John Avlon

Early life and education

Avlon was born in 1973 in New York City to Dianne Alexander (née Phillips) and John Jeffrey Avlon, a lawyer and real estate executive with companies in Charleston, South Carolina, and New York City. He is of Greek descent, and his grandparents were immigrants. He was educated at Milton Academy, an independent preparatory school in Milton, Massachusetts. He is a childhood friend and schoolmate of Matthew Pottinger. He earned his BA from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Career

Avlon started his career as a speechwriter for Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He later became Giuliani's chief speechwriter and deputy director of policy. He is a former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and advisory board member of the Citizens Union of New York, Bronx Academy of Letters, and the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Avlon joined The Daily Beast in 2008 one month after its launch. He started as a columnist and eventually became political editor, executive editor, and then managing editor. In 2013, Avlon became editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. As editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, Avlon was cited for supporting original and breaking content for the platform.

In May 2018, Avlon announced his departure from The Daily Beast. He joined CNN as a senior political analyst and anchor.

Television

Avlon has made appearances on a variety of television shows such as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show, and Real Time with Bill Maher, as well as on news programs on MSNBC, PBS, CNN, and C-SPAN.

Avlon created and hosted the "Wingnut of the Week" segment on CNN.

In June 2018, Avlon moved to CNN full time as senior political analyst making daily appearances on New Day, as well as guest anchoring for programs including State of America and Reliable Sources.

Avlon has been interviewed in several documentaries including HBO's Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, 2010's Gerrymandering, History Channel's miniseries Washington and CNN's Lincoln: Divided We Stand.

In September 2021, CNN announced the debut of the digital series Reality Check with John Avlon: Extremist Beat, which was created to track the rise of extremist groups in America.

In 2024, Avlon appeared as a commentator in the History Channel docuseries Thomas Jefferson, a six-part series directed by Jon Hirsch that explores the life and legacy of the Founding Father.

Books

In 2010, Avlon published Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America about the evolution of fringe political movements and their inroads into mainstream American politics.

In 2011, Avlon co-edited the anthology Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns with Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis. The book earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly prior to publication. The trio edited and published a sequel in 2012, Deadline Artists 2: Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs.

In 2017, Avlon published Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations.

In April 2018, it was announced that Avlon was working on a book on Lincoln planned for release in 2020, focusing on the final five weeks of Lincoln's life.

Avlon's book titled Lincoln and the Fight for Peace was released in February 2021. The New York Times reviewed the book, writing "These are not unfamiliar tales to students of Lincoln, but Avlon makes the retelling affecting and powerful. At the same time, Avlon plays down the highly ideological Lincoln."

Political activism

In 2010, Avlon was a co-founder of No Labels, a 501(c)(4) bipartisan political group. However, since 2013, Avlon has not been involved in No Labels, when he became editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. In 2023, he published a column on CNN critical of the group's potential third party presidential effort, calling it "an extraordinarily reckless risk at this particular time in our history."

In 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Avlon to the New York City Voter Assistance Advisory Committee. The VAAC advises the New York City Campaign Finance Board on its voter engagement mandates, including voter registration and participation outreach activities.

2024 U.S. House campaign

On February 21, 2024, he announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. House representative Nick LaLota in New York's 1st congressional district. He won his primary on June 25, defeating opponent Nancy Goroff. On Election Day, November 5, Avlon lost the general election to Representative LaLota. However, he ran two points ahead of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the district, while LaLota ran two points behind Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Associations

Avlon is on the board of governors for the Overseas Press Club and the board of directors for the House of Speakeasy. He also served as co-chair for the successful effort to preserve John Steinbeck's home in Sag Harbor and turn it into a writer's retreat. Additionally he is currently the Chair of the Citizens Union Board of Directors.

Personal life

Avlon is married to PBS Firing Line host and political commentator Margaret Hoover. She is a great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. They have a son, born in 2013, and a daughter, born in 2015.

Bibliography

He is the author of:

• Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics (2004)
• Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America (2010)
• Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations (2017)
• Lincoln and the Fight for Peace (2022)

