As the Election 2012 campaigns quickly head to the finish, top Emory University experts are available to discuss all aspects of the national political scene, including the debates, voter trends, partisanship, economic and tax policies, polling, minority politics, the youth vote and more.
For the latest election news, experts, video interviews and multimedia, visit the Election 2012 expert page.
National Politics, Voters, Polling
Merle Black is a renowned expert on national politics and the foremost authority on Republican politics and the South. He is the coauthor of "Divided America: The Ferocious Power Struggle in American Politics."
Alan Abramowitz is a well-known expert on national politics, election forecasting and voter polarization. His "Time for Change" election forecast is one of the most respected for its accuracy in pinpointing and predicting the popular vote outcomes of national presidential elections. His latest book is "The Polarized Public?: Why American Government Is So Dysfunctional."
Andra Gillespie specializes in political mobilization and race, "get out the vote" strategies, and competition between minority groups. She also studies evangelical politics. Her current research focuses on the political leadership of the post-civil rights generation, and she is the author of "The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark and Post-Racial America"(NYU Press, 2012) and editor of "Whose Black Politics.
Debates
Emory's nationally ranked and renowned debate coaches can provide lively, non-partisan analysis for the presidential debates.
Congress
Political science professor Randall Strahan is a specialist in partisanship and leadership in the U.S. Congress. He is the author of "Leading Representatives: The Agency of Leaders in the Politics of the U.S. House" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007). He currently is working on a book about partisanship in Congress.
Video: Why the lack of progress in Congress?
Urban, Municipal & State Politics
Michael Leo Owens specializes in urban, state and local politics, political penology, governance and public policy processes. He also studies religion and politics, and African American politics. He is the author of "God and Government in the Ghetto: The Politics of Church-State Collaboration in Black America."
Economic Recovery, Fiscal Policy
Jeffrey Rosensweig, is associate professor of international business and finance, and director of the Global Perspectives Program. He can discuss the economic policies of the Republican and Democratic candidates and what the job numbers reports hold for the presidential campaigns.
Video: Job reports crucial before presidential election
Federal Tax Policy
Dorothy Brown is professor of tax law and author of "Race, Class and the Obama Tax Plan" (Denver Law Review, 2009). Brown specializes in federal tax law and critical race theory, and is well known for her work examining the racial implications of federal tax policy. She can discuss how the candidates' tax plans may affect individuals.
Election law, voting rights, campaign finance
Emory law professor Michael Kang specializes in election law and democratic governance. His research focuses on issues of election law, voting and race, shareholder voting and political science. 404-712-4243, email Kang mkang@law.emory.edu
Video: Lasting impact of Citizens United
Youth Vote and Civic Engagement
Debra Vidali is a linguistic anthropologist who studies the individual decision-making processes and outside factors, including the media, that influence the civic engagement of young people, ages 18-25. Her Re-Generation Initiative has focused on taking her research into the public sphere through a series of documentary theater performances at Emory and other universities.
History of Modern Conservatism
History professor Joseph Crespino is author of the recently released political biography of Strom Thurmond, "Strom Thurmond's America." Crespino specializing in 20th century Southern history and politics, and can discuss the development of the Republican Party in the South, the rise of the two-party system in Southern politics, and the complicated role that race has played in the emergence of modern conservatism.
Video: 'Strom Thurmond's America' examines life and politics of influential senator