Political columnist for the New York Times Blake Hounshell passed away on Tuesday after a “fight with depression,” the newspaper reported.
He was 44.
Hounshell, who began working for the New York Times in 2021, “tragically passed away” from what appeared to be suicide, the newspaper’s managing editor Carolyn Ryan and editor-in-chief Joe Kahn informed workers by email.
“Blake was a dedicated journalist who quickly distinguished himself as our lead politics newsletter writer. He became an indispensible and always insightful voice in the report during a busy election cycle,” the editors wrote. “We’ve lost a valuable colleague and this is a heartbreaking loss to our team.”
Blake Hounshell passed away unexpectedly this morning following a protracted and valiant fight with depression, according to a statement from his family that The Times published. His wife Sandy and their two children are in our prayers and thoughts right now, and they ask for privacy.
The Times representative made no additional comments.
Hounshell is a prolific writer, and on Monday, his most recent article, “Death Penalty in California is a Puzzle for Newsom,” was published online by The Times.
The columnist wrote the “On Politics” newsletter for the newspaper, where he wrote about issues like the Republican Party’s struggle to win over Gen Z voters, the repercussions of Sam Bankman-FTX Fried’s exchange failure, and the fight to make Kevin McCarthy the Speaker of the House.
Hounshell moved from Politico, where he held the position of managing editor for politics and Washington, to The Times. He worked there for eight years, managing the coverage of, among other things, the Congress, the White House, the judiciary, and national security. Prior to Politico, Hounshell was the managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine.
