Partisan Polarization, a 2020 Presidential Election Analysis

South Carolina Humanities and Clemson University are pleased to present “Partisan Polarization, a 2020 Presidential Election Analysis,” one of eleven virtual programs in the South Carolina Humanities Electoral Initiative. On Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM, four political science professors will participated in a live, virtual panel discussion. Dr. Jeffrey Peake and Dr. Laura Olson from the Department of Political Science at Clemson University, Dr. David Darmofal from the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina, and Dr. Jordan Ragusa from the Department of Political Science at the College of Charleston discussed the 2020 Presidential Election. Click here to view the recording of the webinar. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.

The South Carolina Humanities Electoral Initiative is part of a national initiative entitled “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Through “Why It Matters,” 43 humanities councils will explore the history, importance, and impact of the American electoral process.

Dr. Jeffrey Peake is Chair of the Political Science Department at Clemson University.  His research interests include the Presidency, media, and Congress.  He is co-author of Breaking through the Noise: Presidential Leadership, Public Opinion, and the News Media (2011) and Treaty Politics and the Rise of Executive Agreements (2009.)

Dr. Laura Olson is a Professor of Political Science at Clemson University. Her research focuses on contemporary religion, civic engagement, and American politics, and emphasizes political attitudes and behaviors of clergy. Her research has appeared in such journals as Political Research Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Dr. David Darmofal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina. He has research interests in political behavior, American political development, and methodology, including spatial analysis.  With a coauthor he is completing the book Demography, Politics, and Partisan Polarization in the United States, 1828-2016.

Dr. Jordan Ragusa is an Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair of Political Science at the College of Charleston.  His research focuses on Congress.  With co-authors, he has two forthcoming books: Congress in Reverse: Repeals from Reconstruction to the Present and First in the South: Why the South Carolina Presidential Primary Matters.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.