00:00 I rise today to honor the life of a dear friend, Alice Stewart.
00:07 Her sudden passing last month was a profound loss to all who knew her.
00:13 Alice was far too young, with so much more to give the world.
00:19 Alice began her career as a reporter in Georgia, and eventually moved to Little Rock, Arkansas,
00:25 where she was an anchor for the NBC affiliate there.
00:29 In 2008, she served as Mike Huckabee's communications director during his presidential run.
00:37 And she later advised Michelle Bachman and Rick Santorum during their presidential runs.
00:42 In 2016, Alice came to work for me during my run for president.
00:50 I was very lucky to have her on my team.
00:53 Alice fought passionately for me on the campaign trail.
00:58 She was a joy to be around, always smiling, both personally and professionally.
01:05 Politics can be a harsh arena, but Alice engaged with a light touch.
01:14 She never lost her Southern charm, her class, or her respect for others.
01:22 She was one of the last few old-school political operators who believe you can get along with
01:28 anyone, regardless of political differences.
01:33 It's telling that many, many former colleagues and friends of Alice's have echoed the very
01:38 same sentiment about her, that she was unfailingly kind and a rare gem in the tumultuous world
01:47 of politics.
01:49 Alice and I remained friends after the presidential run.
01:54 This is a photo of the two of us when she came to my second swearing-in here in the
01:59 Senate in 2019.
02:04 Not only was Alice a talented communicator, she also served as deputy secretary of state
02:10 in Arkansas and became a resident fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics, where she
02:17 became a mentor for many students.
02:21 In 2016, Alice became a CNN commentator.
02:25 Now, CNN isn't always known as a friendly place for conservatives, to put it mildly.
02:32 But Alice never backed down from what she believed in.
02:35 Instead, she navigated disagreements with kindness, whether it was at CNN or in her
02:43 role as a political contributor on NPR.
02:48 If you knew Alice, you knew she was an avid runner.
02:53 Another former communications director of mine and good friend, Cat Frazier, remembers
02:57 the day that she met Alice on my presidential campaign.
03:04 Alice and my friend David Poliansky pulled her out into the freezing Iowa snow to go
03:10 on a run with the two of them.
03:13 That's how Cat got to know Alice, on a run in the bitter Iowa cold and snow.
03:19 They also asked me to come on a run with them that morning, but it will not surprise you,
03:24 Mr. President, I turned down that invitation.
03:27 Alice and I had a lot in common, but running marathons was not one of them.
03:32 As a runner, it was fitting that Alice also loved Hebrews 12, especially the verse, "Let
03:40 us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer
03:49 and perfecter of faith."
03:52 Alice showed what it means to run the race well, as a good and faithful servant.
04:01 She has now finished her race, and she is today in the loving arms of her Creator.
04:09 I was immensely proud to have Alice on my team.
04:14 She was wonderful and talented and a good friend.
04:20 She loved America fiercely.
04:25 She lived every day to the fullest, and she will be deeply, deeply missed.
04:32 Her absence is deeply felt by me, by Heidi, and by the entire cruise team.
04:43 I pray for God's comfort and His peace on her loved ones.
04:51 May God bless the memory of Alice Stewart.
04:57 She will be missed.
04:59 I will miss her.
05:02 God bless you, Alice.
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