Political insiders to discuss 2014 midterms at Dole Institute conference


LAWRENCE — National and state political practitioners, including strategists, journalists, campaign managers and pollsters, will analyze the midterm election results at the 2014 Post-Election Conference, sponsored by the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas.
 
The event will take place Thursday and Friday, Dec. 11-12. Thursday’s schedule includes the Kansas Panel from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and National Panel, Session I, from 2-3:30 p.m. Friday’s schedule will include National Panel, Session II, from 9:30-11 a.m. and National Panel, Session III, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The conference is free and open to the public. Attendees may join individual sessions or all. Live-streaming is available by visiting the Dole Institute’s website.

Since 2006, the Dole Institute of Politics has hosted a biennial Post-Election Conference that delves into the key strategies of elections to analyze how and why they are won and lost. The 2014 conference will focus on the strategies behind the hard-fought midterm elections, how the outcomes will affect the next two years for both Democrats and Republicans and what this will mean for 2016.

“Kansas was a focal point among the national elections this year,” said Dole Institute director Bill Lacy. “Our 2014 Post-Election Conference will take a special look at the Kansas campaigns, as well as go into incredible detail on the elections nationally. It will be a political junkie’s dream.”

National panelists will include Raul Alvillar, national political director, Democratic National Committee; Dan Balz, chief correspondent, the Washington Post; Robert Collins, executive director, National Republican Senatorial Committee; Jen O’Malley Dillon, partner, Precision Strategies; Alex Isenstadt, political reporter, Politico; Nathan Klein, polling and analytics director, National Republican Senatorial Committee; Joe Lenski, executive vice president, Edison Research; John McLaughlin, CEO/partner, McLaughlin & Associates; Patrick O’Connor, political reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Sean Trende, senior elections analyst, RealClearPolitics.com.

In a special Kansas Panel session to take place Dec. 11, representatives from the Orman, Roberts, Davis and Brownback campaigns, as well as other key political insiders from around the state, will weigh in on the outcomes of the Kansas races. They will also discuss the outlook for the state for the next two years.

Kansas panelists will include Kelly Arnold, chair, Kansas Republican Party; Bob Beatty, political science, Washburn University; Mark Dugan, campaign manager, Brownback for Governor; Sean Fitzpatrick, press secretary, U.S. Pat Roberts; Dave Helling, reporter, The Kansas City Star; Jim Jonas, campaign manager, Greg Orman for U.S Senate, JKJ Partners, OnSight Public Affairs; Burdett Loomis, political science, KU; Bryan Lowry, reporter, The Wichita Eagle; James Roberts, campaign manager, Paul Davis for Governor; Joan Wagnon, chair, Kansas Democratic Party.

Previous Post-Election Conferences at the Dole Institute have been acknowledged by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, POLITICO.com and FiveThirtyEight.com as key events for inside analysis on election results.

The Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to promoting public service, civic engagement, and politics.  It is located on KU’s west campus and, in addition to the Robert J. Dole Archive & Special Collections, offers free public programming with world-renowned guest speakers on a variety of topics that intersect politics, as well as research, gallery visit and other interactive opportunities for students of all ages.

Wed, 11/26/2014

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Melanie Coen

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Melanie Coen

Dole Institute of Politics

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