’ll see here is if the money outweighs the bodies on the streets, and it’s likely that the money will,” political strategist Hank Sheinkopf said.
Sprint to the finish
Meanwhile, it was a sprint to the finish for both candidates, who had busy days. Bowman visited various polling centers, whereas Latimer focused his time at local businesses.
“This is the many versus the money. We can not let big money come into our district and buy our district,” Bowman said.
“The people on the far left, the Squad, are about making statements, and sort of trying to move the dialogue. I’m not worried about moving dialogue. I want to see if we can solve problems,” Latimer said.
Voters get their say
The torrent of ads appeared to affect some, but others said it’s everyday issues and day-to-day performance informing their decisions.
“Some people said vote for Bowman, but then why is he getting so much negative press?” one voter said, who added that the ads had influenced their decision.
“Healthcare is always a thing. Crime is always an issue,” voter Jacob Mobley said.
“Someone who is loyal, consistent, and doesn’t just show up be voted in, but someone who is actually going to be here consistently, said voter Zamirah El-Amin.
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert has emerged victorious in the primary election in her new Colorado district, according to the Associated Press. The controversial Congresswoman defeated five GOP opponents in a competitive primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District and will be favored win the seat in November’s general election.
CBS
Boebert won with slightly more than 44% of the vote with 60% of the votes counted.
Boebert currently represents the 3rd Congressional District in Colorado but made the decision to run in the heavily conservative District 4 after Rep. Ken Buck stepped down earlier this year. CD4 includes much of the eastern part of the state as well as Loveland and Windsor (both in Northern Colorado) and Douglas County (in the southern part of the Denver metro area). Nearly half of voters in the district are in Douglas County, where CBS Colorado Political Specialist Shaun Boyd says Republicans are “less MAGA and more mainstream.” While there are nearly twice as many Republicans as Democrats in the county, former President Donald Trump only won Douglas County by 7 points in 2020. Overall, Trump lost Colorado by 13 points in 2020.
Boebert abandoned her seat in CD3 after nearly losing to Democrat Adam Frisch in 2022. When she announced that she would run for a different district in January, said the move was being done after “a pretty difficult year for me and my family.” That included going through a divorce.
During her campaign Boebert touted her endorsement from Trump and spoken at length about immigration issues. During a CBS Colorado debate last month she claimed that undocumented immigrants are overwhelming systems and services in this country and called for mass deportations.
“Build the wall, deport them all,” she said, in a line she has repeated throughout her campaign.
During CBS Colorado’s debate several of Boebert’s opponents spoke of their farming and ranching backgrounds and in doing so indirectly highlighted Boebert’s newcomer status to the district. Only candidate Deborah Flora, a conservative radio talk show host, attacked Boebert for her move, criticizing her for “abandoning her neighbors in CD3.”
Flora described the controversial congresswoman as someone who is more concerned with being in the national spotlight than representing Coloradans.
“We’ve seen how Lauren Boebert would represent us … missing key votes while chasing cameras and being in the center of D.C. drama instead of delivering real solutions for the people,” she said.
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