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John Phillips Avlon (born January 19, 1973) is an American journalist and political commentator. He was a senior political analyst and anchor at CNN, and was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast from 2013 to 2018.
Prior to that, he was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun, and chief speechwriter for former Mayor of New York City Rudolph Giuliani. He has written four books.
In 2024 he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 1st congressional district, losing to Republican incumbent Nick LaLota.
Avlon joined The Daily Beast in 2008 one month after its launch. He started as a columnist and eventually became political editor, executive editor, and then managing editor. In 2013, Avlon became editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast. As editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, Avlon was cited for supporting original and breaking content for the platform.
In May 2018, Avlon announced his departure from The Daily Beast. He joined CNN as a senior political analyst and anchor.
Avlon created and hosted the "Wingnut of the Week" segment on CNN.
In June 2018, Avlon moved to CNN full time as senior political analyst making daily appearances on New Day, as well as guest anchoring for programs including State of America and Reliable Sources.
Avlon has been interviewed in several documentaries including HBO's , 2010's Gerrymandering, History Channel's miniseries Washington and CNN's Lincoln: Divided We Stand.
In September 2021, CNN announced the debut of the digital series Reality Check with John Avlon: Extremist Beat, which was created to track the rise of extremist groups in America.
In 2024, Avlon appeared as a commentator in the History Channel docuseries Thomas Jefferson, a six-part series directed by Jon Hirsch that explores the life and legacy of the Founding Father.
In 2011, Avlon co-edited the anthology Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns with Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis. The book earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly prior to publication. The trio edited and published a sequel in 2012, Deadline Artists 2: Scandals, Tragedies and Triumphs.
In 2017, Avlon published Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations.
In April 2018, it was announced that Avlon was working on a book on Lincoln planned for release in 2020, focusing on the final five weeks of Lincoln's life.
Avlon's book titled Lincoln and the Fight for Peace was released in February 2021.9781797136004, Simon and Schuster. . ISBN 9781797136004 The New York Times reviewed the book, writing "These are not unfamiliar tales to students of Lincoln, but Avlon makes the retelling affecting and powerful. At the same time, Avlon plays down the highly ideological Lincoln."
In 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Avlon to the New York City Voter Assistance Advisory Committee. The VAAC advises the New York City Campaign Finance Board on its voter engagement mandates, including voter registration and participation outreach activities.
/ref> He won his primary on June 25, defeating opponent Nancy Goroff. On Election Day, November 5, Avlon lost the general election to Representative LaLota. However, he ran two points ahead of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the district, while LaLota ran two points behind Republican nominee Donald Trump.
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