Karen Tumulty is the national political correspondent for the Washington Post and a wealth of information in an election year. She’s also busy at work on a biography of my dear friend Nancy Reagan for Simon & Schuster, and I can’t wait to read it. Here are five of Karen’s insights on Mrs. Reagan — as well as this year’s elections — that she shared with me during a recent conversation for the Pickens Podcast.

Nancy Reagan is a fascinating subject. She knew that her status as First Lady gave her a lot of power, and she wasn’t afraid to use it. The fact that others also knew it didn’t bother her in the least.

Mrs. Reagan was intensely protective of her husband. She not only had President Reagan’s back while he was in office, but she guarded his legacy for the rest of his life — and hers.

The 2016 presidential campaign is without precedent. The primaries were a total horse race, and if the general election is this wild in August, can you imagine what October will be like?

Moderating a debate presents a unique challenge. To prepare for the Democratic debate in Miami, Karen studied as much as she could about both candidates. Her job was to get Senator Sanders and Secretary Clinton to reveal things about themselves that the voters didn’t know.

We have the two most unpopular presidential candidates in history running for office. Get ready for some serious mudslinging. Going forward, both campaigns will be doing their best to focus as much attention on the negative aspects of the other.

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– Boone