Cenk Uygur

Cenk Uygur
Cenk Uygur hosting The Young Turks in 2015
Uygur in 2016
Born
Cenk Kadir Uygur

(1970-03-21) March 21, 1970 (age 54)
Istanbul, Turkey
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BS)
Columbia University (JD)
Occupations
  • Political commentator
  • media host
  • attorney
  • businessman
Political partyDemocratic (since 2007)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2000–2007)
Republican (until 2000)[1]
SpouseWendy Lang
Children2
RelativesHasan Piker (nephew)
Uygur's voice
On the intersection of mainstream media and United States political corruption

Cenk Kadir Uygur (/ˈdʒɛŋk kəˈdɪr ˈjuːɡər/; Turkish: [ˈdʒeɲc kaˈdiɾ ˈujɡuɾ]; born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-born American[2] political commentator, media host, and attorney. He is the co-creator of The Young Turks, a left-wing, progressive, sociopolitical news and commentary program.

In 1996, Uygur worked briefly as an associate attorney. He launched and began hosting The Young Turks in 2002. In 2011, he worked briefly for MSNBC as a political commentator (he was replaced by Al Sharpton), and then from 2011 to 2013 he appeared on a weeknight commentary show on Current TV. In 2017, Uygur co-founded the progressive political action committee Justice Democrats.

In 2020, Uygur was a candidate in both the special election as well as the regularly scheduled election for California's 25th congressional district. Some considered his candidacy controversial due to his past comments about women and minority groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, religious Jews, and Muslims, which some found offensive but which he said were taken out of context.[3][4] He lost both elections, placing fourth overall and second among Democrats after receiving six and seven percent of the vote, respectively.[citation needed]

Uygur announced his candidacy in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries in October 2023, despite not being a natural-born U.S. citizen as required. He expected the courts to overturn the requirement in the event of his victory due to the Equal Protection clause, emulating an unsuccessful argument made by ineligible candidate Abdul Hassan in 2012.[5] Uygur withdrew from the race on March 6, 2024.[6]

  1. ^ Jesse Ventura (April 10, 2014). "Cenk Uygur Goes #OffTheGrid". Jesse Ventura Off The Grid. Ora TV. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Tolan, Casey (October 21, 2017). "Liberal online news host Cenk Uygur considering Senate run in California". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  3. ^ Medina, Jennifer (December 13, 2019). "Bernie Sanders Retracts Endorsement of Cenk Uygur After Criticism". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Sommer, Will (November 21, 2019). "Dems Fear 'Carpetbagger' Cenk Uygur Will Lose Them California Seat". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Porter, Steven (October 27, 2023). "Candidate blocked from N.H. presidential primary ballot". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023. Uygur isn't the first to make such a case. Abdul Karim Hassan, a naturalized US citizen from Guyana, filed several lawsuits ahead of the 2012 presidential election, including one against New Hampshire, unsuccessfully seeking ballot access on 14th Amendment and other grounds
  6. ^ Timotija, Filip; Robertson, Nick (March 6, 2024). "Cenk Uygur drops long-shot presidential bid". The Hill. Retrieved March 6, 2024.