Donna Brazile Net Worth

What is Donna Brazile's Net Worth?

Donna Brazile is an American political strategist, analyst, and author who has a net worth of $3 million. Donna Brazile twice served as the chair of the Democratic National Committee, and has contributed political analysis to such television channels as CNN, Fox News, and ABC News. Previously, she worked on a number of presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates, most notably as the campaign manager for Al Gore in 2000.

Early Life and Education

Donna Brazile was born on December 15, 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana as the third of nine children of Jean and Lionel. For her higher education, she attended Louisiana State University, from which she earned her bachelor's degree in industrial psychology in 1981. Brazile was also a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.

Political Career, 1976-1996

As a teenager in 1976, Brazile was a volunteer worker on Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign. She later joined his reelection campaign in 1980. Following her graduation from LSU, Brazile worked for various advocacy groups in Washington, DC. She continued contributing to presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates in the 1980s, including Jesse Jackson and Walter Mondale in 1984 and Dick Gephardt in 1988. Following Gephardt's loss in the 1988 primary, Brazile worked as the deputy field director for Michael Dukakis's campaign. However, following unsubstantiated claims she publicly made about rival George H. W. Bush having an extramarital affair, she was fired by Dukakis. Later, in the 1990s, Brazile served as the chief of staff and press secretary to District of Columbia congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. She also served as an advisor on Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns.

Campaign Manager for Al Gore

For the 2000 presidential election, Brazile served as the campaign manager for Democratic candidate Al Gore. This made her the first African-American woman to manage a major-party presidential campaign.

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Democratic National Committee

Following the voting fiasco in Florida after the 2000 presidential election, Brazile was named the chair of the Democratic National Committee's Voting Rights Institute. In 2008, she served as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention, and in the spring of 2011 she was the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee prior to the installation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Brazile became the interim chair again in the summer of 2016 after Schultz stepped down, and was soon named the acting chair. She chaired the Democratic National Committee through February of 2017, and was succeeded by Tom Perez.

Hillary Clinton Campaign Controversy

In late 2016, a WikiLeaks email dump revealed that Brazile had sent emails to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign containing information about town hall questions Clinton would later be fielding. Brazile initially denied sending the intel, and later denounced the leaks as part of Russia's efforts to manipulate and undermine the election. Amid the backlash, she resigned from her post at CNN.

Television and Radio Commentary

On CNN, Brazile served as a weekly contributor and political analyst on the program "The Situation Room." She also contributed to "American Morning," "New Day," "CNN Tonight," and the network's election-night coverage. Elsewhere, Brazile has done commentary for NPR and ABC News. In 2019, she joined Fox News as a contributor, and remained with the network until her resignation in the spring of 2021.

Writing

Brazile previously wrote for the publications Ms. Magazine and Roll Call. In 2004, she published her memoir "Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics." Brazile later authored the 2017 book "Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House." She also co-wrote the 2018 book "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics."

Other Activities

Among her many other activities, Brazile became a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana Recovery Authority in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She served on the board from 2005 to 2009. Brazile has served on several other boards since then, including that of the National Democratic Institute. She has also been involved in academia, lecturing at the University of Maryland, College Park and serving as an adjunct professor of women and gender studies at Georgetown University. Elsewhere, Brazile has made some cameo appearances as herself on television, including on the shows "The Good Wife," "House of Cards," and "Army of the Dead."

Personal Life

Brazile has been described by the New York Times Magazine as "highly protective of her privacy" and "openly ambiguous" in relation to her sexuality. A gay rights activist, she sat on the board of the Millennium March on Washington in 2000.

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