EXPERTS ADVISORY

GOP presidential hopefuls will gather Thursday (Aug. 6) in Cleveland for the party’s first debate. University of Michigan has experts available to discuss various aspects of the event.

Michael Traugott, professor emeritus of communication studies and senior research scientist at the ISR Center for Political Studies, is an authority on political communication, public opinion, media polling and campaign surveys.

“The polling that reflects early support for the crowded Republican presidential field is rife with methodological issues,” he said. “The dates of interviewing vary, and field periods around critical pieces of news coverage can affect the results. There are also significant mode effects associated with different kinds of interviewing approaches, ranging from Internet to landline to samples based upon both cell phones and landlines. Based upon what we have seen so far, the resulting samples have big differences in demographic composition, including gender and race and ethnicity.”

Contact: 734-763-4702, [email protected]

Aaron Kall, director of the U-M Debate Program and Debate Institute, can discuss the debates and the impact on voters.

“A cleverly executed zinger or ill-timed embarrassing gaffe could also help determine the winner and loser of the inaugural debate,” he said. “The Republican primary debate structure and schedule has the potential to produce great stress and pressure on the field, but the strongest and best prepared Presidential candidate will emerge from the process.”

Contact: 734-239-3996, [email protected]

Vincent Hutchings, professor of political science, is an expert on public opinion, elections and voting behavior.

“The first debate is particularly important because of the unprecedented size of the Republican field,” he said. “This debate will provide some candidates with an opportunity to distinguish themselves from their rivals.”

Contact: 734-764-6591, [email protected]

Peter Jacobson, director for the Center for Law, Ethics, and Health at the School of Public Health, can discuss any of the legal or policy implications of health care reform. Jacobson, an attorney, is a professor of health law and policy. His research focuses on the relationship between law and health care delivery, law and public health systems, public health ethics, and health care safety net services.

With the Republican opposition to the Affordable Care Act from the beginning, Jacobson said it’s fair to assume the candidates will call for its repeal, to which he would ask:

“Once you have repealed Obamacare, what is your specific proposal to reform the health care system? How will you retain the ban on preexisting condition limitations without mandating coverage? What cost control mechanisms will you support? How will you ensure access to health care for those now insured under the ACA and Medicaid expansion who were previously uninsured?”

Contact Jacobson through Terri Mellow, 734-764-8094, [email protected]

Josh Pasek is an assistant professor of communication studies in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and a faculty associate at the Center for Political Studies. He studies whether the use of online social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter might be changing the political information environment.

“At this point it is hard to imagine a serious presidential contender who isn’t doubling down on social media,” he said. “For a sizable and growing swath of the electorate, sites like Facebook and Twitter are the primary means through which individuals get their news and their political information. By ignoring these avenues, candidates are simply handing away message control when addressing Millennial voters.”

Contact: 734-764-6717, [email protected]