Alice Stewart, a CNN political commentator and veteran political consultant who worked on numerous Republican presidential campaigns, has died at the age of 58, the news network reported on Saturday.
Police in Northern Virginia told CNN that Stewart’s body was found early Saturday morning outside in the Bellevue neighborhood and that no foul play was suspected. According to CNN, authorities believe Stewart suffered a medical attack.
In an email to staff, the network’s CEO Mark Thompson called Stewart “a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN.”
“He is a political veteran and Emmy Award-winning journalist who brings unparalleled brilliance to CNN’s reporting, and is known across the station not only for his political knowledge but also for his unwavering kindness.” wrote. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such a tremendous loss.”
No further information on the cause of death or survivors was available as of Saturday.
Stewart was born in Atlanta on March 11, 1966, and began his career as a local reporter in Georgia before moving to Little Rock, Arkansas to become a news anchor. She then served as communications director in then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s office.
She took on a similar role during Huckabee’s 2008 presidential campaign, and served as communications director for the 2012 presidential campaigns of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and then-former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Served. Most recently, Stewart served as communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign.
‘It’s heartbreaking’ Cruz Posted on Saturday X. “Alice was a wonderful, talented, and dear friend. And she truly loved America. She lived every day to the fullest and will be sorely missed. God bless her loved ones. May you find comfort and peace.”
Stewart appeared on CNN as a political commentator before the 2016 election and frequently appeared on air to provide insight on the day’s political news. Her last appearance was on Friday’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”
Stewart told the Harvard Political Review in 2020 that she brings “a perspective that I think CNN will appreciate.”
“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].”
Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson wrote in a post on X that Stewart’s “sudden death is a great loss to all who cherished her friendship and political passion.”
“I first met Alice in Arkansas and I’m proud of her focus on making friends in politics and not making enemies,” he wrote. “Thank you, Alice Stewart!”
Stewart also co-hosts the podcast “Hot Mics from Left to Right” with fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona and is a senior advisory board member at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, where he previously served as a fellow.
According to CNN, Stewart was an avid runner in her free time. 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.
