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Krystal Marie Ball (born November 24, 1981) is an American political commentator and media host. She was previously a political candidate, as well as a television host at MSNBC, a regular contributor to '' The Huffington Post'' and a co-host of ''
The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''s ''
Rising Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starg ...
'' along with Saagar Enjeti. In May 2021, Ball and Enjeti announced that they were leaving the show in order to release their own independent project titled ''Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar''. Ball is a co-host with
Kyle Kulinski Kyle Edward Kulinski (born January 31, 1988) is an American political commentator and media host. Kulinski is the host and producer of ''The Kyle Kulinski Show'' on his YouTube channel ''Secular Talk'' and is a co-host with his partner Krystal ...
on the podcast ''Krystal Kyle & Friends''. She has made guest appearances on networks such as
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
, CNBC, Fox News and programs including '' Real Time with Bill Maher''. Ball was the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...
nominee for
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in
Virginia's 1st congressional district Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district split between a suburban north and rural south. Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's ...
in the 2010 election, losing to Republican incumbent Rob Wittman. She co-hosted the MSNBC show '' The Cycle'' from June 2012 to July 2015. In May 2017, she created the People's House Project, a political action committee working on behalf of Democratic causes.


Early life and education

Ball was born on November 24, 1981, in King George County, Virginia, 60 miles south of
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
Her father, Edward Ball, is a physicist, and mother, Rose Marie Ball, a teacher. The name Krystal came from her father, a physicist who wrote his dissertation on crystals. She has two older sisters, Holly and Heidi. Ball graduated from King George High School in King George, Virginia and then attended
Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...
for one year before transferring to the University of Virginia, where she received a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six y ...
in economics.


Career

Ball is a
business owner A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
and a
certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...
. She previously worked for the federal contractor
CGI Group CGI Inc. is a Canadian multinational information technology consulting and systems integration company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. CGI has a market value of $21.8 billion, making it one of the top 30 companies in Canada. The co ...
. Leaving CGI, she went on to design educational software in a business owned with her husband, working internationally. She is a former
columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...
for '' The Atlantic''. In 2012, Ball launched a website calling for a boycott of advertisers on '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'' after Limbaugh's comments about
Sandra Fluke Sandra Kay Fluke (, born April 17, 1981) is an American lawyer, women's rights activist, and representative to the Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley. She first came to public attention when, in February 2012, Republican members of the Hou ...
.
ThinkProgress ''ThinkProgress'' was an American progressive news website that was active from 2005 to 2019. It was a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAP Action), a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Founded ...
reported on March 2, 2012, that over 50 advertisers were confirmed to have dropped the show.


2010 U.S. House campaign

In 2010, Ball ran to represent
Virginia's 1st congressional district Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district split between a suburban north and rural south. Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's ...
in the U.S. House of Representatives against Republican incumbent Rob Wittman. During the campaign, Ball supported education reform, including
charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...
, using technology,
alternative certification Alternative teacher certification is a process by which a person is awarded a teaching license even though that person has not completed a traditional teacher certification program. In the US, traditional teacher certification is earned through com ...
of teachers, and paying teachers six figure salaries. She also called for a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress, banning lobbyist gifts, increasing disclosure, and establishing a new Independent Ethics Commission to investigate and audit influence by special interests. 72% of her fundraising came from out-of-state donors. In total, she raised $1.06 million, 20% less than Wittman. One month before the election, bloggers posted sexually suggestive photos of Ball with her then-husband from a Christmas party in 2004. Her campaign had little national attention before the incident. Ball initially blamed her opponent, Wittman, for the leak as being part of a smear campaign. Wittman released a statement opposing the leak and asked the bloggers to take it down. Ball also complained about the double standard of expectations for male and female candidates given the scant attention Scott Brown had received for previously posing nude in ''
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
''. She has used the experience as a warning for future candidates about their youthful indiscretions. Ball lost to Wittman by a margin of 63.90% to 34.76%.


''The Cycle'' (2012–2015)

In part due to the photo scandal from the 2010 campaign, Ball appeared on Fox News,
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
, and CNBC, and became a regular contributor for MSNBC. She was a regular contributor to the '' HuffPost''. From June 25, 2012, to July 31, 2015, Ball co-hosted the MSNBC show, '' The Cycle'', with Touré,
Steve Kornacki Stephan Joseph Kornacki (born August 22, 1979) is an American political journalist, writer, and television presenter. Kornacki is a national political correspondent for NBC News. He has written articles for ''Salon'', ''The New York Observer'', ...
, and
S. E. Cupp Sarah Elizabeth Cupp (born February 23, 1979) is an American television host, political commentator, and writer. In August 2017, she began hosting ''S.E. Cupp: Unfiltered,'' a political panel show, co-hosted by Andrew Levy, on HLN and later CNN ...
. Interviewed by
Jill Filipovic Jill Nicole Filipovic (born August 3, 1983) is an American author and lawyer. Education Originally from the Seattle area, Filipovic attended Shorewood High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and politics and a minor in gender a ...
, she explained how she launched a new career as a political commentator on television. One of her most discussed monologues on the show was a 2014 critique of Hillary Clinton which urged her not to run for
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. She was a Senior Fellow of the New Leaders Council. Ball's first book, ''Reversing the Apocalypse: Hijacking the Democratic Party to Save the World'', was published in 2017, in which she argued that the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa * Botswana Democratic Party * Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *De ...
needed to return to its New Deal roots by emulating
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As th ...
and advocating a more economically interventionist agenda than it has done in recent decades.


