Washington, USA – Political analyst Juanita Tolliver has been going strong with hubby Chris Leist for over 4 years now. The MSNBC pundit and her man first connected while working on a Senate campaign years back. They dated quietly for a while before tying the knot in June 2019. 2023 marks the couple’s 4th wedding anniversary – Juanita celebrated by sharing rare behind-the-scenes pics from their big day.
Chris works in political strategy over at SWAY these days, but he and Juanita still talk shop I’m sure! When they manage to get away from the madness, you can catch them hanging at home in Virginia with their two dogs, Jojo and Zora.
Juanita Tolliver’s Grew Up in Memphis
Tolliver was born on June 22, 1985, and spent her early years in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended East High School in Memphis for her primary education. During this time, Tolliver was surrounded by family, including her parents Judye R. Tolliver and George Tolliver. She also has a sister, though her identity remains unknown.
Tolliver credits her maternal grandmother Aurelia with being a source of inspiration and drive from a young age.
After completing high school in Memphis, Tolliver left Tennessee for college. She attended the renowned University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Tolliver went on to attend The Fletcher School at Tufts University after finishing her undergraduate studies. She earned a Master’s degree from the school.
Juanita and Chris Dated for Years Before getting married
Juanita Tolliver and Chris Leist’s journey as a couple began on a Senate campaign. They both worked for Martha Coakley’s political campaign.
After hitting it off on the campaign trail, Tolliver and Leist dated for several years.
They managed to keep their relationship fairly private. However, on April 26, 2018, Tolliver gave a sneak peek into their romance by posting a blurry shadow photo of them holding hands. Just over a year later, the couple decided to make it official.
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In June 2019 after years of dating, Juanita Tolliver and Chris Leist got married in an intimate wedding ceremony. 2023 marked four years since the duo’s nuptials.
4th Anniversary
To celebrate the 4-year anniversary, Tolliver shared photos from their special day along with a touching message to her husband, with the caption“Cheers to four years”.
3rd Anniversary
2nd Anniversary
1st Anniversary
Juanita and Chris are a Dog parents
Though they don’t have kids yet, Juanita Tolliver and her husband Chris Leist have wholeheartedly embraced the role of pet parents. The couple dotes on their two dogs who keep them busy at home.
The Tolliver-Leist’s first fur baby is Josephine who they affectionately call Jojo. Josephine is a six-year-old labradoodle.
In 2022, the family grew even bigger when Tolliver and Leist welcomed another dog – Josephine’s new little sister named Zora. Much like her older dog-sibling, Zora has seamlessly joined the Tolliver family at just four years young.
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Jojo and Zora are often featured in Tolliver’s social media where the political analyst documents the family’s adventures and celebrates Josephine’s latest milestones.
Meet Juanita Tolliver’s Husband Chris Leist
Hailing from Westborough, Massachusetts, Chris Leist was born on June 18, 1991, to parents Emily Leist and Vatis Leist. He has two sisters named Kate and Erin.
In 2014, Chris Leist earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Policy Studies from Syracuse University located in Syracuse, New York.
Shortly after graduation, Chris dove right into politics by serving as Regional Field Director for Martha Coakley’s 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign. Where he met his future wife Juanita Tolliver.
Over the next several years, Leist held roles including Legislative Intern at the U.S. Senate, Online Advertising Coordinator at Rising Tide Interactive, and Senior Digital Advertising Manager at Mothership Strategies.
Today, Chris Leist holds an executive position as Senior Vice President of Digital at SWAY. The digital consulting firm provides services to political candidates and nonprofit causes.
Juanita Tolliver Career in Politics and Media
She started her career in journalism in 2016 by becoming a part of New Profit as a Manager, at American Forward, where she worked for one year in the Washington D.C. Metro Area. Then she worked in Opportunity Nation for one year as a Coalition and Advocacy Manager in 2017.
She has provided her services to the Center for American Progress for more than two years as Director of Campaigns in 2018.
She again extended her career as a Director of Supermajority, and she joined Supermajority in March 2020, where she worked for a year. Juanita also worked at Arlington Young Democrats as a director and senior officer for a couple of years.
Starting in 2021, she took on gigs providing political commentary on radio and TV, including an analyst role with MSNBC analyzing campaigns, and also served as a Contributor and Guest Host on SiriusXM radio since February 2022. Additionally, Tolliver now writes columns for the digital news site theGrio, which she has done since February 2022. Most recently in October 2022, she took on hosting duties for the popular “What A Day” podcast by Crooked Media.
