Orange County Regional Chancellor’s Society Event

Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Election & the Battle for the Meaning of America

Donald Trump’s election victory stunned the world. How did he pull it off? Was it his appeal to alienated voters in the battleground states? Was it Hillary Clinton and the scandals associated with her long career in politics? Were key factors already in place before the nominees were even chosen? This lecture draws on a unprecedented amount of data from voters and media to make the case that even though the 2016 election appeared to break all political rules—it in fact didn’t. Trump’s victory was foreshadowed by changes in the Democratic and Republican coalitions that were driven by people’s racial and ethnic identities. The campaign reinforced and exacerbated these cleavages as it focused on issues related to race, immigration, and religion. What resulted was an epic battle not just for the White House but about what America is and should be.

About Lynn Vavreck

Lynn Vavreck is a professor of political science and communication at UCLA, a contributing columnist to The Upshot at The New York Times, and co-author of the forthcoming Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America. Her 2012 award-winning campaign book, The Gamble, was described by Nate Silver as the “definitive account” of the 2012 election and political consultants on both sides of the aisle refer to her work on political messaging as “required reading.” In 2014, she hosted and interviewed Hillary Clinton at UCLA’s Luskin Lecture on Thought Leadership and in 2015 she was awarded an Andrew F. Carnegie Fellowship to investigate the influence of political advertising. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and she has served on the advisory boards of both the British and American National Election Studies. At UCLA she teaches courses on campaigns, elections, and public opinion. Lynn Vavreck holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester and held previous appointments at Princeton University, Dartmouth College, and The White House. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, she remains a loyal Browns fan and is a “known equestrian” – to draw on a phrase from the 2012 presidential campaign.

This event is invite only. RSVP required.