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Salon Series to Explore 2020 Presidential Election

Conversations with political influencers to cover campaigns, polling and policy

Posted in: University

Brigid Callahan Harrison, professor of Political Science and Law, hosts the Salon Series.
Brigid Callahan Harrison, professor of Political Science and Law, hosts the Salon Series.

With the 2020 Presidential race in full swing, the many facets of the election – polling, political parties, campaigns and the roles of interest groups – will take center stage at Montclair State University in a series of salon-style conversations hosted by Brigid Callahan Harrison, professor of Political Science and Law.

“The discussions promise to be both informative and thought-provoking,” says Harrison, author of American Democracy Now and a regular commentator in the U.S. media on politics, political campaigns and elections.

Guests include New Jersey political leaders, strategists, policy makers and influencers, shaping the University as an intellectual center in the community and empowering young voters in the 2020 election.

“Despite one’s ideology, we should all feel the need to participate in our democracy and work together to make tomorrow’s world a better place,” says Joseph Dybas, a Montclair State junior studying Political Science with minors in Global Security and Diplomacy, and Public Administration.

The Salon Series programming will bring notable policymakers to campus on Tuesdays from 4-5 p.m. in Presentation Hall in the School of Communication and Media:

  • Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, a leading center for the study of public opinion on critical national and state issues, on October 29.
  • Elena Perez, state director of March for Our Lives New Jersey and a Montclair State student, on November 12.
  • George Norcross, executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew and chairman, Cooper University Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, a New Jersey political leader, on November 19.
  • Modia Butler, senior strategist for Cory Booker for President, on November 26.
  • Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ11), on December 17.

“I’m delighted that Montclair State University students and the general public will have the opportunity to hear about the backgrounds of such a diverse group of influencers,” Harrison says. “Each of the Salon Series speakers brings a unique perspective, and I know from past events that students greatly enjoy hearing how successful individuals got to be in the positions they are in.”

Throughout campus, student leaders are engaged in ways to amplify student voices. Those efforts have captured attention across the country, with the University ranked among the most “voter friendly” campuses and best colleges for student voting. On the Washington Monthly honor roll for student voting, Montclair State was the only public New Jersey institution recognized for how well it encourages young voters by getting them off the sidelines and into the polls.

The Salon Series is co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Law, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Center for Student Involvement, the Political Science Club, College Republicans, and College Democrats at Montclair State University, as well as InsiderNJ. The conversations are free and open to the public.

A voter registration drive and lessons on how to use a ballot box were part of Montclair State’s efforts during National Student Registration Day.
A voter registration drive and lessons on how to use a ballot box were part of Montclair State’s efforts during National Student Registration Day.