News

CNN political commentator Alice Stewart dies

Published

6 months ago

May 19, 2024

CNN political commentator Alice Stewart dies

CNN
—

Alice Stewart, a veteran political adviser and CNN political commentator who labored on a number of GOP presidential campaigns, has died. She was 58.

Legislation enforcement officers informed CNN that Stewart’s physique was discovered outside within the Belle View neighborhood in northern Virginia early Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, and officers imagine a medical emergency occurred.

“Alice was a really expensive good friend and colleague to all of us at CNN,” Mark Thompson, the community’s CEO, mentioned in an electronic mail to employees Saturday. “A political veteran and an Emmy Award-winning journalist who introduced an incomparable spark to CNN’s protection, identified throughout our bureaus not just for her political savvy, however for her unwavering kindness. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such a unprecedented loss.”

Stewart was born on March 11, 1966, in Atlanta.

Stewart began her profession as an area reporter and producer in Georgia earlier than transferring to Little Rock, Arkansas, to be a information anchor, she informed Harvard Worldwide Evaluate. She went on to function the communications director in then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s workplace earlier than assuming an identical function for his presidential run in 2008.

She additionally served because the communications director for the 2012 Republican presidential bids of former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann after which former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, additionally a former CNN commentator. Most lately, Stewart was the communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 GOP presidential marketing campaign.

“Alice was great and gifted and a pricey good friend,” Cruz mentioned in a put up on X. “She lived each day to the fullest, and he or she will likely be deeply missed.”

<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcvrjyt000u3b6jlydxv5r7@revealed" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcn764000003b6j2mtjsjbo@revealed" data-video-id="me8e9f4ea6d55848a8a47e8da8536bdc48bf0ce57e" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-auth-type="none" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="'I am actually heartbroken': Jim Acosta will get emotional remembering Alice Stewart" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="

CNN’s Jim Acosta remembers colleague Alice Stewart, a Republican strategist and CNN political analyst who handed away at age 58.

” data-duration=”02:56″ data-source-html=” – Supply:
CNN
” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“huge”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/still-20637175-2651360-48-still.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/still-20637175-2651360-48-still.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”” data-byline-html=”

” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2024-05-18T21:56:34.865Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/18/politics/video/jim-acosta-alice-stewart-tribute-nr-digvid” data-branding-key=”” data-video-slug=”jim-acosta-alice-stewart-tribute-nr-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”jim-acosta-alice-stewart-tribute-nr-digvid” data-video-tags=”” data-details=””>

<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-player/cases/clwcn76nc00063b6jsbv8f8k8@revealed" data-unselectable="true" data-title="" data-show-ads="true" data-custom-experience="" data-component-name="video-player" data-autostart="disabled" data-is-vertical-video="false" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-headline="'I am actually heartbroken': Jim Acosta will get emotional remembering Alice Stewart" data-auth-type="none" data-video-resource-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcn764000003b6j2mtjsjbo@revealed" data-live="" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-video-resource-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcvrjyt000u3b6jlydxv5r7@revealed" data-poster-image-override="{"huge": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/still-20637175-2651360-48-still.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/still-20637175-2651360-48-still.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }" data-video-id="me8e9f4ea6d55848a8a47e8da8536bdc48bf0ce57e" data-duration="02:56" data-description="

CNN’s Jim Acosta remembers colleague Alice Stewart, a Republican strategist and CNN political analyst who handed away at age 58.

‘I am actually heartbroken’: Jim Acosta will get emotional remembering Alice Stewart

CNN employed Stewart as a political commentator forward of the 2016 election, and he or she appeared on air regularly to offer perception on the political information of the day, together with as lately as Friday on “The State of affairs Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“We all the time invited her to return on my present as a result of we knew we’d be a bit of bit smarter on the finish of that dialog,” Blitzer informed Jessica Dean on “CNN Newsroom.” “She helped our viewers higher respect what was occurring and that’s why we are going to miss her a lot.”

CNN anchor and chief political correspondent Dana Bash, who knew Stewart for practically twenty years after first assembly her when Stewart labored for the Huckabee marketing campaign, remembered her Saturday as “any individual who informed it straight.”

“One of many many explanation why she was so priceless to us on our political panels … is as a result of she introduced that have,” Bash added. “She introduced that understanding of how Republican politics, Republican campaigns work and he or she by no means, ever did it with something apart from a smile.”

