Questions abound as the presidential race heats up and both parties strain to forge their identities in a post-Obama world. Why has the Democratic Party been so much more competitive than expected, and what twists and turns can we expect in the coming months? The 2016 Republican primary field is unprecedented in its size and scope; what do Jeb Bush’s challenges – relative his brother's 2000 near-coronation – say about the evolution of his party?

We’ll analyze this and much more with some of the people who will shape the outcomes on both sides, including Lis Smith, deputy campaign manager for Martin O’Malley; leading Republican strategist and CNN contributor Kevin Madden, and top aides from several other 2016 campaigns. Panel will be moderated by Robert George, deputy editorial page editor for the New York Post, and Jeff Smith, assistant professor at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. 

Event | National Politics, Elections 

Voting Rights in the 2016 US Elections

Panel discussion examines voting rights in U.S. elections and the continuing fight to equal access to the ballot. The Nation's Ari Berman, author of the new book Give us the Ballot; The New York Times' national correspondent Maggie Haberman; and Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer. The panel will be moderated by Milano professor Jeff Smith.

Event | New York State Politics, Elections 

2014 Campaign Roundtable

The Center for New York City Affairs invited campaign staffers, pundits, and candidates to come together to look back at this year’s exciting races in New York State. Below are a series of highlights from these engaging, illuminating conversations. 

State Senate Race Panel: Gerald Benjamin, SUNY New Paltz; Tom Doherty, Mercury strategy firm; Blair Horner, New York Public Interest Research Group; Naomi Konst, The Accountability Project; Ben Lazarus, StudentsFirstNY; Janos Marton, former special counsel, Moreland Commission; David Nir, Daily Kos; Jeff Plaut, Democratic pollster; Basil Smikle, Basil Smikle Associates

Governor's Race Panel: Kate Albright-Hanna, communications director, Teachout campaign; Alexis Grenell, City & State; Peter Kauffmann, senior advisor, NYS Democratic Committee; Michael Lawler, campaign manager, Astorino campaign; Brian Murphy, CUNY Baruch College; William O'Reilly, consultant, Astorino campaign; Jessica Proud, spokesperson, Astorinio campaign; Zephyr Teachout, Democratic primary candidate; Matt Wing, Cuomo communications director

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE RACES

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR'S RACE

FULL VIDEO OF NYS SENATE ROUNDTABLE

FULL VIDEO OF GOVERNOR'S ROUNDTABLE

Event | New York City Politics, National Politics, Elections

GRASSROOTS POLITICS: FROM BROOKLYN TO THE WHITE HOUSE (2014)

CNYCA presents a panel on grassroots politics. No, Bill de Blasio hasn't announced his candidacy for president...yet. But the same type of grassroots politics that gave Mayor de Blasio his start and propelled him to the mayoralty helped turn a little-known, freshman senator from Chicago's South Side into the President of the United States.

Learn how from Mitch Stewart, who, as Obama's 2008 Iowa caucus director and 2012 battleground states director, helped oversee the campaign's field operations in its most critical contests. Stewart will be joined by leading New York City strategists who are managing local efforts to achieve universal per-kindergarten and public campaign financing.

Mitch Stewart, founding partner, 270 Strategies
Zakiyah Ansari, advocacy director, NY State Alliance for Quality Education
Michael Blake, principal, Atlas Strategy Group
Susan Lerner, executive director, Common Cause New York
Moderated by Jeff Smith, assistant professor of politics & advocacy, The New School

Event | National Politics, Elections

CAN YOU REPLICATE THE OBAMA STRATEGY? 
TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL SCIENCE, AND THE CAMPAIGN REVOLUTION (2013)

Political campaigns have revolutionized the way they target, contact and motivate supporters. Strategists are taking the insights of experimental social science and marrying them to the corporate world's Big Data marketing tools. The Obama Campaign won in large part by using statistical modeling techniques to identify persuadable voters and to fine-tune persuasive messages. This is politics today and in the future—not only for elections but on issue campaigns for education reform, health care, the environment, labor rights and beyond. Who are the pioneers? And how might you apply their the strategies?

Maggie Haberman, senior political writer, POLITICO.
Sasha Issenberg, reporter, Slate, and author of The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns.
Jonathan Rosen, principal and co-founder, BerlinRosen.
Jeff Smith, assistant professor of politics and advocacy, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy.
Blake Zeff, political strategist, writer and commentator.

Event | National Politics, Elections

INSIDE STORY OF ELECTION 2012

The 2012 election lacked the high drama of 2008, when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made history, Sarah Palin went meteoric, and the economy was in freefall. In contrast, the 2012 campaigns may be remembered as a succession of mini-gaffes and hourly skirmishes fueled by over-caffeinated operatives and reporters on Twitter. Was it all just "sound and fury... signifying nothing?" Or did the trivia obscure real changes in politics—and the way politics are covered? For instance, how have regional demographic shifts changed the electoral map for the President and Congress? How has technology transformed campaign coverage for better and worse? And how has all of this affected Washington's ability to grapple with issues that matter?

Peter Hamby, political reporter, CNN
Ben Smith, editor-in-chief, BuzzFeed
Molly Ball, staff writer, The Atlantic
Sayu Bhojwani, founding executive director, The New American Leaders Project
David Catanese, reporter, Politico

Event | National Politics, Elections

WHAT WILL UNLOCK THE LATINO VOTE IN 2012?

Latino voters are expected to play a pivotal role in the presidential election, just as they did in 2008. This town hall event will explore the tensions in the complex relationship that has evolved between the Latino electorate and the presidential candidates. Will economic concerns such as unemployment and housing foreclosures guide at the voting booth? Will the candidates' immigration policies dominate? Or will large numbers of Latinos simply sit out this election? Understanding the political cross-currents buffeting Latinos today will provide valuable insight on the probable outcome of the election, as well as political and policy implications for the nation over the next four years.

María Hinojosa, moderator/host, journalist, Futuro Media Group
Jordan Fabian, journalist, political editor for Univision's English-language website
Chung Wha Hong, executive director, New York Immigration Coalition
Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director, Pew Hispanic Center
Fernand Amandi, managing partner, Bendixen and Amandi Intl.