John Avlon is a CNN Senior Political Analyst, Fill-In Anchor and former Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Beast. He is the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: Extremism in the Age of Obama as well as an editor of the anthology Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columnists. He won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists' award for best online column in 2012. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, where he and his team were responsible for writing the eulogies for firefighters and police officers killed in the destruction of the World Trade Center.

Avlon discusses America’s broken political system and shares with audiences tangible opportunities for constructive change. A registered Independent, Avlon believes that hyper-partisanship is hurting our country because it is stopping us from solving the serious problems we face. The current polarization in congress is a departure from our country’s best traditions. As a ‘radical centrist,’ he argues that part of the solution is to play offense from the center, identifying the common ground that exists on any given issue and then building on it, fighting for the national interest rather than special interests.

John Avlon is Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of The Daily Beast.He previously served as Executive Editor and Political Director of The Daily Beast. He began writing columns for The Daily Beast in November of 2008, one month after its launch. He is a CNN political analyst who won the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ award for best online column in 2012. Prior to joining The Daily Beast, Avlon was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun and served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.He is the author of Independent Nation and Wingnuts as well as an editor of the anthology Deadline Artists: America’s Greatest Newspaper Columns. His most recent book is Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations.

John Avlon was a columnist and associate editor for the New York Sun.