Philly’s Own Kristen Welker was the Star of the Final Presidential Debate

The long awaited final presidential debate took place on Thursday, October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. Although the primary focus is the two candidates and their responses, last night's moderator Kristen Welker is not someone to be forgotten.

Back in September, The Commission on Presidential Debates disclosed that Welker would be the moderator for the last debate of the election. According to NewsWeek, Welker is the first Black woman to have moderated a debate for the Presidential election since 1992 when Carole Simpson took on the role.

Not only was Welker the second Black woman to moderate a Presidential debate, but she is also a Philly local! According to NewsWeek, Welker is from Philadelphia and graduated from Harvard University. She is currently the co-anchor on NBC’s Weekend Today and has been the network's White House Correspondent since 2011. Before her current role, she was a correspondent for NBC out in California. Going back to her Philadelphia roots, she also worked at a Philadelphia television station before starting with NBC. As stated by NewsWeek, Welker is also known for her coverage of the Obama Administration, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign for the 2016 election, and reporting on Biden’s Vice Presidency. She has even covered events revolving around Trump’s Presidency. Although, since she has done most of her work with Democrats, when she was announced as the moderator, the Trump Administration started to inquire about her view points.

While watching the debate, I was stunned by Kristen Welker’s professionalism. It made me so happy to hear that she was a Philadelphia local and is representing our city so well.