HWS News
14 October 2024 President's Forum Series Brings Insight into Elections By Colin Spencer '19
Conversations facilitate understanding across different perspectives in the world of politics.
With the presidential election just weeks away, the Hobart and William Smith President’s Forum Series is bringing insight and analysis from people across the political spectrum in the fields of media, activism and political strategy.
The Series kicked off in September with Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, for a conversation about U.S. politics and the major factors at play in this year’s election cycle.
Hugh Hewitt, an attorney, author and conservative radio host; LaTosha Brown, community organizer and co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund; and John King, a veteran political journalist for CNN, will be the next guests to join President Mark D. Gearan to discuss contemporary politics, along with the presidential and congressional races. King will also speak on reporting on elections and the issues leading up to it.
Hewitt will join on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. in Froelich Hall. Brown will join on Monday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. in Vandervort and King on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Vandervort Room.
Future guests Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist; and James Carville, L.H.D. ’13, P’17, Democratic strategist, will also join the President’s Forum Series. Details, including dates and times, will be announced when available.
All events of the President’s Forum Series will be livestreamed for alumni and parents here.
Hewitt is the host of a nationally syndicated radio show broadcast in more than 120 cities across the country every weekday afternoon and writes weekly columns in The Washington Examiner and for Townhall.com. He also hosts two podcasts daily, “Highly Concentrated Hugh” and “The Interview with Hugh Hewitt,” and teaches constitutional law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law, where he serves as faculty advisor for the Nexus Journal of Law & Public Policy. In 2023, Hewitt moderated the third Republican primary debate alongside NBC’s Lester Holt and Kristen Welker. He moderated several Republican primary debates during the 2016 election cycle alongside CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Hewitt also served in different positions in the Reagan Administration including Assistant Counsel in the White House and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States.
Brown is an award-winning organizer, philanthropic consultant, political strategist and jazz singer who works at the intersection of social justice, political empowerment, human development and the cultural arts. She has spent decades in the non-profit and philanthropy sectors focused on political organizing, social justice, economic development, leadership development, wealth creation and civil rights.
In 2016, Brown co-founded Black Voters Matter Fund, a civic engagement organization that played an instrumental role in the 2017 Alabama U.S. Senate race. She is principal owner of TruthSpeaks Consulting, Inc., a philanthropy advisory consulting firm in Atlanta. For more than 25 years, she has served as a consultant and advisor for individual donors, government, public foundations and private donors.
King, who serves as CNN’s chief national correspondent and part of the network’s coverage of American government and politics, is leading a new voter and battleground state project for the 2024 presidential cycle, covering the campaign through the eyes of everyday Americans. King is also playing a prominent role in CNN’s coverage of major 2024 events, including debates, primary and caucus nights, the nominating conventions and Election Night. He will continue to lead the CNN “Magic Wall” coverage, an innovation first introduced in 2008 and central to the network’s election coverage since.
Prior to joining CNN in 1997, King worked for 12 years at The Associated Press, serving as the last six of those years as its chief political correspondent.
The President’s Forum kicked off in September with Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, for a conversation about U.S. politics and the major factors at play in this year’s election cycle.
During her discussion, President Mark D. Gearan and Walter spoke about the state of the presidential race and the unusual nature of this year’s election, touching on key battleground states, the limitations of polling, and her predictions for which party will capture the House and Senate.
For more than 25 years, Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. One of Washington’s Most Powerful Women in 2023 and 2021, she is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends and events that shape the political environment. A contributor to the PBS NewsHour, she provides weekly political analysis for the popular “Politics Monday” segment and is a featured contributor for their Election and Convention special coverage events. She is also a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics and appears frequently on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel.
Established in 2000 by Gearan, the President's Forum brings a variety of speakers to campus to share their knowledge and ideas with students, faculty and staff, as well as with interested community members. Learn more.
Top: President Mark D. Gearan speaks during the President's Forum with Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Professor of Politics DeWayne Lucas in Froelich Hall.
