CNN
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Alice Stewart, a veteran political advisor and CNN political commentator who worked on multiple Republican presidential campaigns, has died. She was 58 years old.
Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart's body was found early Saturday morning outside in the Bellevue area of northern Virginia. No foul play is suspected, and officers believe there was a medical emergency.
“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 staff on Saturday. “A political veteran and Emmy Award-winning journalist who brings unparalleled brilliance to CNN's reporting, she is known throughout our bureau not only for her political knowledge but also for her unwavering kindness. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn this tremendous loss.”
Stewart was born on March 11, 1966 in Atlanta.
Stewart told Harvard International Review that she began her career as a local reporter and producer in Georgia, then moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, to become a news anchor. She then served as communications director in then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's office, and assumed a similar role during his 2008 presidential campaign.
She also served as communications director for the 2012 Republican presidential campaigns of former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. and fellow former CNN commentator Rick Santorum. Most recently, Stewart served as communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's 2016 Republican campaign.
CNN hired Stewart as a political commentator ahead of the 2016 election, and he frequently appeared on air to provide insight on the day's political news, including Friday's “Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room.”
“We always invited her to my show because we knew she would come out a little smarter at the end of the conversation,” Blitzer told Jessica Dean on “CNN Newsroom.” “We will miss her greatly as she helped her viewers better understand what was going on.”
David S. Holloway
Suzanne Malveaux, Alice Stewart, and Charles Blow inside the CNN Grill during the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Stewart told the Harvard Political Review in 2020 that his role as a commentator on the network provided him with “a perspective that I think CNN values.”
“My position at CNN is to be a conservative voice but also an independent thinker,” Stewart said. “I'm not one to drink the Kool-Aid. I was never Trump, and I never checked my common sense or decency in voting for[Trump].”
Stewart was also co-host of the podcast “Hot Mics From Left to Right” with fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona.
“I can't believe she's gone,” Cardona said on “CNN Newsroom,” adding that the two will be recording a podcast episode together on Saturday. “I want everyone to know what a special person she was, especially in this industry. You know, politics today is so vile and so dirty, but Alice was just a shining light full of love. .”
Stewart also serves on the Senior Advisory Board of the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics and was previously a fellow at the school.
In his free time, Stewart was an avid runner. She frequently posts photos on social media from road races, including the TCS New York City Marathon in November and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile race last month.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN's Kayla Gallagher contributed to this report.
