CNN political commentator Alice Stewart has died

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 was 58.

Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outdoors in the Bellevue neighborhood of northern Virginia early Saturday morning. There is no suspicion of foul play and officials believe a medical emergency has occurred.

“Alice was a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN,” Mark Thompson, the network’s CEO, said in an email to employees on Saturday. “A political veteran and Emmy Award-winning journalist who has brought an unparalleled spark to CNN’s reporting and is known in our offices not only for her political savvy but also for her unwavering kindness. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn this 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, she told Harvard International Review. She then served as communications director in then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office before taking on a similar role during his 2008 presidential bid.

She also served as communications director for the 2012 presidential bids of former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, also a former CNN commentator. Most recently, Stewart served as communications director for Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign.

CNN hired Stewart as a political commentator before the 2016 election, and she appeared frequently on-air to provide insight into the day’s political news, including as recently as Friday on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

Speaking about her role as a commentator for the network, Stewart told Harvard Political Review in 2020 that she “brings a perspective that I think CNN values.”

“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice and yet an independent thinker,” Stewart said. “I’m not a Kool-Aid drinker; I’m not a Trump-never, and I didn’t check my common sense and decency at the door when I voted for (Trump).”

Stewart also co-hosted the podcast “Hot Mics From Left to Right” alongside CNN commentator Maria Cardona. Additionally, Stewart served on the Senior Advisory Committee at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, where she was previously a fellow.

CNN’s Kayla Gallagher contributed to this report.