Reporter quits job to join McCain campaign

Mario Diaz, a reporter at WTSP-10 in Tampa is leaving journalism to become a “political operative” for John McCain’s presidential campaign. He resigned from the station last Tuesday. He had been working at WTSP since 2002. Before that, he worked at KTNV in Las Vegas as a weekend sports anchor.

Mario, an L.A. native, will be moving to Tallahassee to become Southeast regional communications director for McCain’s campaign. “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he told the Tampa Tribune. “This is where my heart really lies now. To me, it’s an honor to be part of a historic moment in politics. And it will be the ride of a lifetime.”

Mario hopes to continue freelancing for HBO and ESPN as the ringside announcer for the Spanish simulcasts of professional boxing matches.