EAST LANSING, Mich., August 19, 2025 – The Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) at Michigan State University announced that Robert Costa, national correspondent for CBS News's Sunday Morning, will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Michigan Political Leadership Program Fundraising Dinner. The event, which will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, supports the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP), a bipartisan political training fellowship whose goal is to give promising political talents the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in elected office.
Robert Costa is a key part of the CBS News team, working as both a national correspondent for "CBS News Sunday Morning" and the network’s chief Washington analyst. For "Sunday Morning," he covers a wide range of topics, including national politics, culture, and the arts, while also conducting in-depth interviews. His analysis and reporting are also featured on major CBS News programs like the "CBS Evening News" and "Face the Nation."
Named a national correspondent in February 2025, Costa had previously spent three years contributing to "Sunday Morning." During this time, he was part of the team that won an Emmy Award in 2023 for Outstanding Recorded News Program. A highlight of his work was an exclusive interview with President Joe Biden at the White House in August 2024. From 2022 to 2024, Costa was CBS News' chief election and campaign correspondent. Before joining CBS, he was a long-time national political reporter for The Washington Post. His career also includes serving as moderator for "Washington Week" on PBS and as a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2021, he co-authored the book Peril with Bob Woodward, which became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. Costa’s educational background includes degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Cambridge.
"Through his insight and experience, Robert Costa has become one of the leading political journalists in the nation," said Corwin Smidt, Interim Director of IPPSR. Smidt continued, "We are pleased to have him join us in April to discuss what promises to be one of the most hotly contested and dynamic midterm elections in decades."
Each year, MPLP recruits 24 fellows from around Michigan, evenly split between Republican and Democratic applicants, making it unique because most political leadership programs are not bipartisan. After selection, the twenty-four fellows tour Michigan and discuss significant issues facing the state and local communities with local renowned experts. Since 1992, MPLP has trained over 750 fellows, with the majority going on to serve in elected office.
More information on MPLP can be found here. Applications for the 2026 class are now open.
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