Sen. Mitt Romney to Keynote Newhouse School’s Toner Prizes Celebration March 27 in Washington

U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah will be the keynote speaker at the award ceremony for the Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting on Monday, March 27, in Washington, D.C.

The Toner Prizes, sponsored by Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, honor the life and work of late alumna Robin Toner ’76, the first woman to be national political correspondent for The New York Times.

Romney was sworn in as senator in January 2019. He serves on the Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security and Government Affairs; and Budget committees. On the Foreign Relations Committee, Romney serves as ranking member of the subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy. He is also a member of the Senate National Security Working Group. In 2021, he was honored with the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s Profile in Courage Award for his consistent defense of the fundamental principles of democratic governance.

Romney has earned a reputation for reaching across the aisle to advance major priorities that benefit Utah and people across the country. As part of the “G10” working group of bipartisan senators, Romney played a key role in enacting landmark legislation that invests in U.S. infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped lead negotiations on the Bipartisan Emergency COVID Relief Act, which provided more than $900 billion in emergency relief to American students, families, businesses, workers and healthcare providers. Romney continues to advocate for his bipartisan TRUST Act, legislation to rescue federal trust funds like Medicare and Social Security from impending insolvency.

Past keynote speakers for the Toner Prize Celebration include U.S. Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, then-Vice President Joe Biden, late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

The Toner Prizes for Excellence in Political Reporting recognize the best U.S. national or local political reporting in any medium or on any platform—print, broadcast or online. Two prizes—one for local and one for national reporting—carry a $5,000 honorarium. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. Tickets and tables may be purchased online.

For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Carol Satchwell at cmsatchw@syr.edu.

For information about the event, contact Amanda Griffin at nhspecialevents@syr.edu.