Leland Vittert Extends Contract with NewsNation, Rejects CBS News Offer Amid California Gubernatorial Race Coverage

NewsNation’s Leland Vittert is doubling down on his role at the network, renewing his contract amid heightened interest in California’s gubernatorial race. The development comes even as the race was disrupted by the withdrawal of frontrunner Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) following sexual misconduct allegations.

On Tuesday, Vittert will travel to San Francisco to anchor his 9 p.m. show from Nexstar station KRON. The following evening, he will host the 10 p.m. gubernatorial primary debate, which will be moderated by anchors from Nexstar’s KTLA (Los Angeles) and KTXL (Sacramento). The debate will air on NewsNation and Nexstar’s California stations.

Vittert plans to engage with voters ahead of the debate, focusing on critical issues such as crime rates in San Francisco and gas prices across California. His goal is to explore why Republicans like Steve Hilton have seen a surge in polling numbers in recent weeks.

“California is going to tell us a lot about where the country is nationally, and specifically where the Democratic Party is nationally,” Vittert told TheWrap. “California is the perfect petri dish, if you will, for Democratic policies.”

Vittert joined NewsNation in 2021 after spending over a decade at Fox News. His contract renewal follows reports that CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss had expressed interest in him joining her revamped news organization. Vittert and Weiss have maintained a friendly relationship; he promoted his memoir, “Born Lucky,” on her “Honestly” podcast last year.

Despite the offer, Vittert emphasized NewsNation’s transition to a 24/7 news operation and its investment in his career as key factors in his decision. He views the network as a “national player in the cable news world” and is eager to contribute to its growth. Vittert highlighted the reach of parent company Nexstar, which operates more than 200 local stations, and suggested the network could host additional debates as the midterms approach.

“These people who are going to be our elected representatives need to come before the people, answer tough questions, not just go on the podcast of their respective sides,” he said. “What’s made our show and by extension NewsNation so successful is, there really are voters in the middle who want to hear both sides aggressively questioned, fairly but aggressively.”

Vittert’s approach has not been without controversy. In February, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) criticized him in an X post over a contentious interview regarding government files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Vittert had pressed her on demands that President Donald Trump be “held accountable” in the Epstein case. Stansbury argued the interview exemplified how “systems fail survivors and shield the rich and powerful from accountability.”

Vittert defended his interviewing style, stating he aims to respect his audience’s intelligence by challenging guests regardless of the topic.

“People, especially elected officials, need to be questioned fairly and aggressively, because there’s an awful lot of people who expect to be able to come on with their talking points and just lay those out,” he said. “I don’t