MU Experts Offer Insights Into Election-Year Issues

June 18, 2008

Story Contact:  Bryan E. Jones, (573) 882-9144, Jonesbry@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The 2008 presidential race takes center stage as Republican Sen. John McCain spars with Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for the highest political office in the United States. Several faculty members at the University of Missouri are experts on election-year topics, including campaign strategies, policy platforms, televised debates, election-year advertising, speeches, communication styles, survey results, voter trends, campaign finances and demographics. Contact information for each faculty member is provided:

John Petrocik, professor and chair of political science
Topics: elections, campaigns, political parties, survey research, mass attitudes and behavior, party alignments, and the social basis of politics.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-2843  E-mail— petrocikj@missouri.edu

KC Morrison, professor of political science
Topics: African-American politics and social movements.
Contact information:  Office phone—571-882-0125  E-mail— morrisonk@missouri.edu

L. Marvin Overby, professor of political science
Topics: American politics, congressional politics, legislative organization, minority politics, Southern politics and campaign advertising.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-2130  E-mail— overbyl@missouri.edu

Peverill Squire, professor of political science
Topics: American politics with emphasis in legislative institutions, elections and political careers.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-0097  E-mail— squirep@missouri.edu

Bill Benoit, professor of communications
Topics: political campaign communication, image repair and campaign messages (debates, TV spots, campaign news coverage, media).
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-0545  E-mail— benoitw@missouri.edu

Mitchell McKinney, associate professor of communication
Topics: political communication, presidential debates, political campaigns, media and politics, and presidential rhetoric.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-9230  E-mail— mckinneym@missouri.edu

Jay Dow, associate professor of political science
Topics: voting, elections, the electoral system and state-level campaign finance issues.
Contact information:  Office Phone—573-882-0047  E-mail— dowj@missouri.edu

Cooper Drury, associate professor of political science
Topics: foreign policy, international relations and national response to terrorism.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-884-6747  E-mail— drury@missouri.edu

Stephen Quackenbush, assistant professor of political science
Topics: international conflict, security, foreign policy, deterrence and recurrent conflict.
Contact information:  Office phone—573-882-2082  E-mail— quackenbushs@missouri.edu

Paul Wallace, professor emeritus of political science
Topic: international terrorism.
Contact information:  Home phone—573-442-0681  Cell phone—573-424-7917

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