DECATUR, Ill. – Former Illinois Republican U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger made national headlines this summer in Chicago when he took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and crossed party lines to endorse Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election.
The controversy was not new for Kinzinger, who had also broken with his party when he took part in the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Kinzinger brought his unique perspective on American politics to Millikin University’s Kirkland Fine Arts Center on Monday, September 30, presenting “A Conversation with Adam Kinzinger” for students, faculty, staff, and members of the Decatur Community during the Thomas E. Ewing Lecture.
“Tonight’s event is a unique opportunity for us to engage with a prominent voice in American politics. Rep. Kingzinger brings a wealth of experience, particularly in today’s complex political landscape,” Millikin Provost Mary Black said. “His commitment to public service and thoughtful dialogue make him an exemplary speaker for the Ewing Lecture.”
The Thomas W. Ewing Lectureship was created by Millikin and Congressman Ewing’s colleagues in recognition of his many years of public service. Ewing, a 1957 Millikin graduate, retired in 2001 after serving nine years in the U.S. House of Representatives from the 15th District of Illinois. The annual lecture focuses on public policy and service, and visiting lecturers are selected based on their prominence in those fields and ability to inspire others to serve.
Before the Ewing Lecture, Rep. Kinzinger met several Millikin students for dinner and Big Blue junior Maggie Schrage, majoring in Political Science and Philosophy with a Pre-Law concentration, introduced him to the Kirkland audience. Schrage is a Presidential Scholar, a 2024 Scovill Award winner, and a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honors Society.
Kinzinger, originally from Bloomington, now lives in Texas and enjoyed the opportunity to return to his home state. Just as he tried to do during his time in Congress, Kingzinger spoke of Rep. Ewing's bipartisanship reputation on the Hill.
“One of the things you realize when you live away is just how great the people of Illinois are, and that, and I hope you recognize that because coming home is fantastic,” Kinzinger said. “During Thomas Ewing’s time in Congress, I think he modeled what it was to be somebody willing to work across the aisle,” Kinzinger said. “If you remember politics back in that day, things actually got done, and people respected each other.”
Congressman Kinzinger served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2022, representing Illinois’ 16th Congressional District, which stretches across 14 counties in Northern Illinois. While in Congress, Kinzinger served as a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he served as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment in the 116th Congress. He is currently a political commentator for CNN, and his memoir, “Renegade,” was a New York Times best seller.
Congressman Kinzinger also founded the Country First movement, which has grown to over 300,000 members today. The organization focuses on placing the nation's interests above partisan politics, and during the lecture, Kingzinger discussed the importance of elected officials living up to their oath of office.
“What is the guardrail of democracy? I can talk about every law and the Supreme Court, but the actual real guardrail is simple: the oath you take to the Constitution of the United States. That’s the only guardrail there is,” he said. “When you are analyzing who to vote for, the only thing that really matters is whether this person takes their oath seriously or not. If someone has shown through their words or deeds that they don’t take their oath seriously, believe them, because they don’t.”
Kinzinger shared his thoughts on where he thinks America is headed and if we will continue to experience a feeling of a great divide between people.
“We are in a tough moment right now. For some of us, we never imagined this would happen to the United States. There have been times in our country’s history when we have been in a similar place, and during those times, there were optimistic things that happened,” he said. “If you look back, there are these cycles where you see division. The good news I want to bring to you is that I hope we are at the culmination of our disintegration moment, and if we could quantum leap 10 years into the future and look back, we would be proud of what we are going to do over the next 10 years with the unity that comes back to the American people.”
