Lehigh’s political science department hosted a post-election discussion on Nov. 13 in Maginnes Hall. The panel covered topics such as the most surprising outcomes of this year’s presidential election, emerging political trends and the importance of civic engagement.
The event was led by Dean Caivano, an assistant professor of political science, who said the event intended to foster a space for safe, honest, civil and productive dialogue.
During the discussion, panelists were asked questions as a group, as well as specific questions to answer individually. The panel featured Katherine Conlon, ‘25G, Santiago Rodriguez, ‘25G, Brian Fife, the chair of the political science department, and Anthony DiMaggio, a political science professor. The panel was moderated by Sarah Quinn, ‘24G.
Caivano said he included graduate students because he believes they have leading voices, ideas and perspectives within the community.
The first question posed to each panelist was, “What was the biggest surprise of the election?” In response, the majority of the panelists pointed to Donald Trump’s strong lead over Kamala Harris — particularly in key swing states.
Conlon said the loss of every battleground state for the Democratic Party was the most surprising to her.
DiMaggio also said he didn’t expect most of the swing states to turn red, but he was most surprised by how much support Harris was able to garner as a woman of color.
“I did not think she could have that much support because of America’s history of discrimination and prejudice,” DiMaggio said.
Fife said it’s important to stay informed, and he urged citizens to continue educating themselves.
He said citizens should “keep arming themselves with information,” which he believes they can best do by relying on traditional, mainstream news sources.
Fife also said he thinks there are strategic moves the Biden-Harris administration should focus on to leave a lasting legacy. His recommendations included strengthening NATO alliances, addressing and dispelling allegations of voter fraud and pushing for Congress to make Election Day a national holiday.
The event concluded with a Q&A session, during which attendees were given the opportunity to pose questions to the panelists.
One question posed was in regard to the panelists’ opinions about whether a third party would ever succeed in an election. In response, Fife said there’s “a 0% chance” for the third party.
The panel was also asked about the Democratic Party’s emphasis on reproductive rights and if it came at the expense of other key issues.
“The democrats did not succeed at conveying their success effectively to people, which was a missed opportunity,” Fife said.
Ibtihal Gassem, ‘27, said the event was meaningful to her, and she emphasized the importance of attending discussions like this across campus.
However, she said she hoped it would be “more conversational.”
“It is important to have these kinds of outlets,” Gassem said. “When you are by yourself, you don’t know what to do.”
Caivano said moving forward student clubs and organizations across campus have a responsibility to foster safe, open and inclusive spaces for dialogue and community building.
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