The Common Good Post Election Panel
New York Votes — The Nation Watches.
Featuring
John Avlon, Ed Cox, & Molly Jong Fast,
Wednesday, November 5th, from 5:30-7pm ET In-person, in NYC.
Followed by dinner, RSVP for dinner open to Executive Members & Above.
The NYC mayoral race may be a local contest, but its aftershocks may ripple far beyond City Hall. What do the results say about the future of both parties, the populist wave, the battle for the political center, and the politics of frustration reshaping America?
Molly Jong-Fast, John Avlon, and Ed Cox, join The Common Good for a hard-hitting, post-election panel to dissect the highly anticipated results of New York City’s mayoral election and what they portend for the national political stage.
About Our Speakers
John Avlon is an award-winning journalist, author, news anchor and media executive. He is a former CNN senior political analyst and anchor, editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, and the 2024 Democratic congressional nominee in New York’s First District. He currently hosts a solutions journalism podcast on The Bulwark called “How to Fix It” and serves as the Chairman of Citizens Union, New York’s oldest good government group.
Avlon has published six books including Lincoln and the Fight for Peace and Washington’s Farewell. In 2023, Avlon’s CNN digital series “Reality Check” won the New York Press Club award for best TV commentary. His first book, Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics was described by Barron’s as “a rewarding portrait of a political trend the established parties have tried to ignore” and hailed as “the best political book ever on American centrist voters.” In his twenties, Avlon served as chief speechwriter to New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Ed Cox is a lawyer and public servant with decades of leadership in law, government, and politics. A former chairman of the New York Republican Party (2009–2019), he has served four U.S. Presidents, four New York governors, and the GOP at both state and national levels.
He served in the Reagan Administration as General Counsel of the Synthetic Fuels Corporation and has been active in education reform as a longtime SUNY trustee and founder of its Charter School Institute. Cox began his legal career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and later chaired the corporate department at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and Secretary of the Economic Club of New York, Cox has written on law and public policy for The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, and other publications. He is a Princeton, Harvard Law, and ROTC graduate and has served as a U.S. Army Reserve officer.
Molly Jong-Fast is a New York Times bestselling author, political commentator, and cultural critic known for her sharp wit, fearless honesty, and unwavering commitment to truth. A contributing writer to Vanity Fair and host of the podcast Fast Politics, Molly brings a unique blend of humor, vulnerability, and insight to today’s most pressing conversations—from politics and media to identity, family, and the evolving American experience.
Molly’s path into political commentary began with a deep desire to respond to the growing threats facing American democracy. What started as personal observations during the Trump era became a powerful platform for cultural critique and civic engagement. Today, she reaches a wide audience through her award-winning podcast Fast Politics, where she interviews influential voices in media and government with a mix of wit, urgency, and clarity. Her journalistic work has appeared in The Forward, The Bulwark, Playboy, Glamour, and Vogue, and she is a regular contributor to MSNBC, where she offers sharp, on-the-ground analysis of the political landscape.