In 2024, he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 1st congressional district, losing to Republican incumbent Nick LaLota by 11 points.

[15] He is a former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute[16] and advisory board member of the Citizens Union of New York, Bronx Academy of Letters, and the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

[31] In June 2018, Avlon moved to CNN full time as senior political analyst making daily appearances on New Day, as well as guest anchoring for programs including State of America and Reliable Sources.

[32][33] Avlon has been interviewed in several documentaries including HBO's Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists, 2010's Gerrymandering, History Channel's miniseries Washington and CNN's Lincoln: Divided We Stand.

In 2011, Avlon co-edited the anthology Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns with Jesse Angelo and Errol Louis.

[46][47] The New York Times reviewed the book, writing "These are not unfamiliar tales to students of Lincoln, but Avlon makes the retelling affecting and powerful.

In 2023, he published a column on CNN critical of the group's potential third party presidential effort, calling it "an extraordinarily reckless risk at this particular time in our history.

[52][53] On February 21, 2024, he announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. House representative Nick LaLota in New York's 1st congressional district.

[56][57] He also served as co-chair for the successful effort to preserve John Steinbeck's home in Sag Harbor and turn it into a writer's retreat.