The Timeline of Presidential Elections: How Campaigns Do (and Do Not) Matter

Political scientists Robert Erikson (Columbia) and Christopher Wlezien (Temple University) examine to what extent campaigns really affect voting outcomes. Using data from 2,000 national polls conducted between 1952 and 2008, they’ll show how voters’ decisions take shape during the course of an election year, and how much the massive sums of money spent factor into the final tally. Following the talk, pick the speakers’ brains during a buffet lunch and roundtable discussion.