Charles Edward Cook Jr. (born November 20, 1953) is an American political analyst. Specializing in election forecasts and political trends, Cook writes election forecasts and rankings in the publication he founded, '' The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'', and in other media. Since the 1984 US presidential election, Cook has provided election night commentary for various television networks. In 1997, Cook started producing the
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, com ...
. A political analyst for the ''
National Journal
''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...
'' and NBC, Cook writes two columns for ''National Journal''. In 2013, he was a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics.
Early life and education
Cook is the son of Mary Hudgens Cook and Charles Cook Sr. (
Magnolia, Arkansas
Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County.
Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship ...
1916–2012). His father was a highly decorated officer in the United States Army Air Force during World War II, and an electrical engineering graduate from the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
. He has two sisters, Carole and Margaret, and a brother, Robert. Cook graduated in 1972 from Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport and attended
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
.
Career
In 1984, he founded the newsletter ''The Cook Political Report'', which publishes analyses of the primaries and
general election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
s for federal political offices and state governorships. The ''Report's'' predictions are accorded high credibility among journalists and politicians. Since the 1984 US presidential election, Cook has provided election night commentary for various television networks.
In 1994 he became a political analyst for NBC, and he has also provided political analysis for the ''
National Journal
''National Journal'' is an advisory services company based in Washington, D.C., offering services in government affairs, advocacy communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy brands research for government and business leaders. It publishes ...
''. Cook writes two columns for the latter: "The Cook Report" for the main publication and "Off to the Races" for the online National Journal Congress Daily.
In 1997, Cook started producing the
Cook Partisan Voting Index
The Cook Partisan Voting Index, abbreviated PVI or CPVI, is a measurement of how partisan a U.S. congressional district or U.S. state is. This partisanship is indicated as lean towards either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, com ...
, a scoring metric of partisan lean in Congressional districts and states, which is still published biannually today and is frequently referenced in political commentary.
In 2006, Cook was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield. In 2010, he won the Carey McWilliams award from the
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, it publishes four ...
. The award is given annually to honor a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics and carries a prize of $750.
In 2013, he served as a Resident Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics.
In 2021,
Amy Walter
Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"
took over Cook's roles as editor and publisher of the since-renamed ''Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.'' He will continue to write columns and analysis for the newsletter as well as for the ''National Journal''.