After nearly 32 years with The Cook Political Report (CPR), Jennifer Duffy is retiring from the company. She wants a second act in her professional life and plans to do some political consulting and travel as she pursues new professional challenges.
Taking over as the Senate and Governors Editor of The Cook Political Report will be Jessica Taylor, who for the last five years has been a political reporter for National Public Radio. She has also been a contributing editor for the Cook Political Report in 2019.
"I am very grateful to Charlie for allowing me to do what I love for so many years," Duffy said. "I am proud to have been part of this team from its very early days and watch CPR grow to become the respected and authoritative resource it is today."
"The Cook Political Report would not be where it is today without Jennifer's hard work, energy and commitment. Jennifer's contribution to the success of the CPR cannot be overstated. She will be missed," said Charlie Cook.
Duffy joined the CPR in 1988. Over the years, she has analyzed more than 500 U.S. Senate races and some 400 gubernatorial contests. She has met with nearly 1,000 candidates and has given numerous speeches to prominent organizations across the country. From 1996-2018, Duffy also served as an off-air analyst from NBC News.
"We are all sad to see Jennifer leave, she has been part of the heart and soul of our operation," Cook said. "We are excited though about Jessica coming on board, she is a terrific political reporter and analyst, she understands what we do and how we do it, she will mesh well with the other five of us."
"The Cook Political Report is the gold standard for political analysis and campaign handicapping thanks to the hard work and deep knowledge of Charlie, Jennifer, Amy and David. I've seen that first-hand over the past year, and now I'm honored to join them full time," said Taylor. "I'm looking forward to returning to my passion for campaign analysis, especially with an exciting 2020 cycle ahead for Senate and governor races."
At NPR, Taylor reported on both elections and breaking news, ranging from the White House to both chambers of Congress and statewide elections. She was a contributing author to the 2020 edition of The Almanac of American Politics.
Taylor has previously served as a senior analyst/reporter for The Rothenberg Political Report (now Inside Elections), where her quotes and analysis appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and numerous other publications. She has reported on politics for several prestigious outlets over the past decade — including the NBC News Political Unit, National Journal, POLITICO and The Hill, where she served as campaign editor. She has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, C-SPAN and CNN. Her expert analysis contributed to real-time election night coverage and analysis at CBS in 2012.
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Founded in 1984, the Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based newsletter covering U.S. elections and national political trends.
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