National Agenda 2018

The CPC's eighth annual National Agenda program focuses on all things related to the midterm elections. The Midterm Matters speaker series looks at how campaign strategy, news coverage, polling, and election cybersecurity affect midterm elections and why civic engagement is important. The From Hollywood to Reality film series explores American politics through the lens of behind-the-scenes documentaries and classic feature films. In partnership with Delaware Public Media, the CPC hosted the biennial Delaware Debates on October 17, 2018, featuring Delaware candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. University of Delaware political experts dissect the issues on the Midterm Matters Podcast, hosted by Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne.

We encourage students, staff, faculty, and community members to join the conversation. The Director of National Agenda is Dr. Lindsay Hoffman, who teaches Communication and Political Science and is the CPC’s Associate Director. National Agenda is made possible by generous support from the University of Delaware's Office of the Provost. To view previous National Agenda presentations, please visit the University of Delaware National Agenda YouTube Channel.

The Center for Political Communication has partnered with the Biden Institute to increase voter registration and nonpartisan civic engagement across the University of Delaware campus and the state of Delaware. Register to vote and get reminders about upcoming elections at udel.edu/turbovote.org. Visit cpc.udel.edu/makeitcount to learn more about voter engagement at UD.

Held in the auditorium of Mitchell Hall on the University of Delaware's Newark Campus, these upcoming events on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. are free and open to the community. Registration is optional but recommended. Visit our Eventbrite page for details. In case you can't join us in Newark, you can watch live webcasts of National Agenda events via https://sites.udel.edu/udlive/ . The link will become active a few minutes before the events begin.

The University of Delaware routinely uses photographers and videographers at its events. By attending a public event hosted by the University of Delaware, you grant the University permission to publish or display photographic images of you. Images may be used in promotional material, publications or other applications. Please let us know if you have any concerns.

September 12―Lauren Duca, Opinions Matter

Read about Lauren Duca's National Agenda talk.

Lauren Duca is an award-winning journalist best known for her 2016 Teen Vogue op-ed “Donald Trump is Gaslighting America” and a contentious viral interview with Fox’s Tucker Carlson. Her writing can be found in the New York Times, the New Yorker, and New York magazine, as well as in her ongoing column for Teen Vogue: “Thigh-High Politics.” This program was cosponsored by the Department of Women and Gender Studies in UD's College of Arts and Sciences.

September 26―Dave DeWalt, Cybersecurity Matters

Read about Dave DeWalt's National Agenda talk.

University of Delaware alumnus and 2015 commencement speaker Dave DeWalt (EG ’86) is widely considered one of the most influential executives in technology and cybersecurity. He was named one of the 25 most influential executives in high technology by the readers of the industry publication CRN. He has spoken about cybersecurity at the World Economic Forum and was appointed in 2011 by President Barack Obama to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Council. This program was cosponsored by UD's Cybersecurity Initiative.

October 10―Gabe Fleisher, Young Voices Matter

Read about Gabe Fleisher's National Agenda talk.

Gabe Fleisher’s love for politics and history began at an early age when he attended the 2009 presidential inauguration. The 16-year-old is now a voice of his generation as the publisher of the political newsletter Wake up to Politics, which has more than 50,000 subscribers. Fleisher has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and on TBS’ Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. This program was cosponsored by the Department of Political Science and International Relations in UD's College of Arts and Sciences.

October 24―Amberia Allen, Humor Matters

Read about Amberia Allen's National Agenda talk.

Amberia Allen is a writer for Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and an award-winning stand-up comedian who draws on her experiences as an emerging Ph.D. and a small-town girl navigating life in Hollywood. Allen won the 2014 HBO-sponsored Comedy Wings Competition in 2014, appeared on Aspire TV’s stand-up special We Got Next, and is a contributor for the online show The Young Turks. She was one of the stars of the reboot of Punk’d for BET and in Chris Case’s Winning Ugly for Fox. She has appeared on several television shows including Silicon Valley, and she is the co-author of the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. This program was cosponsored by UD's Center for Black Culture.

November 14―Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, Facts Matter

Read about this National Agenda talk with Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan.

Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Mary Jordan, a national political correspondent, and Kevin Sullivan, a senior correspondent for national and international affairs, reflect on the midterm election results. Jordan spent 14 years abroad as a foreign correspondent and Washington Post co-bureau chief in Tokyo, Mexico City, and London. She has written from more than 40 countries. Sullivan was a foreign correspondent for 14 years, then served as the chief foreign correspondent, deputy foreign editor, and Sunday features editor. He has reported from more than 75 countries on six continents. Jordan and Sullivan won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for their investigation of the Mexican justice system. Jordan and her husband Sullivan have also co-authored two books. This program is cosponsored by the Journalism Program and the Department of Communication, both in UD's College of Arts and Sciences.

Delaware's major-party candidates for the United States House of Representatives and Senate races met at the University of Delaware's Mitchell Hall Auditorium on Wednesday evening, October 17, for Delaware Debates 2018, a joint initiative of the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communication (CPC) and Delaware Public Media (WDDE 91.1, WMPH 91.7 and WMHS 88.1). The event marked the fifth biennial Delaware Debates, an initiative that began in 2010.

Visit the Delaware Debates 2018 story for the UDaily article, official videos, transcripts, podcasts, and photos. Read the UD Review story about the U.S. House of Representatives debate. Read the UD Review story about the U.S. Senate debates. Read and listen to Delaware Public Media's story about the U.S. House of Representatives debate.  Read and listen to Delaware Public Media's story about the U.S. Senate debate. See the C-SPAN coverage of the U.S. Senate debate.

Please visit www.delawaredebates.org to learn more about Delaware Debates.

Limited seating; registration is required. Visit our Eventbrite page for details.

The Midterm Matters: From Hollywood to Reality film series examines the election process through classic feature films and behind-the-scenes documentaries. Hosted by CPC Director Nancy Karibjanian, the film series is open to the community, free of charge. Registration is required.

September 5―The Final Year (2017)

Unprecedented behind the scenes access to the Obama Administration’s foreign policy team: Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Ambassador Samantha Power, Deputy National Security Ben Rhodes, and President Obama himself.

September 19―Pay 2 Play (2014)

If our political system is like a game of Monopoly, how can outsiders have a voice when only money speaks? John Ennis documents comical corruption, follows political newcomers, and uncovers intrigue.

October 3―The American President (1995)

This romantic comedy-drama about an American president and his lobbyist girlfriend presents an idealistic view of big government.

November 7―Weiner (2016)

This 2016 documentary examines disgraced New York Congressman Anthony Weiner’s disastrous 2013 mayoral campaign.

November 28―The Candidate (1972)

An outspoken, idealistic young lawyer from California is persuaded to run for the Senate and finds himself up against a political machine in this 1972 classic film starring Robert Redford.