(WatchDogReport.org) – Former CNN News anchor John Avlon has filed to run for the House of Representatives after leaving the liberal network on February 8. According to filings from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the journalist will be running in the 1st Congressional District of New York as a Democrat. His decision to run for Congress came after retiring from his role as one of CNN’s main anchors and senior political analysts.
With his decision, Avlon is now joining a cohort of Democratic candidates who are making efforts to unseat New York Republican Representative Nick LaLota, who is serving his first term in the lower chamber. He succeeded former state GOP congressman Lee Zeldin, who was one of the dozen New York GOP freshmen who contributed to flip the Congress red back in 2022.
Avlon, who became famous after being The Daily Beast’s editor-in-chief, joined CNN back in 2010. While he started in the liberal network with sporadic appearances, he became a full-time employee in 2018, becoming one of CNN’s most famous personalities.
The former network political analyst and host will be running against former New York City administrative law judge Craig Herskowitz, who used to work in the administration of former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo. Avlon will also run against former New York Senator James Gaughran and organic chemist Nancy Goroff, who is running after losing to Zeldin by 11 points back in 2020.
While many believe Avlon has poor chances of winning the election and unseating LaLota, many political analysts believe that it remains too soon to make predictions. The 1st Congressional District of New York covers Suffolk County and Long Island’s eastern area and has been considered by many experts as one of the main purple swing seats in the United States.
In his video announcement, Avlon said he decided to help the Democratic Party win back the Congress from former President Donald Trump’s “Maga minions.” He also said that the country’s democracy was “in danger.”
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