John Avlon

CNN host turned political candidate

John Avlon, following a five-year stint as Daily Beast editor-in-chief, has been a fixture on CNN for the past several years. Now the 51-year-old, who has written four books on politics, is running for Congress and aiming to unseat Republican incumbent Nick LaLota in a battle for New York’s 1st Congressional District.

Why did you make the decision to leave journalism and run for office?

I didn’t feel simply offering opinions on cable news was enough.

How do you plan to shake up the race?

By playing offense. I think Democrats are on defense too often.

You’re running as a Democrat while your wife, Margaret, is a Republican. How does that play out at home?

The fact that you can have a Republican and Democrat in a marriage and you find ways to disagree agreeably and you also remember that partisan politics is not the most important thing about us as people — I think that’s reassuring.

So it’s Trump vs. Biden in a rematch. How do you think the D.C. press corps is covering this situation again?

That some newsrooms are still debating whether you cover Trump like every other candidate shows zero percent learning curve.

Should actors and executives in Hollywood be speaking up about Trump?

I think there is a deeper tradition of liberal patriotism that Hollywood could stand to rediscover. I think it’s best when Hollywood shows, not tells. After all, that’s the essence of storytelling.

This move could pit you against Rudy Giuliani, for whom you wrote speeches. How does that make you feel?

I’ve been a strong critic of what Rudy did at the behest of Donald Trump. It bears no resemblance to the person I worked for almost a quarter of a century ago.

How do you think Mark Thompson is getting on with the top job at CNN?

Mark is a brilliant guy. Everybody needs to stop siloing their approach. Consolidation from a consumer point of view occurred a long time ago, so it makes sense to break down silos between digital and linear as long as there continues to be strong investment in original reporting and that the linear TV and the digital is seen as something that is complementary.