Campbell Institute News

University Professor Sean O’Keefe says whoever is appointed at Boeing will need to be able to listen to the concerns of the industry. In particular, they will need to work hand in hand with its airline customers—from Alaska Airlines to United—to make sure safety issues will be the focus in the months ahead, he says.

Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, recently published “The Invented State: Policy Misperceptions in the American Public” (Oxford University Press, 2024).

“The Republican party now has a leader who has been very clear, in his speeches, rhetoric and actions, that he has authoritarian tendencies. He [President Donald Trump] doesn’t have a lot of respect for the norms of democracy, and he is willing to use violence and call on others to use violence to save power,” says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science and associate dean for research.

"The more politicized a misperception is, the more it's tied up with someone's party identity, the more likely it is to be a product of people's political attitudes rather than something that affects those attitudes," says Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science.

Trump’s return to the White House would mark a radical change from Biden’s multilateralism, says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “[There would be] an emphasis on bilateral rather than multilateral relations, and a general reduction in American involvement in international affairs,” he says.

The awards are funded by a 2022 MetLife Foundation grant that supports research and community programming over three years to examine the racial wealth gap’s root causes and ideas that may resolve its economic and social inequalities, says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center interim director.

John Zogby ’74 M.A. (Hist) joined political scientists for the State of Democracy lecture to examine voter turnout and other top issues affecting the 2024 election.

“I think IVF is an issue that hasn't been politicized before and could be one that could get people thinking about the ways that reproductive health is connected to politics and engage them,” says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science and associate dean for research. “It may push people to the polls.”

“It was definitely always a long shot and the ruling is not surprising,” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics. But, he adds, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling opened up larger questions about what guardrails exist to protect US democracy.

“Even among the Republican primary voters, there are 40% of the people in that state who preferred Haley to Trump,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “So, bearing in mind that Trump is a former president, has four years of a presidential record, lost a pretty close election in 2020...there's a significant chunk of the Republican Party that is not happy with him.”

“IVF is a pretty common procedure now, and if someone directly hasn’t gone through it, it is relatively common among groups that are more likely to be conservative,” says Shana Gadarian, professor of political science and associate dean for research. “These are procedures people think of as important in their own lives and are probably separable from abortion.”

"We've seen moments where there are more heavy exits from Congress, and that it is like a canary in the coal mine," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "If I'm the speaker, I'm definitely worried."

“If I were a Democratic consultant or strategist, I would be taking a huge grain of salt before I base my playbook on this election,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"It's hurt the general population's views of him, but it's fueled and strengthened his base, and even driven some Republicans on the fence to 'stay loyal' to the cause," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "Trump has been trying to wear these legal troubles as a badge of honor for his victimization, and of his commitment to his supporters."

"Smoother, more refined, younger, better informed on the issues, but still aggressive on policy and willing to fight the cultural battles the Right seems to care about. Is that enough to persuade a loyal Republican voter, who is weighing that against a proven battler? Apparently not," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"Doing well in New Hampshire or doing better than expected can give campaign attention and a sense of momentum that will bring new media attention as well as donations and support from party members in states that come later in the process," says Shana Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science.

"Against 'Democratizing AI'," authored by Johannes Himmelreich, assistant professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in AI & Society: Knowledge, Culture and Communication.

“The party didn’t coalesce around one alternative to Trump, and that’s what the skeptics needed,” says Shana Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, tells Newsweek that Trump will continue to use his legal difficulties to rile up his MAGA base. However, Reeher adds that it remains to be seen if this will ultimately damage Trump's White House ambitions.

“The independents that are part of the polling…don’t like either of them. And then, of course the Democrats in the polls are not going to give Trump any positive ratings, and Republicans are not going to give Biden any positive ratings,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.