Jake Tapper has been named the host of CNN’s signature Sunday political show “State of the Nation,” the network will announce Friday.
Tapper, who also hosts “The Lead,” Monday-Friday at 4 p.m. ET, will host both shows. His appointment as host comes as a replacement to Candy Crowley, who left the show and CNN at the end of 2014. Tapper will start in June.
The veteran political reporter and anchor is respected on both sides of the political aisle, growing a reputation as a tough, but fair, interviewer.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this election season and the new platform I will have at CNN to cover it,” Tapper said. “State Of The Union has a rich tradition and I hope to not only build on its history but expand the definition of what a Sunday show can be. My deepest thanks to Jeff for the confidence he continues to show in me and to my colleagues at CNN for the incredible support on air and off that I’ve received since beginning this adventure two years ago.”
Tapper has made veterans’ issues a major point of his coverage, playing a large part in CNN’s Peabody Award coverage of the VA scandal in 2014 that saw veterans hospitals with horrendous wait times for appointments.
His appointment to the Sunday show scene beefs up the competition heading into the 2016 race. Since taking over for David Gregory, Chuck Todd has helped lift NBC’s “Meet the Press’” ratings to the point of the occasional first-place win, but more importantly, a competitive position.
CBS’ “Face the Nation” is still number one, but with Bob Schieffer retiring this summer and John Dickerson taking over, the Sunday field is wide open.
Top candidates will likely hit all the major shows, but CNN has even more of an edge now to book high-profile candidates and surrogates with a respected Tapper in the Sunday anchor chair.
Before joining CNN in 2012, Tapper served as Senior White House Correspondent at ABC News.