Maxwell School News and Commentary

"On paper, you would say it has to hurt him [Trump] and there are public opinion data that back that up," says Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher. "But there are different ways this might be spun that we can’t predict right now. It could be that this mobilizes a set of voters in a way that helps Trump." 

Shana Gadarian, associated professor of political science, Joined WAER's Syracuse Speaks show to discuss the importance of local elections and voter engagement, amid historically low turnout rates in local elections. Central New Yorkers face issues that decide key policy like tax rates, education policy, and district lines this year.

“He [incumbent Ryan McMahon] is keen on making his own mark and I think he’s in a very good position to do so,” said Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. “I don’t think there’s a big reason to send him packing.”

According to William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, information received from a foreign entity could be a little murky under the law, but if someone determined the information was of value, it would be unlawful.

"It sets up an incentive for candidates to get some attention by throwing out something that will get the media’s attention,” Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher says about the crowded Democratic field. 

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says that while too crowded a field leads to a lack of meaningful conversation, restricting the debate stage too extensively is also not ideal because it creates "a self-fulfilling prophecy" in which dark horse candidates never get the chance to emerge.

“He is deeply dug in on this,” said Grant Reeher, professor of political science, about President Trump's immigration policy. “There are things that candidates and office-holders are particularly known for and they stake their identities on. He is clearly one of them, on this issue.”

William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs says, "the underlying tenor of the investigation was on the Russian activities themselves. Fundamentally, it was a counterintelligence investigation about Russian meddling in the election." 

On presidential candidate John Delaney's suggestion that if elected, he would debate Congress four times a year, Professor Grant Reeher opines: "I can see that this is an effort to change the political culture by requiring direct engagement, but the participants have to agree to take the exercise at face value, in front of TV cameras, and the political disincentives against doing that right now are strong."