As coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign starts to heat up, CNN has filled one of its most coveted posts. The cable news network announced Monday morning that Dana Bash has nabbed the chief political correspondent job after more than 20 years with the network.
CNN chief Jeff Zucker told some staff on Monday, with the Washington bureau’s Sam Feist and Virginia Moseley acknowledging the promotion in a memo.
“This morning, Jeff announced that our friend and colleague Dana Bash has been named CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent, serving as the network’s lead correspondent covering the Republican field of 2016 presidential hopefuls, our lead correspondent covering Capitol Hill, and as a prominent player in CNN’s election night coverage,” the two said. “Today we are also announcing that Dana will be participating in the questioning of Republican candidates at CNN’s Reagan Library debate next month.”
Bash’s new title comes nine months after longtime chief political correspondent Candy Crowley left the network in late 2014. CNN host Jake Tapper will take on Crowley’s old moderating gig when CNN hosts the Sept. 16 GOP debate, but Bash and Hugh Hewitt will also be on hand to lob questions at the Republican hopefuls.
Joining CNN first in 1993 as a DC bureau library assistant, she rose to producer and ultimately became a congressional correspondent and a White House correspondent.
CNN has been beefing up its political staff in 2015 — a move clearly justified by the early interest in the election, most notably evidenced by the Donald Trump-driven 24 million viewers who tuned in to Fox News’ first GOP debate.
