A Presidential Election in an Uncertain Time

As the 2020 election approaches, the nation is deeply polarized. Public distrust in politicians, the media and public institutions continues to grow amid ongoing impeachment proceedings and heightened concerns about America’s future.

Against this backdrop, the Presidential Elections Program conference convened academics, political experts and journalists from around the country to explore the state of the 2020 presidential campaign season and the challenges that lie ahead. The event featured a luncheon discussion between the honorary directors of the conference, political consultants Mary Matalin and James Carville, which was moderated by Karen Johnson Rove. Four panels further explored the political and cultural issues surrounding the 2020 election, including political polarization, waning public confidence in social and political institutions, and the complexities of primaries and caucuses.

Watch video of the conference below:

To view the entire conference, please click below:

Panel I
Panel II
Luncheon Armchair
Panel III
Panel IV

Agenda

8:20 am			Breakfast and Registration
8:40 am			Opening Remarks The Honorable Edward P. Djerejian Director, Baker Institute
8:45 am			Panel I — Rising Polarization Moderator: The Honorable Edward Martin Emmett, Former Harris County Judge John D. Arnold Founder and Co-chair, Arnold Ventures Stephen Hawkins Director of Research, More in Common Jeffrey B. Lewis, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles
10:00 am			Break
10:15 am			Panel II — Trust and Confidence Moderator: Lisa Falkenberg, Editor of Opinion, Houston Chronicle Michael Dimock, Ph.D. President, Pew Research Center Jennifer L. Merolla, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science, University of California, Riverside Daron Shaw, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin Lynn Vavreck, Ph.D. Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles
11:30 am			Break
12:15 pm			Luncheon and Discussion with James Carville and Mary Matalin Introduction: The Honorable James A. Baker, III, Honorary Chair, Baker Institute Moderator: Karen Johnson Rove, President and Founder, Infrastructure Solutions, Inc.
1:15 pm			Break
1:30 pm			Panel III — Primaries and Caucuses Moderator: Mark P. Jones, Ph.D., Fellow in Political Science, Baker Institute O. Kay Henderson News Director, Radio Iowa Neil Levesque Executive Director, New Hampshire Institute of Politics, Saint Anselm College Josh Putnam, Ph.D. Founder and Administrator, FrontloadingHQ Jon Ralston Editor, The Nevada Independent David Woodard, Ph.D. Thurmond Professor of Political Science, Clemson University
3:00 pm			Break
3:15 pm			Panel IV — The 2020 Election Moderator: Jonathan Karl, Chief White House Correspondent, ABC News John Anzalone Partner, ALG Research Jason Johnson Owner, J2 Strategies Lisa Lerer Reporter, The New York Times Karen Tumulty Columnist, The Washington Post
4:30 pm			Closing Remarks