Wednesday, October 6, 3:15 p.m.
Tony Blankley joined Edelman’s Washington office in September 2007 as executive vice president for global public affairs. For more than 25 years, Tony has been at the intersection of national politics, media and public policy. He now puts this background to work counseling Edelman clients on how to navigate today’s complicated Washington landscape.
For seven years, Tony served as press secretary to then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. In that role, Tony helped create messages that shook the country and helped create policy. Tony's knack for catchy sound bites and solid political strategy established him as one of Washington's premiere sources of ideas and insights. Working for the most renowned speaker of the House in decades, Tony became one of the leading spokesmen for the Contract with America.
Prior to his career on Capitol Hill, Tony served President Ronald Reagan as a speechwriter and senior policy analyst. Before coming to Washington, Tony was a California deputy attorney general for seven years.
In the world of political punditry, Tony stands apart. Brill's Content magazine’s “Pundit Scorecard” consistently rated him the most accurate of “TV’s weekend soothsayers.” After leaving the speaker’s office in 1997, Tony joined John F. Kennedy Jr.'s George magazine. As a contributing editor, Tony's monthly column "Between the Lines" featured his inside-the-beltway insights. He was a regular panelist on the McLaughlin Group for ten years. In addition, he appears regularly on MSNBC's “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” CNBC’s “Kudlow and Company,” Fox News' “Hannity & Colmes” and “Fox and Friends.” Tony co-hosts KCRW’s popular show, “Left, Right & Center,” and is a regular guest on several national commercial talk radio shows.
In 1999, Tony founded his nationally syndicated political column with The Washington Times. In 2002 he began his service as the paper’s editorial and opinion page editor.
The same depth of knowledge and sharp wit that kept reporters turning to him during his time on Capitol Hill have made Tony a leading media commentator. His opinions and analysis of political events have been featured on the front pages of The New York Times, USA Today, and other major publications. Tony authored his first book in 2005, a New York Times bestseller, “The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?”
Born in London and a naturalized American citizen, Tony and his family moved to Los Angeles after World War II. Young Tony found work as a child actor in television and films, first encountering Mr. Reagan when both appeared at a 1950s-era USO performance. In the years that followed, he volunteered to work on all of Mr. Reagan's campaigns for governor and president.
Tony and his wife, Dr. Lynda Davis, are parents of three children and live in Great Falls, Va., where they share a 12-acre farm with a congenial menagerie of horses, sheep, rabbits, peacocks, dogs, cats and llamas.
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