UC Berkeley
Politics/campaigning
Henry Brady, a professor of political science and public policy and director of the Survey Research Center/UC Data, is an expert in electoral politics, political participation and voting, voting systems, welfare policies, public opinion and American politics. Brady teaches undergraduate courses on political participation and party systems and graduate courses on advanced quantitative methodology.
Contact: Henry Brady, (510) 642-3008, hbrady@berkeley.edu or Janet Gilmore, (510) 642-5685, jangilmore@berkeley.edu
Race in America, identity and black leadership
Charles Henry, a professor of African-American studies, former president of the National Council for Black Studies and former chair of Amnesty International USA, is an expert on race in America, identity and black leadership. Henry wrote a book on Jesse Jackson's campaigns and teaches a course on race and public policy. In fall 2007 he taught a graduate course on Obama and black leadership.
Contact: Charles Henry, (510) 642-3426, cphenry@berkeley.edu or Yasmin Anwar, (510) 643-7944, yanwar@berkeley.edu
International relations
Steven Weber, a professor of political science and director of UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies, can discuss national and international politics, foreign policy, third world development, technology and health care. Weber has held academic fellowships with the Council on Foreign Relations, and worked with the U.S. State Department and other government agencies on foreign policy issues, risk analysis and forecasting. In 2000, he was a consultant to the U.S. Commission on National Security in the 21st Century.
Contact: Steven Weber, office (510) 642-8739, cell (415) 449-0824, steve_weber@berkeley.edu or Yasmin Anwar, (510) 643-7944, yanwar@berkeley.edu
Health care
Helen Ann Halpin, a professor of health policy, director of the Center for Health and Public Policy Studies (CHPPS) and vice chair of the California Health Benefits Review Program, has focused her research on health insurance policy, including health insurance benefit design, health care reform, access to care, consumer experiences in managed care, and disease prevention and health promotion. She has been quoted extensively by both print and broadcast media on issues related to national health care reform, particularly for Medicare and Medicaid. She is closely following the proposals of the 2008 presidential candidates to increase Americans' access to health insurance. She is also a member of the Obama Campaign's health care policy committee and an unpaid adviser to the Obama campaign.
Contact: Helen Ann Halpin, (510) 643-1675, (510) 642-2862, helenhs@berkeley.edu or Sarah Yang, (510) 643-7741, scyang@berkeley.edu
Economy/taxes
Robert Reich, a professor of public policy and former U.S. labor secretary in the Clinton administration, is available for comment on industrial policy, jobs and employment policy, leadership and social change, macroeconomic policy, and social and economic policy. He has served in three U.S. administrations and is the author of 11 books, including The Work of Nations, the best-sellers The Future of Success and Locked in the Cabinet, and his most recent book, Supercapitalism. Reich is co-founder and national editor of The American Prospect magazine. His public radio commentaries can be heard weekly on Marketplace.
Contact: Robert Reich, (510) 642-0560, rreich@berkeley.edu or Kathleen Maclay, (510) 643-5651, kmaclay@berkeley
To find more UC Berkeley experts, visit: http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/extras/election/pres08.shtml
UC Davis
The presidency
Larry Berman, director of the UC Davis Washington Program and professor of political science, is a nationally recognized expert on the American presidency. Berman is the author or co-author of 12 books and numerous articles on the presidency and foreign policy. He has been featured on C-Span's "Book TV," the History Channel's "Secrets of War," Bill Moyers' PBS series "The Public Mind" and David McCullough's "American Experience" series. Berman's book, "No Peace, No Honor: Nixon, Kissinger, and Betrayal in Vietnam," won the 2002 Richard E. Neustadt Award for the year's best book in the field of the American presidency.
Contact: Larry Berman, political science, (202) 974-6352 or (530) 752-3076, lsberman@ucdavis.edu
Why presidents succeed
What does it take to be the American president, and why do some presidents succeed more than others? Dean Simonton, the author of the books Why Presidents Succeed and Greatness: Who Makes History and Why, can offer insights into leadership qualities. Simonton is a psychology professor who studies genius, creativity and leadership -- the cognitive, personality, developmental and socio-cultural factors behind exceptional personal influence and historical eminence.