Political action committee

In May 2017, Ball created the People's House Project, a political action committee (PAC) working on behalf of Democratic causes. It was among the largest contributors to Richard Ojeda's campaign for the West Virginia Senate. In May 2018, McClatchy wrote of her PAC:
But thus far, nobody has benefited more financially from the group than Ball herself. Of the $445,000 Ball raised for the group, she paid herself more than a third of that—$174,000—in salary, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission. The majority of her salary—$104,000—came in the first three months of this year alone. That's nearly eight times more than the nearly $22,000 the PHP has used to support its dozen endorsed candidates, some of whom have received just a single $1,000 contribution. Political groups with a glaring discrepancy between personal salaries and candidate contributions are often deemed so-called "Scam PACs," a type of organization that enriches its founders while doing little to assist the cause or candidate they purportedly support.
Ball responded to McClatchy's claims, stating that, because the PAC receives money in fits and starts, she paid herself a lump sum in the first months of 2018 as backpay for what she should have earned in 2017, and that her pay "was comparable to what other PAC directors typically make". She also stated that her PAC does not operate in the same way as a typical PAC in that it is not a "direct conduit" of funds, and that she herself is effectively a manager for each of the candidates she works with. McClatchy wrote that candidates and campaign officials that she had assisted had said that Ball "was a go-to adviser for all manner of problems and questions. Her help was especially valuable, they added, because most of them couldn't afford the kind of high-priced consultants who usually guide campaigns, especially for first-time candidates...There's no doubt that Ball actually helps the candidates they endorse. They've just backed a very different kind of candidates, and unlike most groups, they've prioritized political advice over direct financial assistance."


''Rising'' (2018–2021)

In 2018, Ball started hosting a webcast called ''
Rising Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starg ...
'' on ''
The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. She originally co-hosted the webcast with
Buck Sexton Buck Sexton is an American radio host and television talk show host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the co-host with Clay Travis of ''The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show'', a nationally syndicated talk radio show, and h ...
, but Sexton was later replaced by Saagar Enjeti. Ball's second book, co-authored with Enjeti, is ''The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left Are Rising'', released on February 8, 2020. Ball supported Bernie Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign. During the 2020 impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, she speculated that Democrats were using the Senate trial to keep Senators Elizabeth Warren and
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
in Washington, D.C. when they would otherwise be campaigning. In May 2021, Ball announced she was leaving ''Rising'' in order to produce her own independent show with Enjeti titled '' Breaking Points''.


''Krystal Kyle & Friends''

On January 1, 2021, Krystal Ball and
Kyle Kulinski Kyle Edward Kulinski (born January 31, 1988) is an American political commentator and media host. Kulinski is the host and producer of ''The Kyle Kulinski Show'' on his YouTube channel ''Secular Talk'' and is a co-host with his partner Krystal ...
launched a new podcast called ''Krystal Kyle & Friends''. Podcast guests have included Noam Chomsky,
Nina Turner Nina Hudson Turner ( Hudson; born December 7, 1967) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a Cleveland City Council member from 2006 to 2008 and a member of the Ohio Senate from 2008 until 2014. Turner was the Democ ...
, Glenn Greenwald, Russell Brand, Marianne Williamson, Rose McGowan,
Andrew Yang Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-ch ...
,
Ro Khanna Rohit Khanna (; born September 13, 1976) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic serving as the U.S. representative from California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated eight-term incumb ...
and
Richard D. Wolff Richard David Wolff (born April 1, 1942) is an American Marxian economist known for his work on economic methodology and class analysis. He is professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professo ...
.


''Breaking Points''

Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti (an Indian-American conservative with a "populist right" worldview and project to realign the Republican party towards unions and a welfare state) left ''The Hill'' in June 2021 and established an independent program published as both a podcast and a video news show on YouTube. The show, titled ''Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar'', achieved around three hundred thousand subscribers the first week.


Personal life

Ball was married to Jonathan Dariyanani, an entrepreneur in educational software. Ball attributes her further interest in politics to her experience after becoming a new mother during the 2008 primaries and also watching the outcome of the 2008 U.S. presidential election while working in Jordan with Dariyanani. She saw how it affected people in that country and thereby gained an appreciation for the global impact of U.S. politics. Ball became engaged to fellow political commentator and co-host
Kyle Kulinski Kyle Edward Kulinski (born January 31, 1988) is an American political commentator and media host. Kulinski is the host and producer of ''The Kyle Kulinski Show'' on his YouTube channel ''Secular Talk'' and is a co-host with his partner Krystal ...
in September 2022.


Bibliography

* ''Reversing the Apocalypse: Hijacking the Democratic Party to Save the World'' (Pelican Media, 2017, eBook) * ''The Populist's Guide to 2020: A New Right and New Left Are Rising'' (with Saagar Enjeti; Strong Arm Press, 2020, )


Electoral history


References


External links


Krystal Kyle & Friends
podcast on
Substack Substack is an American online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters. It allows writers to send digital newsletters directly to subscribers. Founded in 2017, Substack ...

Breaking Points Podcast Website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Krystal 1981 births Living people 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women American accountants American feminists American political journalists American television hosts American women journalists American women podcasters American podcasters American women television presenters American YouTubers Businesspeople from Virginia Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Clemson University alumni Left-wing politics in the United States MSNBC people People from King George County, Virginia Progressivism in the United States University of Virginia alumni Virginia Democrats Women accountants