Political Pundit Mark Shields Dies at 85 of Kidney Failure

Political pundit and columnist Mark Shields has died at the age of 85. Shields had been a regular on PBS NewsHour for 33 years before his retirement in 2020.

Shields passed away due to kidney failure Saturday morning at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, NPR reported. His wife was by his side.

Shield’s former PBS colleague, Judy Woodruff, paid tribute to him Saturday on Twitter:

I am heartbroken to share this..the @NewsHour’s beloved long-time Friday night analyst Mark Shields, who for decades wowed us with his encyclopedic knowledge of American politics, his sense of humor and mainly his big heart, has passed away at 85, with his wife Anne at his side. pic.twitter.com/d68SZiGQJf

— Judy Woodruff (@JudyWoodruff) June 18, 2022

Woodruff noted her former colleague’s sense of humor, which was apparent in his criticisms of disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) following his infamous 2011 crotch shot tweet scandal, which Andrew Breitbart broke the news on. Shields stated at the time that Weiner had a craving for media attention and ripped into the disgraced politician for his scandal.

“The most dangerous place in Washington is between Anthony Weiner, a camera, and a microphone,” Shields exclaimed. “I mean, what the hell is a member of congress, who wants to be mayor of New York, having portrait galleries of his crotch available for distribution.”

Shields, a University of Notre Dame graduate from Weymouth, Massachusetts, served as a U.S. Marine before entering the political arena, as the AP noted:

He began his career in Washington as a legislative assistant and speechwriter for Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire in 1965, according to “PBS NewsHour.” Three years later, Shields joined New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign and later worked on numerous campaigns. In 1979, he began writing a column at The Washington Post that was later distributed by Creators Syndicate.

Shields began writing a column for the Washington Post in 1979, and in 1987 he joined NewsHour, quickly becoming a mainstay on the program, the AP noted.

Per the outlet:

He had collaborated with David Brooks since 2001 to provide analysis and commentary in their weekly Shields & Brooks segment and during election specials and conventions and before that with David Gergen and Paul Gigot, according to “PBS NewsHour.” His tenure there spanned six presidencies.

In December 2020, he retired from his NewsHour segment.

The late commentator also worked as “a moderator and panelist on CNN’s ‘Capital Gang’ from 1988 to 2005 and a regular panelist on ‘Inside Washington,’ which aired on PBS and ABC, from 2005 until 2013,” the AP noted.