Contact: Dean Simonton, psychology, (530) 752-1677, dksimonton@ucdavis.edu or Claudia Morain, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu
Elections and voters
Robert Huckfeldt, a political science professor, studies elections, participation, public opinion and voting in national elections. Huckfeldt is the author of several books, including Politics in Context; Race and the Decline of Class in American Politics; Citizens, Politics, and Social Communication; and Political Disagreement: The Survival of Diverse Opinions Within Communication Networks.
Contact: Robert Huckfeldt, Political Science, (530) 752-0975, rhuckfeldt@ucdavis.edu or Claudia Morain, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu
The effect of third parties
Third-party candidates have tipped the balance of most of the national elections in the past decade, reports Walter Stone, a professor of political science. He is co-author of Three's a Crowd: The Dynamic of Third Parties, Ross Perot, and Republican Resurgence. He can talk about the recent history of third-party effects and the opportunities and obstacles potential third-party candidates such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg would face in 2008. Stone co-directs the Candidate Emergence Study, which explores the causes and consequences of competition in U.S. House races.
Contact: Walter Stone, Political Science, (530) 752-0976, wstone@ucdavis.edu or Claudia Morain, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu
History of electoral politics
Eric Rauchway, a professor of history, can discuss presidential politics, primaries and the Electoral College; congressional politics, constitutional rules and party structure; and the role of international economics, globalization and wars in American history. He writes a biweekly online column for The New Republic and has contributed to Slate and The American Prospect. He is the author of four books, including Murdering McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt's America; The Great Depression and the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction; and Blessed Among Nations: How the World Made America.
Contact Eric Rauchway, History, (530) 752-6380, earauchway@ucdavis.edu or Claudia Morain, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu
To find more UC Davis experts, visit: http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/sources/politics.lasso
UC Irvine
Electoral reform, mathematical theory and voting patterns
Donald Saari, a Distinguished Professor of economics and mathematics, applies those sciences to behavior and decision-making rules to understand why election outcomes don't always reflect voters' wishes. Saari is a leading critic of the American electoral process and an advocate for voting procedures that take second choices into consideration. He is the author of Chaotic Elections! A Mathematician Looks at Voting.
Contact: Donald Saari, (949) 824-5894, dsaari@uci.edu or Laura Rico, (949) 824-9055, lrico@uci.edu
Psychology of politics
Shawn Rosenberg, a professor of political science, is an expert in political psychology, ideology, social and political reasoning, voting, and elections. He talks about how a candidate's appearance influences voting and how voters understand political issues. His recent books include The Not So Common Sense: How People Judge Social and Political Events and Deliberation, Participation and Democracy: Can the People Govern?
Contact: Shawn Rosenberg, (949) 824-7143, swr@uci.edu or Laura Rico, (949) 824-9055, lrico@uci.edu
Minority influences on the 2008 election
Katherine Tate, a professor of political science and African-American studies, has expertise in African-American politics, voting behavior and how public opinion in that community has moved closer to the political center, leading Republicans to court these voters. With minority candidates running a strong race in the Democratic field, interest in how African Americans will vote is high.
Contact: Katherine Tate, (949) 824-1869, ktate@uci.edu or Laura Rico, (949) 824-9055, lrico@uci.edu
Louis DeSipio, an associate professor of political science and chair of Chicano/Latino studies, is an expert on Latino politics and voting. He also is the author of Counting on the Latino Vote: Latinos as a New Electorate. He says the Latino electorate is different than the electorate as a whole in that it is much more concerned with delivery of government services. DeSipio can also comment about public opinion, both Latino and non-Latino, on immigration policy. See video of DeSipio at http://www.uci.edu/experts/video.php?src=desipio&format=mov&res=high.
Contact: Louis DeSipio, (949) 824-1420, ldesipio@uci.edu or Laura Rico, (949) 824-9055, lrico@uci.edu
Linda Trinh Vo, an associate professor of sociology in Asian-American Studies, Vo researches the political activities of Asian Americans, including their participation in electoral politics. She examines how immigrants and refugees are incorporated into the political process and how the historical exclusion of Asian Americans in the political process affects their contemporary political activities. She has researched the political mobilization of Vietnamese-American communities as well. See video of Vo at http://www.uci.edu/experts/video.php?src=vo&format=mov&res=high.
