U.S. Elections Insights

U.S. Elections Insights
A national election—especially a presidential election—raises important policy questions and priorities, debated by the candidates, discussed by voters and enacted by the new administration. More taxes or fewer? Embrace immigration or resist it? Pro-business or pro-environment? Free-market versus government regulation? The list goes on and on.

In every corner of the Maxwell School are experts on these topics. Presented below are clips featuring Maxwell faculty speaking to various aspects of U.S. presidential elections.
Gadarian speaks to ABC News about partisanship and people's behaviors
"We've been talking to the same [3,000] Americans since early March, every six weeks or so," says Shana Gadarian. "We had a sense that people would vary on policy beliefs based on their partisanship. What was unexpected was the big, huge difference in health behaviors — like the change in how much they're washing their hands and whether or not they stopped going to social events and whether they were staying home more," she says. Read more in the ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) article, "Coronavirus is the 2020 US election issue. But it's not changing the way Americans see Donald Trump."
9/18/2020

Keck comments on priority of the Supreme Court in 2020 election in SBG
"The Republican base has been more focused on that issue [Supreme Court] than the Democratic base has from Reagan forward, roughly," says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics. "There’s some evidence that that’s shifting." Keck was interviewed for the Sinclair Broadcast Group article, "As Trump spotlights judicial nominations, Biden offers little insight on his plans."
9/17/2020

Popp quoted in Bloomberg article on Biden's climate plan
Measures to fight climate change tend to destroy some jobs while creating others, says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs. "The literature that looks at employment effects says it’s mainly about reallocating jobs from one sector to another," he adds. Fewer coal miners, more solar installers. Popp was quoted in the Bloomberg article "Biden Succeeds in Uniting Climate People and Labor People—For Now."
9/17/2020

Reeher comments on political hyperbole in USA Today
Professor Grant Reeher says hyperbole is common in politics and voters are used to Trump’s exaggerations. "I think a lot of this is just taking advantage of 'targets of opportunity,'" says Reeher. "Democrats, especially those generating the most enthusiasm within the party, are asserting some pretty left proposals, relatively speaking." Reeher says the socialist and radical labels are having little impact. "After four years, voters are used to the hyperbole." Read more in the USA Today article "The Trump campaign wants to paint Biden as left-wing, despite his moderate record."
9/8/2020

Thompson discusses progress, role of women in politics on WAER
"We still haven't elected a woman on the national ticket in either party," says Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science. "I think we still have a long way to go before we can talk about equality. But what we're talking about is progress." She was featured in the WAER segment "Women Making Progress in Securing Elected Office, But Equality Remains Elusive." Thompson was also quoted in the American Prospect article "Women Will Decide Which Man Is Right for the Job."
8/21/2020

Thompson discusses local congressional races with CNY Central
"What it does mean mostly is that there will be a higher turnout then there was in 2018," says Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science. "There is always higher turnout in a presidential election year, but what that will mean in any given district is less clear." She was interviewed by CNY Central for the segment "Local congressional candidates are all rematches from 2018."
8/19/2020

Reeher speaks to the Independent about 2020 US political conventions
"The conventions this year might actually be more important than in relatively recent years past since the campaigns are very constrained in what they can do in person," says Professor Grant Reeher. "Those in-person events would normally drive a lot of the media coverage in the last few months of the campaign. But that is only if people watch the conventions." Reeher was interviewed for The Independent article "Could conventions matter more than ever this year?"
8/19/2020

Latest Maxwell Perspective previews public affairs issues for voters
The new edition of Maxwell Perspective — the School's magazine for alumni, students, parents, and other members of the Maxwell community — features faculty experts who provide background and context for many of the issues that will be influenced by this fall’s national elections. In the eight essays, scholars draw in historical background and larger trends to help explain the likely legacy of choices that citizens will make in the voting booth this November.
8/18/2020

Jackson discusses Kamala Harris as VP pick in Teen Vogue, Truthout
"Despite the historic nature of her career and vice presidential nomination, we can’t lose our capacity to remain critical of her record and uncertain about how her potential vice presidency might affect marginalized communities," writes Jenn Jackson, assistant professor of political science, in Teen Vogue. In this piece, and in "'Kinship' Isn’t Enough — Harris Must Be Accountable to Black People," published in Truthout, Jackson explains why candidates' descriptive identities aren't necessarily indicators of their political ideologies.
8/17/2020

Kurien quoted in Washington Post article on Harris's VP nomination
"Trump knows this is an important, wealthy group, and I’m sure that’s why he’s seeking their support," says Prema Kurien, professor of sociology, of Trump's courting of the Indian American vote. She also notes that as a voting bloc, Indian Americans are more fluid than other immigrant groups. Their concerns can be generational, with older immigrant parents focused on visas and other issues while second-generation Indian Americans may be compelled by the current moment of racial reckoning. Read more in the Washington Post article "'A trailblazer': Indian Americans react with joy, pride to Harris’s VP nod."
8/13/2020

Radcliffe discusses the rationality of voting in The Hill
"In voting as a citizen, you vote for president because it is your duty as a citizen, basing your vote on your honest judgment about what is in the best interests of the country," writes Dana Radcliffe, adjunct professor of public administration and international affairs. "While your individual vote will not causally determine who wins, your voting is rational and even obligatory as a civic duty to take part in the collective act of citizens’ choosing whom to entrust with the nation’s highest office." Radcliffe's op-ed, "Voting can seem irrational — but you should do it anyway," co-authored with Martin Dobelle '19 EMPA, was published in The Hill.
7/10/2020

Reeher weighs in on Americans' political dissatisfaction in The Hill
"If the public is fundamentally dissatisfied with where the country is going, that is also going to open up opportunities for different political messages — and different political messengers — to tap that dissatisfaction in different ways," says Professor Grant Reeher. He was interviewed for The Hill article "The Memo: Unhappy voters could deliver political shocks beyond Trump."
7/6/2020

Gadarian quoted in Scientific American on impact of COVID-19 on voting
"If Democrats are taking more precautions because of the coronavirus, we may see them not turn out as much as they would have without the pandemic," says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate professor of political science. "That is pretty disturbing." Gadarian was interviewed for the Scientific American article "Trump vs. Biden: How COVID-19 Will Affect Voting for President."
6/23/2020

Reeher discusses Trump reelection with The Hill
When asked how hard it would be for any incumbent to overcome low voter satisfaction figures, Professor Grant Reeher says, "If we’re going by the history, the answer is 'very difficult.'" Voter satisfaction with the direction of the nation, Reeher adds "has always been a very good indicator" of whether the incumbent party was likely to keep the White House. Reeher was interviewed for The Hill article "The Memo: Trump's troubles deepen as voters see country on wrong path."
6/8/2020

Can Biden win over Sanders supporters? Reeher discusses in USA Today

Professor Grant Reeher says Biden could have a hard time getting enthusiastic support from former Sanders supporters due to his lengthy record – three decades of Senate votes and two terms in the White House as President Barack Obama's vice president. It's "not gonna rub a lot of these Bernie Sanders supporters particularly in the right way," with how Biden has portrayed his own record, he says. Read more in the USA Today article "How Joe Biden is working to win over progressive voters."

5/21/2020

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