May Institutes Deliver Hands-On Learning

CCPS ran two intensive institutes in May: Quentin Fulks, Campaign Manager of Harris-Walz 2024, led the Campaign Management Institute and Laura Uttley, VP of Policy and Government Relations at Woodwell Climate Research Center, led the Public Affairs & Advocacy Institute. Pictured are Fulks and expert practitioners Megan Clasen and AU Alum Monica Patel. Clasen and Patel, from Gambit Strategies in Chicago, shared best practices and real-world examples in effective digital campaigns. 

Best Essay Prize Awarded to SPA's Aidan Jacketta

Every year CCPS and the Bryce Harlow Foundation jointly sponsor the Bryce Harlow Workshop on Ethics and Lobbying. In conjunction with this course, students are required to write a paper about the topic of ethics in lobbying. Students taking the workshop are encouraged to submit their papers for the workshop essay contest, which features a $250 prize for the best essay. The award winner is also honored at the SPA Awards Ceremony.

In 2026, the winner for Best Essay is Aidan Jacketta (SPA / MA '26) for his paper 'Bribing the Bride' which discusses the effectiveness of a 2007 prohibition on lobbying contacts between a member's staff and the member's spouse when that spouse is a registered lobbyist. The author argues that while the provision (HLOGA's Section 302) achieved some technical success, it reduced transparency and did not effectively reduce the influence of money in politics. Please visit the Foundation's website to see the work of past winners.

Senate Primary Season Heats Up

May and June 2026 are busy months for Senate primaries and there is no better place to get up-to-date than the Congress On Demand 2026 Senate Election Edition. COD was conceived so that what is public can finally reach voters in a familiar and engaging way. Though sessions in Congress are filmed, COD delivers videos in the short, single-click on-demand format to which we've all grown accustomed. The 2026 Senate Election Edition features floor speeches made by all Senators and Representatives running for Senate seats in the mid-terms. The Congress On Demand 2026 Senate Election Edition is proud to be recognized by 250+ at American University, a year-long initiative marking our nation’s 250th anniversary through dialogue, learning, and civic engagement. Questions? Email COD founder and CCPS Fellow Eve Silberberg.

ZTMF Editor Contributes to Anniversary Initiative

MORE PERFECT and its partners launched a suite of initiatives to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. One of these initiatives is In Pursuit, an ambitious history-based nonpartisan civics initiative led by the 11th Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan. Michael David Cohen, CCPS Fellow and Director of the Correspondence of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore, contributed an important essay to In Pursuit highlighting Taylor's public and military service.
Read the Essay

Scholarship Awarded to Amini for 'Three Essays on AI and Political Behavior'

The Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies recently selected Ali Amini as the 2026 recipient of the Gill Foundation of Texas scholarship to support his dissertation on AI and Political Behavior. The award recognizes a PhD student working on a dissertation in the areas of American Politics, Comparative Politics, Public Administration, or Policy Analysis at American University using quantitative methods.

Amini is a doctoral candidate and adjunct faculty in Political Science at the School of Public Affairs and an MS candidate in Data Science at the College of Arts and Sciences at American University. He teaches modules on the statistical foundations and social science applications of large language models and nonlinear modeling in the Winter Institute for Data Science’s Big Data program, and courses in Introduction to Political Science Research and Political Conflict for undergraduate students in the School of Public Affairs. Throughout his doctoral training, he has contributed to computational research projects funded by NASA, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation, with findings published in Nature Scientific Reports and other peer-reviewed journals.

Seeking submissions for Congress & the Presidency Journal

Congress & the Presidency journal is actively seeking new research article submissions that aim to broaden perspectives on the executive and legislative branches. We're committed to broadly studying American governance and want your input to help shape a more inclusive future of research. Visit Congress & the Presidency for more information and to submit research articles for potential peer review.