11/15
Political Science
How to reduce partisan animosity
Matthew Levendusky, a professor of political science in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, explains the results of a megastudy that explores whether anything could bridge the political gap between the left and right among Americans.
Democrats and Republicans vastly underestimate the diversity of each other’s views
A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication finds that Democrats and Republicans consistently underestimate the diversity of views within each party on hot-button issues like immigration and abortion.
Students fill critical behind-the-scenes Election Day roles for NBC News
Three dozen undergraduates worked with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies this year to track turnout, assemble results, and build on-air graphics.
Top five election takeaways
Stephanie Perry, exit polling manager for NBC News and executive director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, shares insights into what drove voters in Tuesday’s election.
Celebrating democracy on Election Day at Penn
For many Penn students, Election Day 2024 is about more than two presidential candidates going at it hammer and tongs; it’s also a vital celebration of democracy.
Omnia podcast: Democracy and Decision 2024
The new season of Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences podcast examines the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the upcoming presidential election.
Explaining polarization between and within political parties
Annenberg associate professor Yphtach Lelkes, co-director of the Polarization Research Lab, discusses political polarization that occurs between parties and also within each party.
Penn students get convention access in extraordinary political times
Undergrads who attended the Republican or Democratic convention this summer are breaking down their experiences during the Conventions, Debates, and Campaigns course, taught by David Eisenhower, Marjorie Margolies, and Craig Snyder.
University announces Penn Global Middle East Distinguished Visiting Scholar Initiative
The program will formally launch in fall 2025 with the arrival of the inaugural visiting scholar, Dahlia Scheindlin, followed by Shay Hazkani in spring 2026, and Amal Jamal in fall 2026.
Event looks at neck-and-neck presidential election
At a roundtable sponsored by the SNF Paideia Program, political journalists from diverse outlets discussed the states of the presidential campaigns.
In the News
Maryland shifted toward Donald Trump more than some other blue states, while giving Kamala Harris her second-biggest win
Matthew Levendusky of the School of Arts & Sciences says that poor turnout in heavily Democratic cities and a general voter swing for economic reasons contributed to Donald Trump’s victory.
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Kennedy’s vow to take on big food could alienate his new G.O.P. allies
Mary Summers of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stated dual missions of dismantling the F.D.A. and regulating food ingredients don’t go together.
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The view of the voting from campus
Jeffrey Green of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Political Union, sponsored by the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy in the School of Arts & Sciences, which hosts student debates and speakers across the ideological spectrum.
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Elon Musk wins big by betting on Trump
Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that Elon Musk might view himself as capable of “turning around the federal government.”
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How Pennsylvania’s mail ballot rules will lead to thousands of provisional ballots on Election Day
Marc Meredith of the School of Arts & Sciences and Michael Morse of Penn Carey Law say that most provisional ballots in Pennsylvania are likely to come from voters with outstanding mail ballots, rather than voters who’ve already returned deficient mail ballots.
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Donald Trump, evangelicals and the 2024 MAGA coalition
Shawn Patterson Jr. of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says that Donald Trump was largely an apolitical figure in 2016 with a wide array of celebrity relationships, donations to candidates of both parties, and a career in New York real estate.
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