CSU Pueblo alum Dana Perino talks plans, expectations for upcoming GOP debate

Colorado State University Pueblo alum and Fox News Media's Dana Perino will co-moderate the second Republican presidential primary debate next week at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

It’s the latest opportunity for Perino, who co-anchors “America's Newsroom” and co-hosts “The Five” for Fox News, to spread her political wings. She has spent the past 14 years at the network and previously served as White House press secretary for the George W. Bush Administration.

Long before that, Perino was a part of the speech and debate team at CSU Pueblo and worked for local station KTSC at the time. She was also part of a speech team during her youth in Denver and spoke about happenings in the world. In third grade, she’d continually read the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post, knowing she had to discuss two articles she read from those papers before dinner.

Now, Perino will moderate discussions alongside Fox News Media's Stuart Varney and Univision’s Ilia Calderón at the debate, which will air Sept. 27, at 7 p.m. MST on Fox Business Network and Univision.

“Everything I did since my time in Denver as a kid, all the way through working on Capitol Hill at the White House and now Fox News, I feel like I’ve been preparing for this my whole life,” Perino told the Chieftain Thursday. “I didn’t anticipate I’d get this opportunity. It is a different set of muscles that I have to work. It’s a stretch opportunity for me.”

Perino, who delivered a commencement address for CSU Pueblo earlier this year, was announced as one of the debate’s co-moderators Aug. 30, and said she has spent the time since writing down all topics and questions that have come to mind. She’s whittled down her list, working with researchers, producers and Varney and Calderón.

The trio will ask questions to a host of notable names: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, among others, have qualified for the debate. Former President Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, is expected to skip it because of his large lead in the polls.

“This debate is where the rubber meets the road,” Perino said. “They all need to have a breakout moment so that they can prove that they can be the main rival to former president Trump. He has a very commanding and enduring lead, but there is still opportunity for the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the states where those voters first get to help choose the GOP nominee and one of these candidates to really take him on.”

Perino said it’s unlikely that any candidate will have a moment that would help erase Trump’s lead, but that someone could emerge with some momentum to “make it a real contest” if others back out of the race and give them their support.

“I anticipate that because their donors and supporters are expecting them to do something that will shake up this race, this is definitely going to be a debate to watch,” Perino said.

Perino said she plans to meet up with a pair of CSU Pueblo alums Thursday night, which she feels is helping her stay “connected to her roots'” and mindful that “not everything that happens here in Times Square is of interest to people across the country."

She'll make the trip to California Friday.

What should Pueblo voters look for and expect during the debate?

Perino said viewers should look out for how candidates address the nation’s economy and the number of ways it can affect other policies. She mentioned how high interest rates can impact homebuyers or people who are paying back loans.

Perino also shared that people involved in agriculture may hear about how policies related to their industry are addressed.

More: Do you have questions for Pueblo's 2023 political candidates? We want to hear them

“I come from a ranching background, my family still ranches in Wyoming and so the agricultural community is very, very important to me,” Perino said. “I think about all that (ranchers and farmers) are dealing with and all that they are asked to do and they're looking for a fair shot, especially from free trade. They want fair trade as well.”

The first GOP debate, held Aug. 23, wasn't short on intense exchanges. Candidates at times targeted and spoke over one another. That latter behavior is expected to be an emphasis for the moderators. Perino said she, Varney and Calderón feel it’s important to get the candidates to stick to the rules so that everyone has a chance to speak.

“They all were trying to talk over each other at one point, which means nobody can hear anything,” Perino said. “For people who are giving their valuable time to sit and listen to them, they owe it to the voters to try to obey the rules as much as possible, make their points succinctly and prove that they could be the CEO of America and commander-in-chief.”

How Perino feels about the opportunity to moderate

Perino recalled the moment she was told she would co-moderate the debate and likened it to when she received the request to serve as the White House’s press secretary. There was some shock, she said, but a preparedness to accept the opportunity.

Perino also said that in some ways, she feels as nervous as she did when she did her first White House press briefing.

“Even though I do live television every day, this feels like a really, really big moment and a chance to represent what America means to me, which is an incredible amount,” Perino said. “I think that we all won the lottery when we were born here in America, to this beautiful, free country.”

Perino also mentioned that young professionals, even if they might feel nervous, should say yes to different opportunities because it will help them realize that “they are capable.”

“It’s a big moment,” Perino said. “I’m honored to have it and I thank Pueblo for the support.”

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: CSU Pueblo alum Perino to co-moderate GOP debate. Here's what to know.