Making Sense of the Election

“Making Sense of the Election: Interpreting the 2014 Results, Looking Ahead to 2016”

Don Crowley, Brian Ellison & Christina Cliff
UI Department of Political Science

Travis Ridout
School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs
Washington State University

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 12:30 p.m.
Whitewater Room, Idaho Commons



Abstract
With victories in the Nov. 4 elections, Republicans will control the U.S. Senate beginning in January. The party also made gains in the House of Representatives and successfully defended several key governorships. A panel of political scientists will discuss reasons for the Republicans’ strong showing at the polls, as well as implications for governance and foreign policy during the next two years. Panelists will also examine how the 2014 results will influence the 2016 presidential election.

Biographies
Don Crowley is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Idaho and a former director of the Martin School. His research interests include privacy, the Supreme Court, and law and social change. He is the UI’s faculty secretary, a role in which he oversees and supports shared governance of the university.

Christina Cliff is a lecturer in political science at the University of Idaho, where she earned her Ph.D. in 2011. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and holds two master’s degrees from the American Military University. Her areas of interest include American politics, conflict studies and U.S. foreign policy.

Brian Ellison is professor of political science and director of the Martin School at the University of Idaho. He previously served as chair of the Department of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University, as director of the Joint MPA Program at the College of Charleston/University of South Carolina, and as director of the MPA program at Missouri State University. His primary fields of study are environmental politics, public administration and policy, and federalism.

Travis Ridout is the Thomas S. Foley Distinguished Professor of Government and Public Policy and associate professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs at Washington State University. He is co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks all political ads aired in the United States. His research interests include political communication, voting, political participation, and elections and campaigns.