Tufts University to host former U.S. Senator Jeff Flake

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (March 5, 2019)—The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University will host former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, for a conversation about the Senate, presidential politics and the current state of the Republican Party. The event, part of the Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series, will take place on Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. in ASEAN Auditorium at the Cabot Center on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus.

Deborah Schildkraut, professor of political science in Tufts' School of Arts and Sciences, will moderate the conversation with Flake.

This event is free and open to members of the Tufts community, though an RSVP is encouraged here.

The event is open to members of the news media, but they must register in advance by contacting Robin Smyton via email at robin.smyton@tufts.edu or by phone at 617-627-5392.

The event will be livestreamed at tischcollege.tufts.edu.

The Tisch College Distinguished Speaker Series has recently featured former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry, former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile, Republican strategist and CNN commentator Ana Navarro, and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Flake began his career in public service by serving as a missionary in South Africa before graduating from Brigham Young University. He later returned to Africa, serving as the director of the Foundation for Democracy in Namibia.

He was first elected to Congress in 2000 as a member of the House of Representatives, serving the greater Phoenix region. During his six terms in the House, he served on the Committee on Appropriations.

Elected to the Senate in 2012, Flake earned a reputation as a proponent of putting partisanship aside and voting "country over party." Flake refused to endorse Alabama's Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, stating that he could not support someone who believed that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in Congress.

One of the Republican Party's staunchest critics of President Donald Trump, Flake announced he would not seek reelection during a 2017 speech in the Senate. The speech denounced Trump and Republican party leaders, and bemoaned the "disrepair and destructiveness of our politics."

Flake currently works as a contributor to CBS News. He is the author of the book "Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle."

This event is co-sponsored by the Tufts Republicans, the Office of the Provost, and the Department of Political Science in Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences.

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life focuses on preparing students to tackle the most pressing challenges to democratic and civic life, and on conducting research in the emerging field of civic studies.

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About Tufts University

Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.