Contact: Linda Trinh Vo, (949) 824-3003, volt@uci.edu or Laura Rico, (949) 824-9055, lrico@uci.edu
To find more UC Irvine experts, visit: http://today.uci.edu/news/tipsheet_detail.asp?key=181
UCLA
Health care policy in the campaigns
Mark Peterson, professor of public policy, can address the role of health care policy in the campaigns. He specializes in the interactions among the presidency, Congress and interest groups, with an emphasis on health care policy.
Contact: Stan Paul, (310) 206-8966, paul@spa.ucla.edu
Presidential nomination process
Lynn Vavreck, an assistant professor of political science, studies campaigns and elections, with an emphasis on how candidate behavior affects voters, including the effectiveness of political advertising. She attended the January caucuses in Iowa, where she presented research on the presidential nomination process.
Contact: Meg Sullivan, (310) 825-1046, msullivan@support.ucla.edu
Racial and urban politics
Franklin D. Gilliam Jr., associate vice chancellor of community partnerships and political science professor, can comment on racial and urban politics in the presidential election and how effectively candidates' messages resonate with voters. He has written extensively on African-American politics, political communication and the mass media.
Contact: Letisia Marquez, (310) 206-3986, lmarquez@support.ucla.edu
Legal and policy aspects of election procedures
Daniel Hays Lowenstein, professor of law, can discuss the legal and policy aspects of election procedures. He is a leading expert on election law and has represented members of Congress in litigation regarding reapportionment and the constitutionality of term limits.
Contact: Daniel Hays Lowenstein, lowenste@law.ucla.edu.
To find more UCLA experts, visit: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/faculty-experts-advisory-obama-70886.aspx
UC Merced
Effect of words and images on campaign
Teenie Matlock. assistant professor of cognitive science, can discuss how words and images in campaigns affect the minds of the masses. Other experts include Tom Hansford (political science), Shawn Kantor (economics), Nathan Monroe (political science) and Stephen Nicholson (political science).
Contact Tonya Luiz, (209) 228-4408, tluiz@ucmerced.edu.
To find more UC Merced experts, visit: http://ucmercednews.blogspot.com/2008/10/uc-merced-faculty-offers-expert.html
UC Riverside
Women in politics, first ladies
Catherine Allgor, professor of history, is available to speak about the role of political women in the formation of U.S. government and the importance of the nation's first ladies. She is the author of Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington City Help Build a City and a Government and a biography of Dolley Madison. "The Democrats who quarrel among themselves over the ‘winnability' of a Hillary Clinton presidential bid are overlooking one of the greatest assets -- First Lady Bill," Allgor says. Allgor recently was featured in a PBS documentary about Andrew Jackson.
Contact: Catherine Allgor, (951) 827-1972, catherine.allgor@ucr.edu or Bettye Miller, (951) 827-7847, bettye.miller@ucr.edu
Foreign policy
Reza Aslan, assistant professor of creative writing, is an internationally known Iranian-American writer and scholar of religions and a regular commentator for American Public Media's Marketplace and the Middle East analyst for CBS News. "The next president will have to try to build a successful, economically viable Palestinian state while protecting the safety and sovereignty of Israel," Aslan says. "He or she will have to slowly and responsibly withdraw forces from Iraq without allowing the country to implode."
Contact: Reza Aslan, (951) 827-3615, aslanmedia@mac.com or Bettye Miller, (951) 827-7847, bettye.miller@ucr.edu
Presidential primaries
Shaun Bowler, professor of political science, studies third parties and voter behavior. He has been following the 2008 presidential closely and can provide commentary on the latest developments. "There's obviously lots of energy on the Democratic side, and the result of the recent Iowa caucuses did underscore the problems facing the GOP this cycle. The GOP vote will recover a bit by election day, of course, as the faithful rally, but the general message is people want a change -- and the GOP candidates just have a hard time selling that." Bowler co-authored Demanding Choices: Opinion Voting and Direct Democracy with Todd Donovan.
