2026-2027 Elsie Hillman Chair in Women and Politics: Going Inside Politics with Dana Bash

Whether she’s roaming the halls of Congress or breaking news from behind the anchor desk, CNN’s Dana Bash is politics personified. From moderating the 2024 debate that changed history to landing the first interview with Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris, Dana has had a front-row seat to it all. Now, join Dana for a night packed with hot takes, sharp insight, and the kind of behind-the-scenes stories only she can tell.

About Dana Bash, CNN's chief political correspondent, anchor of Inside Politics and co-anchor of State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash: Dana Bash is CNN’s chief political correspondent, anchor of Inside Politics, and co-anchor of State of the Union with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. The award-winning journalist is a key player in the network’s political coverage, conducting high- profile interviews with candidates and frequently serving as a moderator for presidential debates and town hall specials. A shrewd observer of all things Washington, Bash leaves audiences informed and engaged on topics ranging from the national political mood and the implications of important current events to women in politics and issues affecting Jewish communities.

Bash’s first book, America’s Deadliest Election , debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. It tells a story of corruption, extreme polarization, contested election results, coup attempts, and mass violence, but it’s not a contemporary history of the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. Through the lens of the 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election that saw two governors take office, more than 150 Black men killed in the Colfax Massacre for trying to vote, and a SCOTUS ruling that paved the way for 100 years of Jim Crow laws, Bash reveals a little-known history that changed the course of American politics. With many parallels to today’s contentious political environment, the book is a cautionary tale about the fragility of American democracy and what it takes to protect it. Bash's second book, The Elections That Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments That Shaped How We Live outlines the most influential elections in history from the beginning of civilization to present day. Read more about Dana Bash

Generous support for this lecture has been provided by:
The Elsie Hillman Chair in Women and Politics Endowment
Tom and Bonnie VanKirk ’81