References

References

1. Lippmann, Daniel. (January 19, 2018). "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: John Avlon, editor in chief of The Daily Beast and a CNN analyst". Politico.
2. (January 17, 2014). "Daily Beast Hires Executive Editor; Promotes John Avlon to Editor-In-Chief (Updated)". The Wrap.
3. "John Avlon Leadership Profile". IAC.
4. Wemple, Erik. (May 24, 2018). "Big changes at the Daily Beast: EIC John Avlon to CNN; Noah Shachtman to replace him". [[The Washington Post]].
5. Fandos, Nicholas. (February 21, 2024). "John Avlon, CNN Commentator, Enters Race for Long Island Swing Seat".
6. Fahy, Claire. (June 26, 2024). "John Avlon Wins Political Debut in a House Primary in New York". The New York Times.
7. (February 21, 2024). "Former CNN anchor John Avlon announces run for Congress as a Democrat".
8. (November 8, 2009). "Margaret Hoover, John Avlon". The New York Times.
9. [Displaying Abstract]. (June 10, 2012). "Miss Dianne Phillips Wed in Ohio - Article - NYTimes.com". Select.nytimes.com.
10. "Parents of Alumni (2012-2013) | Milton Academy Annual Report".
11. "John Avlon".
12. Avlon, John. (December 27, 2005). "Gen Xer Joins the U.S. Marines". [[The New York Sun]].
13. "Education - Week Nine Lectures - Chautauqua Institution". Ciweb.org.
14. Feuer, Alan. (November 10, 2016). "Rudy Giuliani, America's Mayor, Rolls the Dice".
15. (November 6, 2009). "Margaret Hoover, John Avlon".
16. [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122445963016248615 "What Independent Voters Want"], ''Wall Street Journal''
17. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120329131220/http://www.citizensunion.org/site_res_view_template.aspx?id=aa12b6ce-01ea-4af3-bf1d-a4c7adfb38e3 Board Members: John Avlon], Citizens Union official website
18. (May 24, 2018). "John Avlon Joins CNN Full Time as Senior Political Analyst, with Regular Daily Presence on New Day". CNN Press Room.
19. Hadas Gold. (October 1, 2014). "One year after Tina Brown exit, Daily Beast traffic surges". Politico.
20. Warren, James. (December 11, 2017). "How the Daily Beast breaks big Trump-Russia stories". Poynter.
21. Wemple, Erik. (May 24, 2018). "Big changes at the Daily Beast: EIC John Avlon to CNN; Noah Shachtman to replace him". The Washington Post.
22. "John Avlon's 'Daily Beast' Made Trump's Blacklist".
23. "John Avlon - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart".
24. "John Avlon - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". IMDB.
25. (June 6, 2017). "John Avlon - What "Washington's Farewell" Predicted About Politics - Extended Interview". Comedy Central.
26. (January 27, 2017). "John Avlon on Real Time with Bill Maher: Trump White House isn't "at war with the media. They're at war with the truth."". The Daily Beast.
27. "Washington's Farewell".
28. "Politics and Economy".
29. "John Avlon CNN Profile Page". CNN.
30. "John Avlon C-SPAN Profile". [[C-SPAN]].
31. SteveK. (May 8, 2009). "CNN's New "Wingnut" Segment Hits Left and Right". mediabistro.com.
32. (May 24, 2018). "John Avlon Joins CNN Full Time as Senior Political Analyst, with Regular Daily Presence on New Day". CNN Press Room.
33. Concha, Joe. (September 13, 2018). "CNN's Avlon on Trump 'complicity' for Florence: Policies 'tearing down our defenses to climate change'". The Hill.
34. Calderone, Michael. (January 28, 2019). "Deadline Artists, President cheers layoffs, Pro-Trump media split, Brokaw uproar". Politico.
35. (January 25, 2019). "Review: 'Breslin and Hamill' pays tribute to newspapers in their heyday". CNN News.
36. Rozsa, Matthew. (February 16, 2020). "History Channel's engaging "Washington" miniseries shows his intolerance for Trump-like corruption". Salon.
37. "LINCOLN: DIVIDED WE STAND PREVIEWING THE NEW CNN ORIGINAL SERIES—A DISCUSSION WITH THE EXPERTS". City University of New York.
38. (October 21, 2021). "QAnon And Antisemitism: A Dangerous Nexus". Museum of Jewish Heritage.
39. Bobek, Lauren. (September 23, 2021). "CNN Digital Debuts "Reality Check with John Avlon: Extremist Beat," New Video Series". CNN Press Room.
40. McLaughlin, Aidan. (September 30, 2021). "'The Lunatic Fringe Has Hijacked America': CNN's John Avlon on His New Show Investigating the Rise of Extremism". Mediaite.
41. "Thomas Jefferson". History Channel.
42. Long, Megan. (February 20, 2024). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Thomas Jefferson' on History, A Docuseries That Asks Whether We Can Separate The Man From The Monument".
43. "About The Editors".
44. "Publishers Weekly Review".
45. "Deadline Artists: Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs—More of America's Greatest Newspaper Columns". New York Journal of Books.
46. (May 3, 2018). "Playbook Power Briefing". Politico.
47. (April 19, 2018). "History/Politics/Current Affairs". Publisher's Marketplace.
48. "Lincoln and the Fight for Peace". Publishers Weekly.
49. "Lincoln and the Fight for Peace - About the book". Simon and Schuster.
50. Guelzo, Allen. (February 15, 2022). "A Lincoln for Our Polarized Times".
51. Oliphant, James. (September 26, 2010). "Tired of 'tea party' sniping, moderates organize". Los Angeles Times.
52. (June 2, 2010). "Houston ground zero for a radical political movement reaching both Democrats and Republicans". Culture Map Houston.
53. Avlon, John. (July 21, 2023). "Opinion: Why a third-party 2024 presidential ticket is a dangerous gamble". CNN.
54. "New York City Campaign Finance Board Announces Members of the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee".
55. "Members of the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee 2011".
56. Fred Johnson, Deadline site, February 21, 2024, "Former CNN Anchor John Avlon Launches Bid For New York Congressional Seat" https://deadline.com/2024/02/john-avlon-congress-bid-1235832725/
57. Emma Loop, Axios site, February 21, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/02/21/john-avlon-cnn-congress-ny-democrat-2024
58. Brune, Tom. (February 26, 2024). "Long Island's voter rolls show a surge of party-switchers, especially toward the GOP". Newsday.
59. "Overseas Press Club - Board of Governors". Overseas Press Club.
60. "Annual Gala - House of Speakeasy". House of Speakeasy.
61. "SAG HARBOR PARTNERSHIP IN PUSH TO PRESERVE STEINBECK HOUSE". Sag Harbor Partnership.
62. "Citizens Union of the City of New York - Board of Directors". Citizens Union.
63. (November 6, 2019). "Margaret Hoover, John Avlon".
64. ""Jack" joins Hoover lineage - West Branch Times - West Branch, Iowa - westbranchtimes.com".
65. "Hoovers welcome Toula Lou - West Branch Times - West Branch, Iowa - westbranchtimes.com".
66. Green, Penelope. (July 11, 2018). "Margaret Hoover and John Avlon on their Post-Partisan Marriage".