Watch recording from ‘Dialogue Across Difference: Countdown to Election 2024’

“Dialogue Across Difference: Countdown to Election 2024,” moderated by President Nicole Hurd, offered an opportunity for the Lafayette community to experience two veteran political commentators engaging in a conversation about the dynamics, implications, and potential outcomes of this year’s election season.

Enjoy a recording and photos from the event.

About the guests 

Harold Ford Jr.

Ford served in Congress from 1997 to 2007, representing Tennessee’s 9th congressional district. Ford was a member of the House Financial Services, Budget, and Education committees during his time in Washington, D.C. Known as a moderate Democrat willing to reach across the political aisle to find common ground, he was also a member of both the Blue Dog coalition and Congressional Black Caucus. 

Ford is also an active member of Issue One, an organization of former senators, governors, and members of Congress committed to reform our political and campaign systems. An investment banker, he is a co-host of FOX News Channel’s The Five, appears on MSNBC’s Morning Joe show, and is a frequent contributor to Special Report with Bret Baier.

Michael Steele 

Steele served as the first African American chairman of the Republican National Committee. The former lieutenant governor of Maryland, he is the first African American elected to statewide office in Maryland. Until recently he was president and CEO of The Steele Group, a consulting firm working with institutional and individual clients to design overall business development, investor, networking, and communications strategies.

Steele is a political analyst for MSNBC, a contributor on the Fox News Channel, and serves as a regular host for the Salem Radio Network’s nationally syndicated Morning in America show. Additionally, he has been a guest on cable political talk shows such as HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Comedy Central’s Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.