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With the passing of the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, two crucial steps in the lead up to the Presidential election have now occurred. As members of the Dartmouth community, many of us had the opportunity to participate in Tuesday’s primary. Political primaries are an essential component of the political process as they hold outsized sway over public opinion. Despite the relatively small number of voters, the media, the American public, the candidates, donors and other politicians pay close attention to the results of these early contests. Everyone seeks an answer to the same question – which candidates have the ability to progress onto later primaries and to potentially win the election?
The Rockefeller Center hosted a panel of Dartmouth Government Department faculty who study American politics, to share their expertise. The panel included Professors Joseph Bafumi, Linda Fowler and Dean Lacy and was moderated by Professor Ron Shaiko.
Professor Bafumi, an Associate Professor of Government, teaches courses on American government and public policy. In 2010-2011 he was an American Political Science association Congressional Fellow, where he served on the staff of the Senate Budget Committee. Professor Fowler is a Research Professor and Professor Emeritus Teaching in the Government Department. She teaches courses on a number of issues relevant to the U.S. government including congressional elections, candidate recruitment and voter learning in primary elections. In 2015, she published a book on how the U.S. Senate undermined its key national security committees’ ability to oversee the President’s foreign relations activities. Professor Lacy is Chair of the Government Department and Director of the Program in Politics and Law. His work, which is highly quantitative, focuses on elections, public opinion and lawmaking. The moderator, Professor Ron Shaiko is a Senior Fellow and the Associate Director for Curricular and Research Programs at the Rockefeller Center. One of his areas of expertise encompasses interest groups and lobbying. Together these professors will offer their insights on the future of the campaign, drawing on their expertise in voter learning, public opinion and interest groups, among many more.
Submitted by Olivia O’Hagan ’16, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for Public Programs
The views and opinions expressed and any materials presented during a public program are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the Rockefeller Center or constitute an endorsement by the Center.