CHARLES COOK, JR.

CNN Political Analyst Charles Cook appears regularly on Inside Politics, airing weekdays from 4 - 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 - 9 p.m. and Inside Politics Extra weekdays at 10 a.m. (ET). Widely recognized as one of the nation's leading authorities on U.S. elections, he is also the editor of The Cook Political Report, a twice-weekly columnist for Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill and a twice-monthly op-ed columnist for the Christian Science Monitor.

Cook served as a consultant to CBS News in New York for election night coverage in 1990 and 1992 and for NBC News in New York for election night in 1984.

The Cook Political Report, which was founded in 1984, analyzes American politics, with an emphasis on elections for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and the presidency. The New York Times has called Cook, "...one of the best political handicappers in the nation," and noted that The Cook Political Report is, "...a newsletter that both parties regard as authoritative."

A native of Shreveport, LA, Cook came to Washington in September of 1972 to attend Georgetown University where he studied American government. He worked on Capitol Hill for Sen. Bennett Johnston (D- LA), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Policy Committee. He has also worked on campaigns at the congressional, senatorial and presidential levels. In addition, he worked as a pollster and campaign consultant and on the staff of BUILD-PAC, the political action committee of the National Association of Home Builders. He received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University.