CNN\u2019s most recognizable conservative voice may soon trade the cable-news desk for the White House podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scott Jennings has emerged as the surprise frontrunner to replace outgoing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, according to The Daily Beast<\/a>, which cited sources familiar with the discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report immediately set off speculation across Washington. Jennings has built a national following by defending President Donald Trump and conservative priorities during contentious CNN panel discussions, frequently challenging the network\u2019s liberal guests in exchanges that spread quickly online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the race is far from settled. The White House has not announced Leavitt\u2019s successor, and Jennings has not publicly confirmed that he is seeking the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pressed about the opening during Wednesday night\u2019s edition of CNN NewsNight<\/em>, Jennings did not give a direct answer. Instead, he praised Leavitt\u2019s performance and her decision to return to her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKaroline Leavitt has been maybe the greatest White House press secretary in the last 30 years,\u201d Jennings said, according to The Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When panelists continued to push him, Jennings shook his head before replying, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d Democratic commentator Bakari Sellers then joked that Democrats were afraid of Jennings becoming press secretary, drawing laughter from the panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exchange did little to quiet the speculation\u2014and it highlighted the qualities that could make Jennings attractive to Trump. He is comfortable under pressure, quick on his feet and accustomed to defending the president before an often-hostile audience. Those skills would be tested daily in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennings would also bring previous White House experience to the role. An archived George W. Bush White House announcement<\/a> confirms that he served as special assistant to the president and deputy director of political affairs. He later became a longtime adviser to then-Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and worked on several of the Kentucky senator\u2019s campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That r\u00e9sum\u00e9 gives Jennings a combination rarely found in a television commentator: years of live-media combat paired with firsthand knowledge of how a White House operates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The potential shake-up comes after Leavitt announced that she will step down at the end of August. Leavitt, who became the youngest White House press secretary in history when she took the job at age 27, returned from maternity leave in July after giving birth to her second child in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her departure statement, Leavitt said she could not give both her young children and the demanding position the time and attention they deserved. Trump said he understood and respected the decision, praising her as one of the best to hold the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also announced that she would remain a top outside adviser and an influential Republican voice, according to ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leavitt\u2019s departure lands less than three months before the midterm elections, giving the choice of her successor added political weight. The next press secretary will be responsible not only for handling daily clashes with the White House press corps but also for communicating Trump\u2019s agenda during a decisive stretch for Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jennings is not the only name reportedly under consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n