News

Articles about events and initiatives at the Center for the Political Future and Unruh Institute, as well as contributions from our team to significant publications in California and beyond.

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox delivered a pizza lunch to Rep. Mimi Walters’ campaign headquarters in Newport Beach on election day. (Mark Boster / For the Times)

LA Times - Republicans aren’t offering what California voters want. And that’s why they’re irrelevant in this state

Battered Republican politicos in California have been in stubborn denial since their election shellacking. They’ve been offering a creative list of alibis. By George Skelton

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Family gatherings during the holidays can sometimes give rise to heated debates, but a little forethought and a will to keep the peace may be all that's needed to ensure everyone has a good time.

USC Dornsife News - Pie and politics: How to survive holiday gatherings in these divisive times

USC Dornsife experts explain how growing polarization in political and religious beliefs have made traditional holiday gatherings a challenge for families to navigate, and how to avoid a big blowout. By Emily Gersema

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Experts including former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, second from left, discuss the results of the November 2018 midterm elections at a conference hosted by the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future. Photos courtesy of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future.

USC Dornsife News - Experts: It is indeed a women’s wave, but is it a ‘blue wave’?

USC Dornsife’s Center for the Political Future hosts a post-election conference where experts discuss the impact of the recent midterm election and reflect on its significance for women voters and candidates, as well as its impact for the Republican and Democratic political parties. By Emily Gersema

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USC Dornsife and the Los Angeles Times are using methods developed in the landmark Daybreak poll to survey Californians on political issues.

USC Dornsife News - With key elections a year away, California panel study begins testing political waters

The controversial landmark poll that predicted Trump’s strong showing in the 2016 presidential election provides the framework for a new California survey collaboration. By Stephen Koenig.

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Lord Ashcroft

Ashcroft in America - Interviews with Bob Shrum and Reed Galen

Lord Ashcroft talks to legendary Democrat campaigner Bob Shrum about the future of his party, how Hillary could have won, and working in British politics - and to Reed Galen, former aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, about his new movement that aims to end the dominance of the two main parties

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DW - Is Donald Trump the Democratic Party's 'unwitting unifier'?

DW - Is Donald Trump the Democratic Party's 'unwitting unifier'?

The Democratic Party, divided into different camps since its bruising presidential election defeat, has come together recently. But Democrats disagree on whether Donald Trump played a role in the party's newfound unity. By Michael Knigge

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The mail-bomb plot is merely the latest in a series of stunning attacks to test how much political animosity Americans are willing to accept.

PBS Nation - Enough is enough: Fed-up Americans crave unity amid violence

As authorities intercepted more than a dozen pipe bombs addressed to President Donald Trump’s most ardent critics, political scientists and ordinary Americans observed, again, that rabid partisanship had devolved to the point of acts of violent extremism.

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On the heels of a new climate change report, Robert Shrum of USC Dornsife's Center for the Political Future explains the politics behind the issue.

USC Dornsife News - Q&A: Robert Shrum on the politics of climate change

The director of USC Dornsife’s Center for the Political Future examines the politics of averting a climate calamity. By Lance Ignon

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Political consultants—a Democrat and a Republican—join forces in an effort to ratchet down the hyper-partisan dialogue now dominating so much of our political debate.

NBC - USC Center to Bring Bipartisan Dialogue

NBC4’s Conan Nolan talks with Bob Shrum, the man who navigated the Gore and Kerry campaigns for president and Mike Murphy, the man behind John McCain’s 2000 run and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s gubernatorial campaign. Both are heading USC’s new Center for the Political Future.

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Panelists Dee Dee Myers and Jon Macks joined Bob Shrum for a discussion about how the entertainment industry can shape politics through representation of different lifestyles. (Joseph Su | Daily Trojan)

Daily Trojan - Panel discusses the interaction of entertainment, politics

Prominent figures in the entertainment and politics industries came together on Tuesday at Tommy’s Place to discuss how entertainment affects the political atmosphere of America. By JOYCE LI

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