On Wednesday, former CNN anchor John Avlon launched a New York congressional campaign.
In a video posted on X, Avlon said he was running to help build a broad coalition against former President Trump, the current GOP presidential frontrunner.
“I believe the United States is the greatest democracy the world has ever known. But right now, our democracy is in danger,” the former news anchor said in the video. “This election is not a drill. It's up to all of us to step up and get off the sidelines. And that's why I'm running for Congress, in New York's first district. There's just too much at stake for the country and the community that I love.”
“We need to build the broadest possible coalition to defeat Donald Trump, defend our democracy and win back the House from his MAGA minions who don't even seem interested in solving problems anymore,” he added.
His announcement comes just two weeks after departing CNN, which he joined in 2010 and became a full-time employee in 2018. He is also the former editor-in-chief of left-leaning The Daily Beast and a founding leader of the “No Labels” movement.
At the time of his departure from CNN, Avlon wrote in a piece, “Democracies depend on citizens engaging in political debates in good faith. They depend on elevating facts over fiction. They depend on citizens getting in the arena, rather than retreating from it, especially during hard times.”
Avlon joins an already-crowded field of Democrats looking to unseat freshman Rep. Nick LaLota (R).
This is a breaking news story. Click refresh for the latest updates.
READ NEXT: US Reaper Drone Shot Down And British Ship Suffers ‘Catastrophic' Damage, Houthis Claim