SPA election experts in the media
"American University prides itself on being the most politically charged campus in America."
- New York Times, Nov. 1, 2012
SPA faculty are leading experts in the study of campaigns, voting behavior and turn-out, the Presidency, Congress, lobbying, political communications, and other areas related to elections. Leading media outlets consult SPA professors to gain insight into the upcoming elections.
November 2012
- Professor Matt Wright discussed why males voted for presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a November 8 story on KCBS Radio San Francisco.
- James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies, spoke to NPR’s "Diane Rehm Show" on WAMU 88.5 on November 7 about how President Obama managed to win what the media characterized as a tight race.
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride provided analysis for FOX 5 WTTG on November 7 about the impact of women on the election outcome, particularly where the Obama campaign excelled and where the Romney campaign could have done better. She also spoke to Bloomberg TV about the same topic.
- United Press International on November 6 highlighted Associated Professor Jennifer Lawless’ survey revealing President Obama had a 30-percent advantage over Governor Romney among college students days prior to the election. More than 130 outlets ran the article. She also appeared in the Washington Times, discussing female independent voters, and she discussed women in the Senate for Christian Science Monitor and New York Magazine.
- Assistant Professor Antoine Yoshinaka provided commentary on election results for BBC Radio on November 6.
- Professor Jan Leighley was interviewed about voter turnout by KCBS Radio San Francisco on November 6.
- NPR’s Minnesota Public Radio talked to CCPS fellow Dante Chinni on November 6 about the impact of early voting, which is allowed in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
- SIS, SPA, and SOC students made up the 10 participants asking questions to the Christian Science Monitor White House correspondent from the C-SPAN Campaign 2012 Bus on November 5.
- Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science Karen O'Connor was quoted in a November 4 Al Jazeera English article about the gender gap facing this year's candidates.
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride is quoted in an Associated Press story, syndicated more than 150 times, about White House pets on November 2.
October 2012
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride is quoted extensively in an October 31 Agence France Press (AFP) wire service story about Michelle Obama's role as First Lady.
- Professor David Lublin wrote an October 30 opinion article in the Globe and Mail about the potential opportunities (and perils) presented to both presidential candidates from Hurricane Sandy.
- Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless appeared on WTTG-Fox 5 in D.C. on October 26 to discuss the gender gap in the election.
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride appeared on MSNBC on October 20 to discuss female voters and the appeal of Romney and Obama.
- Professor Robert Durant commented on the fight for the female vote in an October 17 Los Angeles Times article.
- BBC Mundo interviewed Eric Hershberg, the director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, in an October 17 recap of the second presidential debate.
- Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless was interviewed on CTV, Canada's top network, prior to the second presidential debate on October 16, and she was also quoted in a Reuters story following the debate. She also spoke to Agence France Press, Washington Times, Time Warner TV News.
- Distinguished Professor James Thurber was quoted in an October 15 Reuters article about the upcoming presidential debate.
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride provided analysis of the first presidential debate for a BBC Radio 5 report on October 5.
- In an October 5 article from CNN, Professor Jan Leighley discussed the impact of the debate on undecided voters.
- Professor David Lublin was quoted in an October 5 Globe and Mail article analyzing the first presidential debate.
- KSA-2, a Saudi Arabian English-language TV station, on October 4 interviewed Assistant Professor Antoine Yoshinaka and two SPA students about the first presidential debate's impact on the election.
- Distinguished Professor James Thurber discussed how the Electoral College works during the "Diane Rehm Show" on October 2.
- Adjunct Professorial Lecturer Patrick Griffin was interviewed by CNN Radio on October 1 for a podcast about the U.S. Senate races.
- Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless was interviewed by Euronews on October 1 and discussed the importance of the women's vote and pivotal issues in the election.
September 2012
- In a September 20 Bloomberg News article, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer Patrick Griffin points out the disingenuous nature of members of Congress who run against the institution or its members themselves.
- Following the Democratic National Convention, Executive in Residence Anita McBride was quoted in an Associated Press story about President Obama's daughters that was syndicated in more than 170 outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and others.
- Distinguished Professor James Thurber was quoted in a September 6 Dallas Morning News article about the partisan gridlock that an Obama or Romney administration would face.
- Professor Candice Nelson was quoted in a September 6 New York Daily News article discussing Vice President Biden's role at the Democratic National Convention.
- Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless appeared on WTTG Fox 5's Morning News on September 5 to discuss Michelle Obama's speech from the Democratic National Convention.
August 2012
- Professor Jan Leighley was quoted in an August 29 Bloomberg BusinessWeek article about the difficulty the Republicans face attracting Hispanic voters.
- Distinguished Professor James Thurber was quoted in an August 29 article about partisan divide under President Obama on Politifact, the name in measuring political fact from fiction.
- Professor Jan Leighley was quoted in an August 27 U.S. News & World Report article on U.S. voter attitudes by class as revealed in a newly released Pew Research poll.
- Executive in Residence Anita McBride was featured in more than 20 different reports from the Republican National Convention, including stories by the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, C-SPAN, and Bloomberg.
- Professor of Government Jan Leighley and Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless were also interviewed about the Republican National Convention. Leighley commented on why Mitt Romney appeals to different economic classes in a U.S. News and World Report Online article, and the Associated Press interviewed Lawless about the importance of women's votes.
- Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science Karen O'Connor wrote an op-ed piece on August 22 for the New York Times about Rep. Todd Akin's comments on abortion and rape.
- In an August 20 op-ed for CNN Online, Anita McBride, executive in residence in the School of Public Affairs, addressed Paul Ryan's appeal to female voters, saying that he would not be "bad" for women.
- Several faculty were quoted with responses to Mitt Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Distinguished Professor James Thurber was interviewed on NPR's "It's All Politics" and for The Hill Newspaper. Executive in Residence Anita McBride had an op-ed published on CNN Headline News Online, and Associate Professor Jennifer Lawless talked to Huffington Post and Washington Times. - Professor of Government Jan Leighley was quoted in an August 16 Boston Globe article about the Obama campaign's failure to increase momentum in voter registration.
