Date: Sep 01, 2010

Panel to explore suburban voters’ impact on the 2010 midterm elections

Presidential fellows Howard Dean and Ed Rollins join White House correspondent and Brookings Institution scholar to discuss trends in key suburban congressional races

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY -  A panel of political experts will examine attitudes among suburban swing voters who helped put Barack Obama in the White House and whether anger over a lagging economy will result in Democrats losing control of Congress in November's midterm elections.

The panel, "Obama, the Suburbs and the 2010 Elections", will be held on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010, 9:30 a.m.- 11 a.m. in the Student Center Theater, Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus. It is co-sponsored by the National Center for Suburban Studies® at Hofstra University and the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency. Admission is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, go to hofstra.edu/obamasuburbs.

The event will feature Robert E. Lang, professor and director of Brookings Mountain West at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas;  Glenn Thrush, senior White House writer for Politico.com; and Kalikow Center senior presidential fellows Howard B. Dean III, a former Democratic presidential candidate, and Edward J. Rollins, a noted Republican strategist and CNN commentator. The discussion will be co-moderated by Lawrence Levy, NCSS executive dean, and Meena Bose, director of the Kalikow Center.

The panel will analyze demographic changes in the suburbs, the increasing power of suburban voters and the impact they will have in some of the most hotly contested congressional races across the country.

"Just as they have for more than two decades, the suburbs decided which candidate occupied the White House in 2008 and they will decide which party controls Congress," Levy said. "Most importantly, it's how these relatively moderate swing voters see President Barack Obama's performance and whether they have a sense of buyer's remorse as they did with Bill Clinton in 1994, that will decide whether the Democrats hang on to power or by what size majority. This distinguished panelists will examine the president and 2010 elections through the prism of the crucial suburbs with all their economic challenges and racial tensions."

About the National Center for Suburban Studies

The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University is a non-partisan research institution dedicated to promoting objective, academically rigorous study of suburbia's problems, as well as its promise. Rooted in the laboratory of Long Island's diverse and aging suburbs, almost literally in the shadows of the iconic Levittown, the National Center will study a broad range of issues from local and national perspectives and, whenever possible, collaborate with researchers at other respected institutions. The suburbs have emerged as the nexus of dynamic demographic, social, economic and environmental change in New York and throughout the United States. The tasks of identifying, analyzing and solving the problems of suburbia are essential for the health of the country--and central to the National Center's mission.

About the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency

The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency seeks to engage students, faculty and staff as well as the larger community in informed analysis of key issues about the presidency and American politics. From scholarly round-tables to lectures by public officials, journalists and others, the center's events bridge institutional analysis with contemporary assessments of presidential leadership and policy making.

About Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 150 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services;  and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students' interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations.  The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.
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