A news anchor runs for Congress

With help from Shawn Ness

Fresh off his job as a CNN journalist, John Avlon is hoping to bring star power to the sleepy 1st Congressional District primary on the east end of Long Island — a swing seat now held by first-term Republican Rep. Nick LaLota.

“This fight is too important for Democrats to lose,” Avlon said in an interview with Playbook Wednesday, after launching his campaign. “This seat is winnable, with the right kind of candidate, who can bring energy and inspire the base and also reach out and win over independent voters, as Tom Suozzi did in his special.”

Of course, TV pundits have a mixed record running — CNBC’s Michelle Caruso-Cabrera didn’t get close in her 2020 primary against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for example — and there are skeptics.

“Nobody knows John Avlon from Adam in that district. Being a CNN contributor is very different than being Wolf Blitzer,” said a Democratic operative granted anonymity to speak freely. “The name recognition of John Avlon is nil.”

But Avlon — who also stood in as an anchor — has charisma, and can spin on endlessly about how Democrats need to defeat Donald Trump and the party that supports him.

“This is about the stakes of this time,” he said. “Joe Biden narrowly won this district. And yet, Nick LaLota has been hugging Trump hard from day one.”

Avlon even won a surprising compliment from James Gaughran, a former Democratic state Senator who’s also running in the primary. “I’ve watched him a lot on CNN, and I’ve actually become a big fan,” Gaughran told Playbook. “His advocacy — particularly pointing to the issues we have in this country of trying to save this country from Donald Trump, is spot on.”

The primary is in a bit of a holding pattern, as candidates await the