About Mark Preston

Mark Preston is political director for CNN, based in the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau. Named to the position in December 2011, he is responsible for overseeing the network’s America’s Choice 2012 political coverage across all platforms, helping set the editorial direction for CNN programs during key caucus and primary election nights, organizing the network’s presidential debates and forums, and serving as primary contact with political campaigns at both the state and national level. He also serves as an on-air political analyst across CNN platforms, including CNN/U.S., CNN International, HLN and CNN.com.

Preston joined CNN in 2005 as political editor and was later promoted to senior political editor. He has received a number of prestigious honors during his time at the network. In 2008, he played a key role in the network’s Peabody Award-winning coverage of the presidential primary debates and campaigns. Additionally, his work contributed to CNN receiving Syracuse University’s i-3 Mirror Award for the YouTube presidential debates and an EPpy Award for Best News/ Politics Blog. Preston received an Emmy Award for CNN’s 2006 midterm election night programming. Preston’s work has been recognized with a number of award nominations, including two Emmy Award nominations for CNN’s 2008 political programming.

Prior to joining CNN in 2005, Preston was a senior staff writer for the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, where he worked for six years. His career also includes correspondent roles at States News Service, a wire service in Washington, and at the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, Georgia, where he won several Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press reporting awards.

Preston received two bachelor of art’s degrees, in journalism and history, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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