Manu Raju Bio, CNN, Wife, Salary, Net Worth, Height, Twins, Family, and Age

Manu Raju Biography

Manu Raju is an American journalist and reporter currently working as the Chief Congressional Correspondent at CNN. He previously served as the senior Capitol Hill correspondent for Politico.

Manu Raju, Age

Manu was born on February 9, 1980, in Downers Grove, Illinois, United States. He is 45 years old as of 2025. Raju celebrates his birthday on February 9 every year. ALSO READ: Jim Acosta

Manu Raju Height

Manu stands roughly 5 feet 8 inches (1.72 m) tall. Raju’s origin story begins in the suburban wilderness of Darien, Illinois, where he grew up navigating the mean cul-de-sacs of Chicagoland. Born to Tonse N.K. Raju and Vidya Raju—fearless adventurers who journeyed from Karnataka, India, in the 1970s with little more than ambition and a strong South Indian filter coffee game—they both went on to work at the NIH, proving that brains and biryani can coexist at the highest levels of American science.

His father, Dr. Tonse Raju, a neonatologist and former pediatrics professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spent his career helping tiny humans survive and thrive. Meanwhile, Raju’s literary DNA was solidly established by his grandfather, Gopalakrishna Adiga—a Kannada poet so respected, his pen probably had its own fan club.

Raju took his early steps toward world domination at Hinsdale South High School, graduating in 1998 with a diploma and, reportedly, an encyclopedic knowledge of mid-’90s pop culture. He then made his way to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a degree in business administration in 2002—and perhaps more importantly, honed his skills as the sports editor of The Badger Herald, which mostly involved writing sharp headlines and figuring out how to get free pizza at editorial meetings.

Manu Raju Education

Manu is an alumna of Hinsdale South High School. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as a sports editor for The Badger Herald student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Manu Raju Family

Manu is the son of Dr. Tonse N. K. Raju and Vidya Raju. He also has one sibling with whom he grew up, Sharat Raju. His father, Dr. Tonse, is a professional neonatologist who worked at the National Institutes of Health. His mother also worked briefly at the National Institutes of Health.

Manu Raju, Wife

Manu is currently married to his wife, Archana Mehta. The couple are parents to twins: a boy and a girl. The family currently lives in Washington, D.C. The couple has kept details about their marriage private, and very little is known about their family.

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Additionally, Raju’s wife is the chief principal of AM Strategies Inc. The couple also enjoys spending time together during their free time.

Manu Raju Twins

Manu and his wife are proud parents of twins, Sonya Sushila Raju and Sanjay Mehta Raju. Their firstborn daughter was born two minutes earlier than her brother, Sanjay Mehta, on November 6, 2015.

Manu Raju, CNN

Manu began his journalism career as an intern at WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin. He moved to Inside Washington Publishers in Washington, where he reported on general environmental policy. He also served as a general news correspondent for Congressional Quarterly, The Hill, and Politico. Nevertheless, he was a regular political guest on Meet the Press and Face the Nation.

Raju joined CNN in September 2015 as a political reporter. During his time at CNN, he has been able to find out politicians’ deepest secrets and broke the 2013 government shutdown. Additionally, he reported on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s reelection race in 2014.

Manu also broke the story of Tom Price’s unethical stock trade in 2017. Raju and Jeremy Herb released an exclusive report on how the Trump campaign had access to hacked documents from WikiLeaks; however, CNN dropped the story after Julian Assange claimed that to be untrue.

During his time at CNN, Manu has received several accolades and awards for his sharp and skillful interviews, including the White House Correspondents Association’s prestigious Merriman Smith Award (2012), the First Prize award by the Society of Professional Journalists in D.C. (2015), the Folio: Eddie Award (2015), and the Joan Shorenstein Barone Award (2017).

Where Was Manu Raju Born?

Manu is a Chicago native who hails from Downers Grove, Illinois.

What Nationality Is Raju?

Manu holds an American citizenship and is an American national.