CNN
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Alice Stewart, a veteran political consultant and CNN political commentator who worked on several GOP presidential campaigns, has died. She is 58 years old.
Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outside in the Belle View neighborhood of Northern Virginia early Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, and officials believe a medical emergency occurred.
“Alice was a dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN,” the network’s CEO Mark Thompson said in an email to employees Saturday. “A political veteran and Emmy Award-winning journalist who brought an unmatched spark to CNN’s coverage, known throughout our bureaus not only for his political acumen but also for his unwavering grace. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such an extraordinary loss.
Stewart was born on March 11, 1966 in Atlanta.
Stewart began her career as a local reporter and producer in Georgia before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas to work as a news anchor. Harvard International Review. He served as communications director in the office of then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee before taking on a similar role in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Former Minnesota Rep. Michael Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a former CNN commentator, also served as communications director for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Most recently, Texas Sen. Stewart was communications director for Ted Cruz’s 2016 GOP presidential campaign.
“Alice is a wonderful and talented and loving friend,” Cruz said A post on X. “She lived every day to the fullest and she will be greatly missed.”
02:56 – Source: CNN
‘I’m really heartbroken’: Jim Acosta gets emotional over Alice Stewart
CNN hired Stewart as a political commentator prior to the 2016 election, and he frequently appeared on the air to provide insight into the political news of the day, including “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
“We always invited her to come on my show because we knew we’d be a little smarter at the end of that conversation,” Blitzer told Jessica Dean on “CNN Newsroom.” “She helped our audience appreciate what was going on, and that’s why we miss her so much.”
CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash, who has known Stewart for nearly two decades after first meeting him when Stewart worked for the Huckabee campaign, recalled him Saturday as “someone who told it straight.”
“One of the many reasons he’s so valuable to us on our political panels … is because he brings that experience,” Bash added. “He brought an understanding of Republican politics, how Republican campaigns work, and he never did anything else without a smile.”
Stewart said, speaking about his role as a commentator for the network Harvard Political Review In 2020 he brings “a perspective that I think CNN appreciates.”
“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice and an independent thinker,” Stewart said. “I’m not a Kool-Aid drinker; I was never a Trumper and I didn’t check my common sense and decency at the door when I voted (for Trump).
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson remembered Stewart on Saturday as “a man who believed that politics was about making friends and not enemies.”
He shared with CNN that Stewart was “one of the first people to call me and encourage me” after him Suspended his presidential campaign Earlier this year, they spoke just last week about the “confusion we see in our politics today.”
“She’s trying to change that and we’ll miss her,” Hutchinson added.
Stewart was a co-host Podcast “Left to Right Hot Mics,” with fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Cardona said on “CNN Newsroom,” adding that the two were set to record an episode of their podcast on Saturday. “I want everyone to know what a special person she was, especially in this industry. You know, today’s politics can be so vulgar and so dirty, and Alice was such a loving, shining light.
04:42 – Source: CNN
Listen to Maria Cardona’s emotional tribute to ‘sister’ Alice Stewart
Stewart also served Senior Advisory Committee Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where he Formerly a colleague.
In his spare time, Stewart was an avid runner. She frequently posts photos on social media from road races, including the TCS New York City Marathon she ran in November and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Race she ran last month.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Kayla Gallagher contributed to this report.
