Unprecedented Election Year: David Barker, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is an expert on a broad range of topics, including American political parties, campaigns and elections, representation, culture and polarization, ideology and attitudes, information and communication, political institutions, and a wide variety of public policy issues. His most recent book, The Politics of Truth in Polarized America, is the first comprehensive examination of the "politics of truth" — its context, causes, and potential correctives.  

W. Joseph Campbell is a professor emeritus in the School of Communication at American University. Before becoming a faculty member, Campbell spent more than 20 years as a journalist covering stories across North America, Europe, West Africa, and Asia. He is the author of seven books. His most recent published work is Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections, which addresses the most prominent cases in which opinion polls misfired from 1936 to 2016.  

Amy Dacey is executive director of the Sine Institute of Policy & Policy at American University. For more than two decades, she managed prominent national organizations, advised leading elected officials and candidates, including President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry, and counseled a variety of nonprofits and companies.

During the 2016 presidential election, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Committee. During the 2004 elections, she worked for then-Senator John Kerry on his presidential campaign and, following his narrow loss, helped to lead Kerry’s political operation. She also managed Rep. Louise Slaughter’s congressional campaign in 1998. 

Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive. She is the executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs, where she teaches courses on campaigns and elections. During her earlier career in television journalism, she spent 23 years at NBC News serving as the longtime Executive Producer of Meet the Press with Tim Russert and as the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming. 

Jane Hall is an associate professor in the School of Communication, specializing in researching, writing and teaching about the intersection of media and politics. She is the author of the book Politics and the Media: Intersections and New Directions, which examines how the media and political institutions interact to shape public thinking around social problems, cultural norms, and policies.

Before joining American University, Hall was an award-winning journalist covering the news media, politics and policy for national publications, including nine years as the media correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in New York.  

Filippo Trevisan is an associate professor of public communication at the School of Communication. He also serves as deputy director of AU’s Institute on Disability and Public Policy. Trevisan worked as a reporter for Italy’s largest private news agency in Rome before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow.

His research explores the intersection of digital technologies, advocacy, activism, and political communication. He investigates how elite and grassroots stakeholders use the Internet to influence debates about contested issues and affect policy decisions, including in combination with traditional protest tactics and strategic communication techniques.  

: American University Experts Available for Comment  

WHAT: Tomorrow, 16 states and one territory will head to the polls in the biggest primary election of this year’s election cycle. As we watch the results come in, American University experts are available to comment on a broad range of issues related to the 2024 presidential elections.  

WHEN: March 4, 2024 – ongoing 

WHERE: In studio, email, phone, or virtual  

WHO: Experts available for comments include 

David Barker, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is an expert on a broad range of topics, including American political parties, campaigns and elections, representation, culture and polarization, ideology and attitudes, information and communication, political institutions, and a wide variety of public policy issues. His most recent book, The Politics of Truth in Polarized America, is the first comprehensive examination of the "politics of truth" -- its context, causes, and potential correctives.  

Joseph Campbell is a professor emeritus in the School of Communication at American University. Before becoming a faculty member, Campbell spent more than 20 years as a journalist covering stories across North America, Europe, West Africa, and Asia. He is the author of seven books. His most recent published work is Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections, which addresses the most prominent cases in which opinion polls misfired from 1936 to 2016. 

Amy Dacey is executive director of the Sine Institute of Policy & Policy at American University. For more than two decades, she managed prominent national organizations, advised leading elected officials and candidates, including President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry, and counseled a variety of nonprofits and companies. During the 2016 presidential election, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Committee. During the 2004 elections, she worked for then-Senator John Kerry on his presidential campaign and, following his narrow loss, helped to lead Kerry’s political operation. She also managed Rep. Louise Slaughter’s congressional campaign in 1998. 

Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive. She is the executive director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs, where she teaches courses on campaigns and elections. During her earlier career in television journalism, she spent 23 years at NBC News serving as the longtime Executive Producer of Meet the Press with Tim Russert and as the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming. 

Jane Hall is an associate professor in the School of Communication, specializing in researching, writing and teaching about the intersection of media and politics. She is the author of the book Politics and the Media: Intersections and New Directions, which examines how the media and political institutions interact to shape public thinking around social problems, cultural norms, and policies. Before joining American University, Hall was an award-winning journalist covering the news media, politics and policy for national publications, including nine years as the media correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in New York.  

Filippo Trevisan is an associate professor of public communication at the School of Communication. He also serves as deputy director of AU’s Institute on Disability and Public Policy. Trevisan worked as a reporter for Italy’s largest private news agency in Rome before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow.

His research explores the intersection of digital technologies, advocacy, activism, and political communication. He investigates how elite and grassroots stakeholders use the Internet to influence debates about contested issues and affect policy decisions, including in combination with traditional protest tactics and strategic communication techniques. Newswise/SP