Leading political figures to visit campus for 2012 election panel

A panel including some of the nation’s foremost political figures and commentators will gather at the University of Chicago’s International House on Jan. 19 to discuss the outlook of the 2012 presidential election following the first preliminary contests.

The program, “2012: The Path to the Presidency,” will begin at 2 p.m. and will be webcast through the UChicago Live tab on Facebook. In addition to invited guests, the event will be open to University of Chicago students, staff and faculty members, all of whom must bring a current UChicago ID for admission. Seating at International House will be limited. An overflow viewing area will be available at the Max Palevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall.

Panelists for the event will include:

George Stephanopoulos, moderator: George Stephanopoulos is co-anchor of “Good Morning America” and anchor of the Sunday political program “This Week,” both on ABC. Stephanopoulos previously served in the Clinton Administration as Director and Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy.

David Brooks, AB’83: An alumnus of the University of Chicago, David Brooks is an acclaimed columnist and political analyst for The New York Times and a political analyst for the “ PBS NewsHour.”

Alex Castellanos: A Republican media consultant, Alex Castellanos has served seven presidential campaigns, including those of former President George W. Bush and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He is also a CNN political contributor.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel: The current mayor of Chicago , Emanuel previously served as Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama. He also served as the U.S. Representative from the 5^th District of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, and was a senior adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

Rachel Maddow: Host of the nightly political program “ The Rachel Maddow Show ” on MSNBC, Maddow was a Rhodes Scholar and is the first openly gay anchor of an American prime-time news program.

The discussion occurs as the 2012 presidential race is entering a new phase. Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire cast the first votes in January to select their nominee to challenge incumbent President Barack Obama.

Sponsored by the College and the Harris School for Public Policy Studies , “2012: The Path to the Presidency” will feature a panel discussion on the election and current policy issues. In addition, anyone can suggest topics for the panel and follow the discussion live through the UChicago Facebook page , or via Twitter using the hashtag #Pathto2012.

Sarah Galer
News Officer for Law and Public Policy
The University of Chicago News Office
sgaler [a] uchicago (p) edu
(773) 702-8365