Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

A distinctive
feature of social and
cultural life at CMC

 

Civitas Sessions: "And the Winner Is" ... Why We Won't Know the Election Outcome Until It Happens

Tue, October 8, 2024
Lunch Program
Vernon C. Grigg III and John J. Pitney, Jr.

Join the Kravis Lab for Civic Leadership for the seventh installment of Civitas Sessions, an Athenaeum lunch series designed to build real-world civic skills and the knowledge needed to live thoughtful, productive lives as responsible community members and leaders. Each session will deliver practical knowledge and discuss the application of the subject matter to important current issues. With a welcoming ‘come-as-you-are’ atmosphere, the Civitas Sessions focus on the stuff you need to know before it becomes the stuff I wish I had known… 

In this session Vernon C Grigg III, J.D., Executive Director of the Kravis Lab, and John J. Pitney Jr., the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at CMC, will discuss Why We Won't Know the Election Outcome Until It Happens.

Scholars, operatives, and journalists have developed many ways to predict presidential elections. But don't count on forecasts in 2024.  This election has far too many unique features for historical data to be much of a guide. What's more, public opinion surveys have severe challenges, especially when Trump is on the ballot.

(Lunch served in the main Eggert Dining Room at 12:00 noon, program begins at 12:15 PM, but feel free to come a little late if you're getting out of class)

Civitas Sessions is organized by the Kravis Lab and moderated by Executive Director Vernon C. Grigg III, JD. A lawyer by training, Grigg holds degrees from Yale Law School (J.D.), the London School of Economics (G.SC.), and the University of Michigan (BA).  Vernon comes to the Kravis Lab from his role as CEO & President of Up with People, a fifty-five-year-old international nonprofit education and arts organization. He managed a global team of 50 employees across three continents as he led the nonprofit to sustainability and health despite the challenges of the worldwide pandemic.

John J. Pitney, Jr. is Roy P. Crocker Professor of American History and Politics at Claremont McKenna College where he teaches courses on Congress, interest groups, political parties, and mass media. A leading expert on the structure and practice of American politics, Pitney is a widely published author or co-author of six books on American politics, including The Art of Political Warfare (2000), The Politics of Autism (2015) and Un-American: The Fake Patriotism of Donald J. Trump (2020). In addition to his books, Pitney has published numerous scholarly articles and short essays, and is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines. He is routinely featured on NPR and other television and radio programs. 

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Claremont McKenna College
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