March 10, 2016 | AEI - Washington, D.C.
On February 24, 2016, EPPC Senior Fellow Henry Olsen took part in a panel discussion sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute about the 2016 presidential contest thus far, and how the rest of the race is likely to unfold. Here is a description of the event from AEI:
AEI’s team of experts convened Wednesday for the second Election Watch event of the 2016 campaign to discuss the presidential contest thus far and expectations as the primary and caucus season heats up.
AEI’s Karlyn Bowman opened with insights from recent polls, including comparable poll numbers for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. AEI’s Michael Barone explained how Super Tuesday is a crucial test for Ted Cruz and how the consistently higher Republican turnout could affect the general election. The Ethics & Public Policy Center’s Henry Olsen noted that the Republican Party’s “center of gravity” is “up for grabs,” as it becomes increasingly difficult to unify the party’s “factions” behind one candidate.AEI’s Norm Ornstein added that the “angry populism” and “partisan tribalism” that currently define US politics help explain Bernie Sanders’ rise. Although campaign dynamics have favored Clinton, Sanders could be a serious contender at the Democratic convention. The Bipartisan Policy Center’s John Fortier discussed contested congressional and gubernatorial races, noting that, because of redistricting, the 2018 gubernatorial races will be the real battleground for state control.
The panel also discussed turnout and delegate allocation, noting that policy interests have much less influence on this campaign cycle than do voters’ anger and “feelings of abandonment” by their parties.
–Heather Sims
Click here or click below to view video of the event:
