Award-winning journalist Carol Marin offered insights to upcoming elections Monday night as a part of a lecture series organized through the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. 

A crowd of about 90 people gathered in the Student Center for Marin as she shared some of the knowledge she’s gained through years as a reporter and editor for Chicago-area print and broadcast media organizations. The political editor at NBC News, who previously worked as a reporter for the CBS television show “60 Minutes” and The Chicago Sun-Times, pointed to a lack of voter interest as one of the larger issues that has led to a divisive and rhetoric-infused political climate. 

After growing up in a divided household, where her mother was a Democrat and her father dad was a Republican, Marin said she was born to be a political reporter.

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“My parents lived for election day when they would go to the polls together and cancel each other out,” she jokingly said.

Marin also commented on the upcoming presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, saying there were missteps made in both campaigns.  

“This is the kind of election I have never seen, and I have covered a lot of them,” she said.

Also discussed were some of the positions taken by high-ranking state leaders, including Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

She called the governor’s proposal of term limits for state leaders unconstitutional and questioned whether the application of such legislation would be ideal for constituents.

“I just don’t buy this business that ‘career politician’ is necessarily a dirty word,” Marin said. “Making a career out of something might also suggest you might believe in it. And with time and experience you might get good at it and, who knows, you might actually make a difference.”

Marin also said many politicians seem scared to talk to the public and called for a higher level of transparency in government to bridge the growing divide between voters and elected leaders.

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“Each one is an armed fort,” she said. “I don’t think that’s useful for us as voters.”

Staff writer Bekah Sanders can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @rsanders_DE.

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