Political polling expert to talk about presidential race Oct. 13 at UF

October 7, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With a thin margin separating the two presidential candidates in this historically significant election, a key leader of a major polling organization will share his insight into the nominees and their chances.

Richard Johnston, research director of the National Annenberg Election Survey and a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, will deliver a talk Oct. 13 titled “The Long Horserace: the View from the National Annenberg Election Survey.”

His speech is presented as the Christopher Gierach Memorial Lecture in the Psychology of Politics and is the second event in the Graham Center Forum on Voting and Identity. It is co-sponsored by UF’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service and the Department of Psychology. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. The lecture starts at 7 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora.

“We are honored and excited to present the inaugural Christopher Gierach Memorial lecture,” said Neil Rowland, chairman of the department of psychology. “The Gierach family have done a wonderful thing by remembering their son in the form of an annual lecture bringing together his favorite disciplines of interest, psychology and politics.”

“The university is fortunate to have someone in Dr. Johnston’s position make the trip to Gainesville to discuss the current election,” said Mike Bowen, associate director of the Graham Center. “In 2004 the Annenberg Center conducted over 100,000 interviews, so Dr. Johnston’s assessment of the situation will be valuable and bring unique insight to the current campaign.”

The Graham Center for Public Service provides students with opportunities to train for future leadership positions, meet policymakers and take courses in critical thinking, language learning and studies of world cultures. Its mission is to foster public leadership and solve issues related to the Americas and homeland security.