Talking about her function as a commentator for the community, Stewart informed Harvard Political Evaluate in 2020 that she brings “a perspective that I feel CNN appreciates.”

“My place at CNN is to be a conservative voice but an impartial thinker,” Stewart mentioned. “I’m not a Kool-Help drinker; I’m not a never-Trumper, and I didn’t examine my frequent sense and decency on the door after I voted for (Trump).”

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Saturday remembered Stewart as “somebody that believes that politics was about making associates and never creating enemies.”

He shared with CNN that Stewart “was one of many first ones to name me and encourage me” after he suspended his presidential marketing campaign earlier this 12 months, and that they spoke simply final week “in regards to the mess that we see in our politics at the moment.”

“She was attempting to alter that and we’ll miss her,” Hutchinson added.

Stewart was a co-host of the podcast “Scorching Mics From Left to Proper,” alongside fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona.

“I simply can’t imagine that she’s gone,” Cardona mentioned on “CNN Newsroom,” including that the 2 have been going to file an episode of their podcast Saturday. “I would like everybody to know what a particular individual she was, particularly on this business. As , at the moment’s politics will be indecent and so soiled, and Alice was simply such a loving, shining mild.”

<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcrs82800003b6j73lu5ejy@revealed" data-component-name="video-resource" data-editable="settings" class="video-resource" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcq8xvp00003b6js12rkpc6@revealed" data-video-id="med81578b393c84d588c24b3f0ccd2055f10299973" data-live="" data-analytics-aggregate-events="true" data-custom-experience="" data-asset-type="hlsTs" data-auth-type="none" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-medium-env="" data-autostart="disabled" data-show-ads="true" data-source="CNN" data-featured-video="true" data-headline="Hear Maria Cardona's emotional tribute to her 'sister' Alice Stewart" data-has-video-player="true" data-description="

Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Maria Cardona shares recollections of debating politics for years on TV together with her good friend Alice Stewart, the CNN political commentator and Republican strategist who died at age 58.

” data-duration=”04:42″ data-source-html=” – Supply:
CNN
” data-fave-thumbnails=”{“huge”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/20240518-split-image.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” }, “small”: { “uri”: “https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/20240518-split-image.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill” } }” data-vr-video=”false” data-show-html=”” data-byline-html=”

” data-check-event-based-preview=”” data-network-id=”” data-publish-date=”2024-05-18T23:24:41.259Z” data-video-section=”politics” data-canonical-url=”https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/18/politics/video/democratic-strategist-maria-cardona-tribute-alice-stewart-political-commentator-nr-digvid” data-branding-key=”” data-video-slug=”democratic-strategist-maria-cardona-tribute-alice-stewart-political-commentator-nr-digvid” data-first-publish-slug=”democratic-strategist-maria-cardona-tribute-alice-stewart-political-commentator-nr-digvid” data-video-tags=”” data-details=””>

<div data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-player/cases/clwcq8ynz00053b6jjm9em33x@revealed" data-unselectable="true" data-title="" data-show-ads="true" data-custom-experience="" data-component-name="video-player" data-autostart="disabled" data-is-vertical-video="false" data-fixed-ratio="16×9" data-headline="Hear Maria Cardona's emotional tribute to her 'sister' Alice Stewart" data-auth-type="none" data-video-resource-parent-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcq8xvp00003b6js12rkpc6@revealed" data-live="" data-content-type="mediasource-clip" data-video-resource-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/cases/clwcrs82800003b6j73lu5ejy@revealed" data-poster-image-override="{"huge": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/20240518-split-image.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/photos/stellar/prod/20240518-split-image.jpg?c=16×9&q=h_540,w_960,c_fill" } }" data-video-id="med81578b393c84d588c24b3f0ccd2055f10299973" data-duration="04:42" data-description="

Hear Maria Cardona’s emotional tribute to her ‘sister’ Alice Stewart

Stewart additionally served on the senior advisory committee on the Institute of Politics at Harvard College’s Kennedy Faculty, the place she beforehand was a fellow.

In her free time, Stewart was an avid runner. She regularly posted pictures from street races on social media, together with from the TCS New York Metropolis Marathon, which she ran in November, and the Credit score Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race, which she ran final month.

This story has been up to date with further info.

CNN’s Kayla Gallagher contributed to this report.