CNN commentator and longtime Republican political adviser Alice Stewart has died suddenly at the age of 58.
Stewart was found early Saturday morning in a neighborhood in northern Virginia. Law enforcement officials believed she died from a medical emergency, according to reports, and no foul play is suspected.
"Alice was a very dear friend and colleague to all of us at CNN," network CEO Mark Thompson wrote in a message to network staff on Saturday, according to CNN. "A political veteran and an Emmy Award-winning journalist who brought an incomparable spark to CNN’s coverage, known across our bureaus not only for her political savvy, but for her unwavering kindness. Our hearts are heavy as we mourn such an extraordinary loss."
Stewart was an established communications veteran in Republican politics before joining CNN as a commentator in 2016. She served as communications director for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign, the 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns of Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and the 2012 bids of former Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
"Heartbreaking. Alice was wonderful and talented and a dear friend," Cruz wrote on X Saturday. "And she loved America fiercely. She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply missed. May God’s comfort and peace be upon her loved ones. RIP."
CNN's Dana Bash called her a "woman's woman who brought kindness and support along with smarts and expertise."
Stewart also previously served as deputy secretary of state for Arkansas.
Before she got into politics, Stewart had an extensive media career, working as a reporter and anchor in Little Rock, Arkansas and Savannah, Georgia, as well as an associate producer in her hometown of Atlanta, according to her biography at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. She was also hosting a podcast with fellow CNN commentator Maria Cardona upon her death.
Stewart was a frequent guest on CNN shows, providing a unique perspective on the network as a Republican who voted for Donald Trump. In an interview in 2020 with Harvard Political Review, Deadline noted, Stewart was open about her viewpoints.
"My role at CNN is to be a conservative commentator; I provide my perspective on the politics of the day from my conservative viewpoint," she told HPR. "There are different facets of conservatism these days. There are people who are supportive of Donald Trump, and there are never-Trumpers. I support the president, but there are a lot of things I don’t agree with regarding his tone and demeanor, and I call him out on it when necessary."
On CNN Saturday, Stewart was honored and mourned throughout the day. Tributes also poured in online, with friends and colleagues praising her as a smart, funny and kind friend.
"We always invited her to come on my show because we knew we would be a little bit smarter at the end of that conversation," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said on Saturday.
"Alice Stewart was a kind, talented, and faith-filled woman of God. She will be sincerely missed. My heart and my prayers go out to her family," Fox News' Kayleigh McEnany wrote on X.