Contact: Shaun Bowler, (951) 827-5595, shaun.bowler@ucr.edu or Bettye Miller, (951) 827-7847, bettye.miller@ucr.edu
Campaign rhetoric, African-American hush harbors
Vorris Nunley, assistant professor of English, is available to discuss how the content and style of candidates' speeches may change to appeal to different constituencies, how a candidate such as Rudy Giuliani may take celebrity status and convert it to social capital, and why Barack Obama has charisma and Hillary Clinton does not. "Charisma is so important in who can and can't be president," Nunley says. "If charisma's not working, you don't even get a hearing. One reason you don't have women running for president is because charisma is masculinized." Nunley also can speak about the tradition of African-American hush harbors -- spheres such as beauty shops, barbershops and women's clubs where congregants could speak freely and obtain knowledge useful in everyday life.
Contact: Vorris Nunley, (951) 827-1927, vorris.nunley@ucr.edu or Bettye Miller, (951) 827-7847, bettye.miller@ucr.edu
Religion and politics
Ivan Strenski, Holstein Family and Community Professor of Religious Studies, teaches a course in political religions and religious politics. Questions about the role of religion abound in the 2008 presidential campaign, he says. For example: How can religious people enter the public square as religious and not violate the separation of church and state? Does Mike Huckabee representing himself as a "Christian leader" rub one the wrong way? When religious people enter the public square but tone down their beliefs, are they, in doing so, changing their religion? Why are Catholics or Jews less likely to be vocal about their religious beliefs, commitments, etc.? Are Mormons Christians? Is America a Christian nation, and in what sense, or not? What were the religions of the founders?
Contact: Ivan Strenski, (951) 827-5986, ivan.strenski@ucr.edu or Bettye Miller, (951) 827-7847, bettye.miller@ucr.edu
To find more UC Riverside experts, visit: http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1745
UC San Diego
Racial/ethnic and urban politics
Zoltan Hajnal, an associate professor of political science, specializes in racial/ethnic and urban politics. Hajnal is the author, most recently, of Changing White Attitudes Toward Black Political Leadership.
Contact: Zoltan Hajnal, (858) 822-5015, zhajnal@ucsd.edu or Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567, bjagoda@ucsd.edu or Inga Kiderra, (858) 822-0661, ikiderra@ucsd.edu
American politics
Gary Jacobson, a professor of political science, is an expert in national American politics, including Congress, is the author, most recently, of A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American People, The 2006 Election and Beyond.
Contact: Gary Jacobson, (858) 534-4295, gjacobso@ucsd.edu or Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567, bjagoda@ucsd.edu or Inga Kiderra, (858) 822-0661, ikiderra@ucsd.edu
Campaign finance laws, legislative politics
Thad Kousser, an associate professor of political science, is the author of Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism. Kousser specializes in California politics, campaign finance laws and legislative politics.
Contact: Thad Kousser, (858) 534-3239, tkousser@ucsd.edu or Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567, bjagoda@ucsd.edu or Inga Kiderra, (858) 822-0661, ikiderra@ucsd.edu
Polarized America
Keith Poole, a professor of political science, studies Congress and congressional votes as well as polarization, inequality and economics. He is co-author (with Nolan McCarty of Princeton and Howard Rosenthal of NYU) of Polarized America: The Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches.
Contact: Keith Poole, (858) 534-1452, kpoole@ucsd.edu or Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567, bjagoda@ucsd.edu or Inga Kiderra, (858) 822-0661, ikiderra@ucsd.edu
Presidential campaigns
Samuel Popkin, a professor of political science, is a specialist on presidential campaigns and author of The Reasoning Voter: Communication and Persuasion in Presidential Campaigns. He has served as a consulting analyst to the Bill Clinton and Al Gore presidential campaigns, among others.
Contact: Samuel Popkin, (858) 534-2758, spopkin@ucsd.edu or Barry Jagoda, (858) 534-8567, bjagoda@ucsd.edu or Inga Kiderra, (858) 822-0661, ikiderra@ucsd.edu
To find more UC San Diego experts, visit: http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/facultyexperts/electionexperts.html.
