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After an impressive 27 year run, CNN political anchor Candy Crowley is leaving the network.

Network chief Jeff Zucker announced the news today in an internal memo.

"It is with mixed emotions, that I wanted to let you know that Candy has let us know that she has made the decision to move on, so she can embark on the next chapter of her already prolific career," Zucker wrote.

Crowley joined CNN in 1987, and most recently was the chief political correspondent and host of State of the Union, its Sunday morning public-affairs show.

In a statement given to TVNewser, Crowley only hinted at what's to come next.

“My mixed emotions are these: I am leaving colleagues and viewers who over many years have become dear friends and faithful fans," she said. "But I have for sometime wanted to try something new in someplace new. I have several weeks for good-byes, which are sad, but I am eager and excited to begin what comes next. More later."

Crowley began her broadcast journalism career in Washington, D.C., as a newsroom assistant for Metromedia radio station WASH-FM. She served as an anchor for Mutual Broadcasting System radio network, as well as a general assignment and White House correspondent for the Associated Press, where she covered part of the Reagan era before moving on to NBC-TV to become a general assignment correspondent in NBC’s Washington bureau.

Crowley’s assignments have taken her to all 50 states and around the world. Among her most vivid memories as a reporter, Crowley counts the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast, the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, the impeachment trial of President Clinton, Election Night 2000, ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of D-Day on the beaches of Normandy, Ronald Reagan’s trips to China, Bitburg, and Bergen-Belsen, the United States 1986 bombing of Libya, and the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.

Crowley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The move comes amid buyouts and layoffs at Time Warner that have affected about 300 CNN employees.

The full text of the e-mail Zucker sent to staff is below.

 

December 5, 2014

In her 27 years at CNN, Candy Crowley has been one of the most important and impactful journalists on our air. Since she joined us in 1987, her assignments have taken her to all 50 states, covering a broad range of political stories, including presidential, congressional and gubernatorial races. Candy made her mark covering the presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Bob Dole, Jesse Jackson, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney. And as we all remember, she made her mark yet again in 2012 when she became the first woman to moderate a presidential debate in 20 years.

To say she lives and breathes politics is more than an understatement. She has an innate ability to sense its nuance, push its limits, and ask questions that others won’t. She is beloved in Washington even by those that she so skillfully takes to task on Sunday mornings. And she’s an award-winning journalist – taking home everything from a Peabody and Emmys to an Edward R. Murrow award. She is a television news icon.

Thus, it is with mixed emotions, that I wanted to let you know that Candy has let us know that she has made the decision to move on, so she can embark on the next chapter of her already prolific career. As difficult as it is for us to imagine CNN without Candy, we know that she comes to this decision thoughtfully, and she has our full support. There will be more time in the weeks ahead for all of you who have been lucky enough to work with Candy to share your own thanks for all she has done. But for now, on behalf of everyone at CNN, I want to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation.

Jeff


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