BOSTON — Kristen Welker has covered the biggest political stories of the last decade with intelligence, grace, and determination.
She is now channeling that passion into a new role, as moderator of NBC's "Meet The Press"—the longest-running show on television.
"It is the greatest honor of my life to take the baton," Welker told NEWS CENTER Maine. "And I do feel the huge responsibility that comes with this role every Sunday."
From a young age, Welker said she was fascinated by politics growing up in Philadelphia where her own mother ran for city council. It was the role of the reporters covering the race that truly fascinated her, though, and politics has been in her blood ever since.
"It is something that I take very seriously," Welker told NEWS CENTER Maine. "Political journalism has just been a part of who I am."
She started out as an intern on "TODAY" in the 1990s. Welker went on to report in several smaller markets, before making her way back to the network where she has been NBC's Chief White House Correspondent for the last decade.
In her new position on "Meet The Press," she is making history, as the first person of color to lead the show. She is also only the second woman to ever serve as moderator.
"I'm approaching this role as a reporter. Those are my roots," Welker said. "I already have been out on the campaign trail talking to voters in early voting states, talking to making sure I'm keeping my pulse on what matters to them."
When she is not busy working sources and chasing leads, Welker and her husband are busy raising their two-year-old daughter, Margot. She has been outspoken about her infertility struggles and the decision to use surrogacy to have a child.
"It has made me more appreciative of everything," Welker said. "It has really focused my journalism around this idea that we can't just be talking about what's happening in the weeds of the politics, that we have to be thinking about how policies are impacting families all across this country."
Welker's move to the new position comes as 2024 is right around the corner and the country looks at a Trump-Biden rematch. She notably moderated that last debate between the candidates ahead of the 2020 election.
"I think that I've covered the Trump administration, the Biden administration. So I have a unique perspective," Welker said. "I have been talking to voters and they feel so frustrated that there aren't more options."
Welker debuted on "Meet The Press" with an in-depth interview with Trump. She hopes to sit down with President Biden in the near future.
At the end of the day, Welker says she is focused on holding the powerful accountable and talking about issues in a way that voters can understand because it has never mattered more.
"This is going to be an incredibly significant, I think, moment in our political history," she said.
You can watch Meet The Press every Sunday at 9 a.m. on NEWS CENTER Maine. Don't forget to also tune in for Political Brew on The Morning Report starting at 6 a.m.