American Democracy Conference Looks Ahead to 2010 Elections

December 1, 2009 — Leading journalists, political party insiders and political analysts will share their views on the 2010 midterm elections at an afternoon conference sponsored by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics and POLITICO.

The 11th annual American Democracy Conference will be held Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The conference is free and open to the public with advance registration, available at the Center for Politics' Web site.

Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics, and John F. Harris, editor-in-chief of POLITICO, will each moderate panel discussions. The conference will also feature a special panel with the executive directors of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, National Republican Campaign Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who will oversee their parties' U.S. House and Senate campaigns in 2010.

Other panelists will include the following, with more to be announced soon:
• Mike Allen, chief White House correspondent for POLITICO
• Paul Begala, adviser to President Clinton and CNN contributor
• Maria Cardona, Democratic strategist
• Alex Castellanos, Republican strategist and CNN contributor
• Ed Gillespie, Republican strategist and former RNC chairman
• Roland Martin, CNN contributor and political columnist
• Kiki McLean, Democratic strategist
• Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today
• Leslie Sanchez, Republican strategist and former CNN contributor
• Juan Williams, political analyst for NPR and Fox News

The American Democracy Conference grew out of the first National Post-Election Conference in 1998. The conference examines not only the most recent election cycle, but also current campaigns, upcoming elections and prospects for the future of American democracy. The conference is based on the idea that elections are the seminal event in the life of a democracy, setting the direction of the country while shedding light on the state of America's political health.

About POLITICO

POLITICO is a Washington-based political journalism organization that distributes its content via the Internet, newspaper, television and radio. Its coverage includes Congress, the White House, Washington lobbying and campaigns. POLITICO and POLITICO.com launched in January 2007 with the mission of covering politics with enterprise, style and impact.

About the U.Va. Center for Politics

Founded in 1998 by political analyst and politics professor Larry J. Sabato, the University of Virginia Center for Politics is a non-partisan institute that seeks to promote the value of politics, improve civics education and increase civic participation through comprehensive research, pragmatic analysis, and innovative educational programs.

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