UC Santa Barbara
Public opinion
Garrett Glasgow, associate professor of political science, specializes in public opinion, voting, elections and parties. His recent papers include an examination of how perceptions of economic well-being affect voting decisions.
Contact: Garrett Glasgow, glasgow@polsci.ucsb.edu
M. Kent Jennings, professor of political science, specializes in public opinion, gender and politics, and political participation. Jennings has published extensively on the factors that drive individual-level political change.
Contact: M. Kent Jennings, jennings@polsci.ucsb.edu
Eric R. A. N. Smith, professor of political science, specializes in public opinion, elections, environmental politics, voting, parties and Congress. He has written a book that focuses on public opinion concerning energy and the environment.
Contact: Eric R. A. N. Smith, smith@polsci.ucsb.edu
The presidency
John T. Woolley, professor of political science, specializes in the presidency and politics of monetary policy. His current research includes a study of change over time in the presidential power and presidential use of unilateral action. Woolley has helped develop an American Presidency Web site at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu.
Contact: John T. Woolley, woolley@polsci.ucsb.edu
African-American politics and public policy
Michael K. Brown, professor of politics, specializes in African-American politics and public policy, including social and economic policies. He is also the author of Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society (http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/03-04/09-15/race.html).
Contact: Michael K. Brown, (831) 459-2052, popcorn@ucsc.edu or Jennifer McNulty, (831) 459-4399, jmcnulty@ucsc.edu
Latino politics, voter registration and turnout
Pedro Castillo, associate professor of history, specializes in Latino politics and has done research on Latino voter registration and turnout, as well as the power of Spanish-language media in politics.
Contact: Pedro Castillo (831) 459-2738, pcastle@ucsc.edu or Jennifer McNulty, (831) 459-4399, jmcnulty@ucsc.edu
Voting behavior, public opinion and the environment
Sheldon Kamieniecki, professor of politics and dean of the Division of Social Sciences, is available to discuss voting behavior and public opinion, elections, polling, and party politics as well as environmental issues as they play out in the presidential campaign. He is the author of Corporate America and Environmental Policy: How Often Does Business Get Its Way? (http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/press_releases/text.asp?pid=949)
Contact: Sheldon Kamieniecki, (831) 459-3212, sk1@ucsc.edu or Jennifer McNulty, (831) 459-4399, jmcnulty@ucsc.edu
Labor and wage insurance
Lori Kletzer, professor of economics, specializes in labor and the offshoring of U.S. jobs, education, and health care. She is the co-author of a wage-insurance proposal that has been discussed by some candidates for the presidency (http://review.ucsc.edu/summer.01/standing_up.html).
Contact: Lori Kletzer, (831) 459-3596, lkletzer@ucsc.edu or Jennifer McNulty, (831) 459-4399, jmcnulty@ucsc.edu
The presidency, Congress and military policy
Daniel Wirls, professor of politics, is an expert on the presidency, Congress and military policy. He is available to discuss national elections, national security issues and military spending.
Contact: Daniel Wirls, (831) 459-2134, wirls@ucsc.edu or Jennifer McNulty, (831) 459-4399, jmcnulty@ucsc.edu
UC Washington Center
Campaign strategy, political parties and voters
Bruce Cain, executive director of the UC Washington Center, has taught political science at UC Berkeley since 1989, and before that, 14 years at Caltech. Cain is quoted often on issues involving campaign strategy, political parties and voters. He is an expert on national politics, elections, presidential politics and California politics.
Contact: Bruce Cain, (202) 974-6200, bruce.cain@ucdc.edu
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Computerized voting machines
David R. Jefferson, a computer scientist in the Center for Applied Scientific Computing, can discuss the reliability and security of computerized voting systems. Jefferson has served on numerous government panels at the state and federal levels, advising on election security issues, especially with regard to electronic and Internet voting. He also sits on the board of directors of the California Voter Foundation and of VerifiedVoting.org.
Contact: David R. Jefferson, cell: (925) 989-3701, office: (925) 422-0463, email: d_jefferson@yahoo.com