Who is Karen Finney?
Karen Finney was born on 15 August, USA. She is a writer, 1967, in New York City spokesperson, and political consultant, best known for working with Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign. She’s appeared numerous times on television as a commentator for MSNBC, and hosted the program called “Disrupt with Karen Finney”.
The Wealth of Karen Finney
As of early-2020, Karen Finney’s net worth is estimated to be over $2 million, earned largely through a successful career related to politics. She has over two decades working in the political sphere and has been involved in various writings and commentary programs.
She is also a strong advocate for improving the educational system of the US.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Karen grew up in New York and is half-African American from her father’s side; he worked as a civil rights lawyer, while his mother worked in the labor industry as a negotiator. Her family is said to be descended from the Civil War General Robert E. Lee from her mother’s side. It is not known if her parents stayed married during her childhood, as she later moved with her mother to California.
She took up her education there, and after matriculating from high school, enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) the oldest campus in Southern California among the University of California students.
It is also the most applied-to university in the US, having over 100,000 applicants and over 30,000 students enrolled annually. During her time there, she developed a strong interest in government and politics, becoming associated with several student organizations. After graduating from university, she gained a bit of prominence as she joined the Democratic National Committee.
DNC and Writing Work
As the name connotes, the DNC is the body governing the US Democratic Party, and has been operational since 1848. It handles the support and strategy of candidates of the party no matter the office being sought. Every four years, the organization holds the Democratic National Convention to select their next candidate for President of the US.
With Finney’s knowledge and expertise, she was named as the spokesperson and Director of Communications for the committee. This made her the first and so far only African-American to hold the role.
While working for the committee, she also made a name for herself as a writer, with features and articles regarding government, politics, public affairs, current issues, and the education system. She wrote for the Washington, DC newspaper turned online publication “The Hill”, which mainly produces stories about politics, particularly the US Congress. As her political clout grew, she also gained a job with “Politico” as a commentator.
The company is known for covering the politics of the US as well as other political situations around the world. It has a strong presence in mediums such as print, television, and digital.
Hilary Clinton and Education
In the early-1990s she met and befriended Hillary Clinton, who would later hire her as her Press Secretary. After her tenure ended, she then desired to work in the educational sector, and joined the Scholastic Corporation as a part of their marketing department. It was also a way for her to move away from politics for a while, and focus on the private sector.
Scholastic is known for its publishing and distribution of books, mostly educational, and holds the rights for publishing several high profile book series, such as “Harry Potter”, “Hunger Games”, “Goosebumps”, and “Animorphs”.
In 2001 Karen returned to politics as she was hired by the New York City Panel for Educational Policy as a crisis communications manager, her experience in politics and passion for education helping her land that position. She also worked for attorney Elizabeth Edwards, and helped with the 2004 presidential campaign of her husband John Edwards. After returning to politics, she began gaining media contacts, and was invited to commentate on MSNBC, which would open up more opportunities for her in the media.
Media Projects and 2016 Campaign
In 2013 Karen signed a deal with MSNBC which would lead her to host a weekend program called “Disrupt with Karen Finney”, marking the second MSNBC program to feature an African-American host. The show aired various political news and commentaries, often leaning more towards women in politics. It ran for over a year before its cancellation was announced by the network, but at around the same time, she was hired by Media Matters for America as a consultant and senior fellow. The non-profit organization was created to help correct misinformation being spread around the media, especially in the political sphere.
In 2015, she began working with Hillary Clinton once more, and was assigned as the Senior Spokesperson and Strategic Communications Adviser to her 2016 presidential campaign. This would see her eventually battle against Bernie Sanders in the primary, and then Donald Trump in the presidential election, losing there. At the end of her second service to Clinton, Finney laid low for a few years, though continued to make commentary appearances. In 2019, it was announced that she had joined the team of CNN as a political commentator, making her debut early in the year, since when she’s continued to work with the network.
Personal Life
Finney is single and there have been no reports about any present or past romantic endeavors – she’s been very private about information regarding this aspect of her life. Rumors started going around that she was romantically involved with commentator Jonathan Capeheart after he referred to her as his wife, but it was later clarified that Capeheart is gay, and that the two were lose friends, killing acll rumors.