Former Sen. Jeff Flake has landed as a CBS News contributor and announced on air on Tuesday that he will not run for president in 2020.
Flake was spotted at the network’s New York City headquarters on Jan. 4 amid talks for a role, The Hollywood Reporter reported at the time.
That role was formally announced on CBS This Morning on Tuesday during a segment about his future ambitions. A moderate Republican who left his U.S. Senate seat earlier this month, Flake was considered a potential Republican challenger to President Trump in 2020.
“I’ve always said that I do hope that there is a Republican who challenges the president in the primary,” he said. “I still hope that somebody does, but that somebody won’t be me. I will not be a candidate.”
Flake will work on a series of pieces that will search for common ground in the U.S., CBS This Morning co-host John Dickerson said. Flake cited efforts to pass comprehensive criminal justice reform as an example.
“There can be many more examples of that, and that’s what this series will look at,” Flake said. “Those areas of common ground around the country.”
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, another potential Republican challenger to President Trump, recently joined CNN as a contributor, and former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill was hired by NBC News and MSNBC.
Additionally, CNN announced Tuesday morning that Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has joined the cable network as a political commentator.
Jan. 29, 7:17 a.m. PT This story has been updated with the news of Andrew Gillum joining CNN.
