Former CNN Anchor Leaves Network to Run For Congress – Trump News Today

The decision by a now-former CNN host to leave the network and run for Congress as a Democrat in New York won’t do much to change the perception among a vast swath of the American public that the outlet — and journalism in general—is biased against conservatives.

In an inaugural campaign video, John Avalon said he was running for New York’s 1st Congressional District in order to “save democracy” by helping his party retake control of the House while preventing former President Donald Trump from winning the White House again.

“I believe the United States is the greatest democracy the world has ever known. But right now, our democracy is in danger,” the former news anchor said in the video posted to social media. “This election is not a drill. It’s up to all of us to step up and get off the sidelines. And that’s why I’m running for Congress in New York’s 1st District. There’s just too much at stake for the country and the community that I love.”

“We need to build the broadest possible coalition to defeat Donald Trump, defend our democracy, and win back the House from his MAGA minions, who don’t even seem interested in solving problems anymore,” he added.

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Avlon also pledged to prioritize rebuilding the middle class, investing in infrastructure, safeguarding women’s reproductive rights, and tackling climate change, The Hill noted.

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His announcement follows his departure from CNN just two weeks ago. Avlon had been with CNN since 2010, becoming a full-time employee in 2018. He previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast and was a founding figure of the “No Labels” movement.

At the time of his departure from CNN, Avlon wrote in an op-ed, “Democracies depend on citizens engaging in political debates in good faith. They depend on elevating facts over fiction. They depend on citizens getting in the arena, rather than retreating from it, especially during hard times.”

Avlon enters a crowded field of Democratic contenders aiming to challenge first-term Rep. Nick LaLota (R), who was elected as part of a surge of New York Republicans in the 2022 midterms. They played a pivotal role in flipping control of the House to the GOP. But it’s going to be an uphill climb for him and the other Democratic contenders, as The Hill notes: “The Empire State’s 1st District has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+6.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told The Hill that Avlon’s entry into the race “adds even more leftist fuel to an already crowded dumpster fire of a Democrat primary.”

“We look forward to litigating this smug, liberal hack’s past so voters can see just how Left he and the rest of the modern Democrat party have become,” NRCC spokesperson Savannah Viar noted further.

Shark Tank star and investor Kevin O’Leary said this week that former President Donald Trump’s $350 million-plus fraud ruling has made him rethink investing in the “mega loser state” of New York.

“I’m not different than any other investor. I’m shocked at this. I can’t even understand or fathom the decision at all. There’s no rationale for it,” O’Leary said during an interview on Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto Coast To Coast.”

“It does not matter what the governor says. New York was already a loser state, like California is a loser state. There are many loser states because of policy, high taxes, and uncompetitive regulation. It was already on the top of the list to be the loser state. I would never invest in New York now. I’m not the only person saying that,” O’Leary said.

“That is why New Yorkers should be concerned. The fine people of New York should ask themselves, why are we a loser state? How are we going to attract business? It is not just the existing businesses moving to Texas and Florida. What about new money that I’m talking about, like a four-billion-dollar data center? Not a chance I would put that in New York,” O’Leary added.

He concluded, “They have a lot of work to do to find themselves getting out of the situation, and this has occurred post-pandemic. It’s winner versus loser states, look at Tennessee the fastest growing city in Nashville, good policy, competitive taxes. You gotta start thinking about this in the context of winners and losers. New York is a mega loser state.”