About 150 people came to the Memorial Union Thursday night expecting to hear ABC News correspondent Carole Simpson speak about politics, women and the American family.

Instead, Simpson spent about half of her hour-long speech talking about her experiences as a black woman in the media.

“After all, this is Iowa,” she said. “You all live, eat and breathe this stuff [politics].”

Instead, as Simpson spoke in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, she focused on the challenges she faced early in her career. She began as a news broadcaster and reporter for radio station WCFL in Chicago, and she said she often faced criticism from her white male co-workers.

“I was working for the day they said I was a good reporter who happened to be a lady,” she said.

Simpson also talked about her experience as the sole moderator of the 1992 presidential debates between George Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot.

“It’s every reporter’s dream to be on one of those debate things,” she said.

Simpson said the experience had its good and bad points. She was the first woman and the first minority ever to moderate a presidential debate. It was also the first year a town-hall system was used, where the citizens asked questions directly to the candidates.

“I was going crazy and scared to death because it was going to be the biggest event of my life,” she said.

Although much of Simpson’s speech dealt with her career, she did spend some time talking about this year’s election.

“I’ll say one thing about the election,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a close election and the one with the lowest turnout ever.”

She said she thinks the voter turnout will be low because people are “fat and happy with the economy [and] they don’t see the need to vote.”

Simpson also mentioned people between the ages of 18 and 25 are the least likely to vote and encouraged ISU students in attendance to vote in November.

“This is your country,” she said. “The things we vote for will affect you.”

Simpson said another aspect of the election came as a big surprise for her.

“Had you asked me 10 years ago, I would have bet big money we would not see four white men running for president,” she said.

Simpson said she hopes to see more women and minorities in future races. She said it is the only way for America to catch up with the rest of the world.

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, said she was pleased with the turnout. She said she thought the weather and the vice-presidential debates would keep more people at home.

Bystrom said Simpson’s reputation as a “pioneer for women and minorities in broadcasting” likely drew people to the event.

“Carole Simpson is someone we’ve wanted to have at Iowa State for a very long time,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have her here.”

Bystrom said one reason Simpson came to Iowa State was because of her selection as the Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics, an honor reserved for women active in both fields.

Bystrom said the position was created to bring “outstanding leaders” in politics to Iowa State, “to interact with students, enrich their lives and educate the community.”