1998 Post-Election Conference
(Dubbed the "Post Election Conference" at the time, this event was the first in the Center for Politics' American Democracy Conference series.)
Presidential scandals of the most salacious kind; polarized congressional parties; a closely split House of Representatives; and the nation's most important governships being fought over by a gaggle of potential presidential contenders.
The 1998 midterm elections had all the elements necessary to produce spectacular fireworks and significant results. And once the dust had settled, what better place could there have been from which to offer some perspective than Thomas Jefferson's University?
The University's Center for Politics sponsored a major national conference in early December 1998 to analyze the election that took place in every state a month earlier. Mike McCurry delivered the conference's keynote speech in the Dome Room of the Rotunda.
Panels focused on a number of vital subjects including the:
- Best and worst Campaign 98
- Overall impact on the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, and state politics
- Messages sent by the voters
- Effects on the congressional agenda for 1999
- Impact on the 2000 presidential contest
The Conference enjoyed a list of distinguished participants, including some of the most prominent candidates (both winners and losers), political consultants, electoral academics, and national print and electronic journalists. Here, Larry Sabato moderates the panel on expected outcomes of the '98 elections with (l-r) Bob Novak, John McLaughlin, Fred Barnes, Julian Bond, and Dan Sallick.
C-SPAN covered many or all of the sessions, as will other national media organizations. University of Virginia students and faculty participated in all conference events, and sponsors recieved extensive credit and media coverage.
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