Karoline Leavitt is an American political aide who previously served as an assistant press secretary and presidential writer during the

Donald Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory o ...

. In 2022, she ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in New Hampshire's 1st district, becoming the second member of

Generation Z Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as zoomers, is the Western world, Western demography, demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular me ...

to win a congressional primary. She lost the general election to incumbent Chris Pappas. She currently serves as the national press secretary for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

Early life and education

Karoline Leavitt was born and raised in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Her family owned a local ice cream shop and a used truck dealership in Plaistow, New Hampshire. She attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts and then pursued higher education at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in communications and political science; she also played

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

. Leavitt worked at Hearst Television WMUR-TV while in college.

Career

Leavitt began her career as an summer intern in the

White House Office of Presidential Correspondence The Office of Presidential Correspondence is one of the largest and oldest offices in the White House, and is a component of the Office of the White House Staff Secretary. In the administration of Joe Biden, the Office of Presidential Corresp ...

prior to her senior year in college. Upon her graduation she took a job in the correspondence office before joining the White House Press Office as an assistant press secretary under Kayleigh McEnany. Following the conclusion of the

Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

she was hired as the communications director for U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik from New York.

Congressional campaign

In 2022, Leavitt announced her candidacy for the

, running as a Republican in . She notably ran against 2020 nominee Matt Mowers, former Executive Councilor

Russell Prescott Russell Prescott is a former Republican member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire, representing the 3rd district from 2017 to 2021. Prescott is also a former member of the New Hampshire Senate, representing the 23rd district from 2010 to 2 ...

, journalist

Gail Huff Brown Gail Huff Brown (''née'' Huff; born February 9, 1962) is an American broadcast journalist. Huff most recently worked as a special correspondent and news contributor for WWJE-DT. Huff also previously worked with WJLA-TV, an ABC station, in Washin ...

, and

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Tim Baxter Tim Baxter (born 1997) is an American politician who served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Rockingham 20 district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on December 2, 2020. Early life and education Ba ...

. The final poll before the primary showed Leavitt losing to Mowers by two points. Leavitt won the primary by about 10 points. Her victory in the Republican primary made her the second member of

to win a congressional primary after

Maxwell Frost Maxwell Alejandro Frost (born January 17, 1997) is an American politician, activist and musician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously the national organizing director for March f ...

who did so the previous month. Her campaign focused on conservative values, economic growth, and support for law enforcement. She emphasized her commitment to protecting Second Amendment rights, reducing taxes, and opposing government overreach. Leavitt lost in the general election to incumbent Chris Pappas by 8.2% of the vote. Leavitt declined to run in the 2024 election

Personal life and positions

Leavitt grew up in a Catholic household, and she is an outspoken advocate for private education and a "fearless pro-life advocate." Leavitt is known for her strong conservative stance on various issues. She advocates for limited government, lower taxes, and deregulation to promote economic growth. She is a vocal supporter of the Second Amendment and gun rights. Additionally, Leavitt emphasizes the importance of securing the U.S. borders and implementing strict immigration policies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitt, Karoline 1998 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century New Hampshire politicians American press secretaries Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections New Hampshire Republicans People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election People from Atkinson, New Hampshire Saint Anselm College alumni Saint Anselm Hawks athletes Trump administration personnel