Andrew Gripp received his M.A. in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown University in 2012. He is a former political science professor, and he writes on American politics, international affairs, ph
On Wednesday night, Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein and her running-mate, Ajamu Baraka, made their first co-appearance before a national audience during a town hall event hosted by CNN's Chris Cuomo. The event followed two similar town hall sessions, also hosted by CNN, for Libertarian Party presidential
With a number of severe terrorist attacks having occurred in the United States, Europe, and around the world in recent years, many Americans are concerned about how to prevent such attacks in the future. Given that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL) has carried out, inspired,
A majority of Americans believe that there is too much money in politics, including money spent by "outside groups" – those not affiliated with a campaign – in the run-up to elections. In responding to these concerns, presidential candidates Clinton, Trump, Johnson, and Stein have offered different ideas about how
While it is debatable whether Americans largely approve of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – the massive free trade agreement comprising 11 other countries -- it is undeniable that the presidential candidates are responding to Americans' concerns about economic insecurity in staking out their positions on the deal. In June
The Debate Since 9/11, one of the defining fault lines in American and Western politics has concerned whether jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS are motivated by their religion or by politics – or more specifically, by grievances against Western foreign policy. Some insist that Islamic doctrine is the
Commentary
1. Both parties engage in and benefit from gerrymandering, the practice of redrawing district lines for partisan gain. In 2010, Republicans invested millions in statewide races to retake state legislatures for the purpose of controlling congressional redistricting. Since then, Republicans have created highly gerrymandered maps in states like North Carolina
In early July, the Pew Research Center found that 65 percent of respondents said the campaign was not focused on important policy debates. A study released by Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is now lending credence to that sentiment. The researchers – having studied news
On July 22, Wikileaks released nearly 20,000 e-mails among DNC staffers, a number of which suggest bias against the Sanders campaign during the Democratic primary. Some e-mails show high-level DNC members trying to undermine the Sanders campaign, and others reveal the attitude of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz toward
The Democratic and Republican national conventions will take place later this month, but as the attention shifts to issues like possible vice presidential picks and weekend entertainment and theatrics, some are asking, "Who is paying for these conventions?" Thus far, however, the organizers for these conventions – nonprofit, nonpartisan
In late June, the Supreme Court voted unanimously to vacate the conviction of former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell, who was found guilty by a jury in 2014 on 11 corruption-related charges. The court has sent the case to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which will decide whether there is
In St. Louis on June 25, a 15-member committee produced the first draft of the Democratic Party's latest political platform. While a significant collaborative effort among the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigns, the committee was also the site of ideological and political
A recent poll shows that presumptive nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have record-high unfavorability ratings: 55 percent and 70 percent, respectively. Yet despite their unpopularity, the general electorate may not be exposed to third party candidates as an alternative. This is largely a result of the rules governing who