Eagleton Institute of Politics Experts Available To Discuss the Democratic Presidential Primary Debates

New Brunswick, N.J. — Experts at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics are available for commentary and analysis on the July 30 and 31 Democratic presidential primary debates.

• Ashley Koning, assistant research professor at Eagleton and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, can speak about national public opinion trends, public interest in the debate and primary election, issues raised during the debate, and how candidates’ debate performances may affect their poll results.

Koning said, “This week’s debates will be a make or break for many candidates. Much like Sen. Kamala Harris last month, a standout performance can benefit a candidate in the polls — especially important in a crowded field that will face a higher polling bar in the third debate round. On the other hand, post—debate bumps are temporary. Biden has long been the frontrunner by a wide margin, and Sanders and Warren have maintained second and third place, respectively, for most of the past three months. Therefore, post—debate swings should be interpreted with caution. The only certainty that comes with a post—debate bump is making it to the next round.”

For interviews, please contact Ashley Koning at 848-932-8940, 908-872-1186, or [email protected]. Follow Ashley Koning on Twitter at @AshleyAKoning.

• Kristoffer Shields, assistant research professor at Eagleton and historian for the Eagleton Center on the American Governor, can speak about the three governors who are running for president – former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee – and their debate performances, campaign strategies, and how they are balancing their gubernatorial duties while running for president.

Shields said, “Serving as governor has long been a reliable springboard into presidential politics. But none of the three candidates with gubernatorial experience in the 2020 Democratic primary have gained significant attention thus far. This week’s debate may represent one of their last chances to increase their national visibility. Otherwise, next year could become just the third presidential race since 1976, but also the second in a row, not to feature a candidate with gubernatorial experience as a major party nominee.”

For interviews, please contact Gabriella Morrone at 848-932-8809 or [email protected].

• The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s political participation. CAWP and Kelly Dittmar, a CAWP scholar and an assistant professor of political science, will live tweet the Democratic primary debates using the hashtag, #GenderLens2020. Stay tuned by following @CAWP_RU and @kdittmar on Twitter.

For interviews, please contact Daniel De Simone at 848-932-8693 or [email protected].