Candy Crowley replacing John King at helm of CNN’s Sunday show

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CNN’s Candy Crowley to lead network’s Sunday show

NEW YORK — Veteran CNN correspondent Candy Crowley is replacing John King as host of the network’s Sunday morning political talk show.

The show, “State of the Union,” airs at 9 a.m. ET and is repeated with updates three hours later. King started the program a year ago and made it a point to make reporting visits to all 50 states. He’s leaving for a weekday evening political show on CNN that will start soon.

Crowley has been a Washington-based correspondent with CNN since 1987 and has covered all the national political conventions except one since the nomination of Jimmy Carter in 1976. Her coverage of Hillary Clinton’s campaign won a Gracie Allen Award last year.

“I like, believe it or not, the poetry of politics,” she said in an on-air discussion with King about the new role

She’ll be the only woman among the Sunday morning public affairs hosts, joining NBC’s David Gregory, CBS’ Bob Schieffer and Fox’s Chris Wallace. ABC is in the process of finding a replacement for George Stephanopoulos, who has taken over at “Good Morning America.”

Crowley pledged to show viewers the relevance of Washington stories to their lives.

She conceded the 4 a.m. Sunday wakeup call will take some getting used to.

CNN U.S. President Jonathan Klein said that Crowley’s insight and irreverence for political games has made her a “cult figure” among CNN viewers.

In leaving, King called the “State of the Union” job “a remarkable gift and a learning experience for which I will be forever grateful.”