Craig Crawford (b. 1956) is a writer and television political commentator based in Washington D.C., a columnist for Congressional Quarterly, and the author of The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World, and Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media.
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Early life
Craig Crawford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky. His family moved to Orlando, Florida, where his parents, Toby and Bill Crawford, encouraged his interest in public affairs. While attending Oak Ridge High School, Craig developed an early devotion to Richard Nixon despite his parents allegiance to the Democratic party. While still in high school, Crawford served as a page to Republican Senator Ed Gurney. His devotion to the GOP lasted until the Watergate scandal. In 1974, while attending Stetson University, Crawford worked on the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. After the 1976 election, Crawford transferred to American University in Washington to intern in the Carter White House press office. Crawford graduated from Stetson University (1978) and Stetson University Law School (1981). He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1982.
Career
While beginning his law practice, Crawford worked for Democratic candidates John Glenn and Walter Mondale. In 1982, he ran as a Democratic candidate for Florida’s state legislature. Crawford joined the staff of the Orlando Sentinel in 1985 as a legal affairs and politics reporter. In 1989, he moved to the paper's Washington bureau. In 1997, Crawford left the Sentinel to run The Hotline until 2003, when he joined Congressional Quarterly leading to his current work for NBC, CNBC and MSNBC. Crawford was a regular contributor to the John Batchelor and Paul Alexender radio show, broadcast from WABC - AM, New York. He also appeared on the CBS Early Show as a political contributor. The television work brought him to the attention of Don Imus, where Crawford is a frequent guest on the Imus in the Morning radio/tv simulcast.
Works
- Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media.(2005) ISBN 0-7425-3816-8 - In the book’s acknowledgments, Crawford cites the “critical assistance,” “extreme patience,” and “attention to detail” of David Blank, the lobbyist who has been his life partner since 1987.
- The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World] (2007) ISBN 0-7425-5250-0 - a kind of updated Machiavelli according to the author's homepage.[1]
External links
- Crawford's Blog (where Crawford's Congressional Quarterly articles are cross posted.
- Column at Congressional Quarterly
- Orlando Magazine profile
- Goodman Speakers Bureau Biography
