The following article summarizes the original event which is listed below the summary.
Normality was a winner in 2022 Midterm Elections
At our November 2022 luncheon forum, a group of enthusiastic UMRA members gathered in the Campus Club to hear political scientist Kathryn Pearson discuss the midterm elections just a few days after they occurred. She offered several insights, including these:
· Despite their shortcomings, predictions from opinion polls were generally more accurate than predictions from fundamentals (e.g., the economy, president’s ratings)
· Democrats slightly outperformed the polls and did better than the president’s party usually does in midterm elections.
· Normality was a winner. The elections were generally administered smoothly with few protests, and defeated candidates conceded.
· Support for abortion rights outperformed Democratic candidates. Initiatives to restrict abortion were defeated in several states that did not strongly support Democratic candidates.
· Polarization continued to progress throughout the country. In Minnesota, outstate areas including the Iron Range were more firmly red, while the Twin Cities remained firmly blue.
· The Twin Cities suburbs made the difference in this year’s elections in Minnesota. Formerly red suburbs have become more blue, delivering the Democrats the trifecta of the governor’s seat and both houses of the Legislature.
· With split government at the federal level, there will be a contest between those in both parties who want to govern versus those who want to make a point and concede nothing.
—Ron Matross, UMRA president
What happened November 8? Understanding the 2022 midterm elections
Tue, November 15 2022, 10:45am
Kathryn Pearson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
U of M Department of Political Science
Campus Club Fourth Floor
Coffman Memorial Union
What could be more timely than to have Kathryn Pearson as our presenter for the UMRA luncheon forum just one week after the 2022 midterm elections? With U.S. Senate and House races occurring across the country, as well as heated governor and state executive races, there will be a lot to unpack.
Please note the forum will be on Tuesday, November 15, a week earlier than usual, to avoid Thanksgiving week. Reservations and prepayment are due by November 5.
An associate professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Political Science, Pearson has earned a reputation as an UMRA presenter rock star for the illuminating election analyses she’s shared with us since her first UMRA presentation in 2008.
Pearson joined the U of M faculty in 2004 and is a distinguished scholar whose research focuses on the United States Congress, congressional elections, political parties, and women in politics. Her research has been published in The Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, and Politics & Gender. Her book titled Party Discipline in the House of Representatives was published in 2015 by the University of Michigan Press, and she has a new book in the works on gender and partisanship in the House of Representatives. She is a recipient of the Morse Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.
This year’s elections may be the midterms, but these days state and even local elections have become national politics. I don’t know about you, but I will be hungry for a clear-eyed view of what happened on November 8 and what it may mean for Minnesota and the U.S.
You can make your reservation and pay online, or email Diane Young at [email protected] if you prefer to pay by check.
Please join me in welcoming Kathryn Pearson at our November forum.
—Jan Morlock, UMRA past president
Upcoming Events
How did children’s mental health become a public health crisis? How can you tell the difference between developmentally appropriate misbehavior and behavior that needs professional intervention? For answers to these and other questions, we invited Sarah Jerstad, clinical director of psychological services at Children's Minnesota, to be our guest speaker for UMRA’s April 16 workshop.
Joni Mitchell will lead the discussion of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne when the UMRA book club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 19.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted substantial debate recently because it can be used in many contexts, including educational settings to do things such as answer exam questions and write papers. But what is generative AI? And how can we know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing? Law School Professor Daniel Schwarcz will enlighten us during UMRA’s Luncheon Forum on April 23.
UMRA’s spring Armchair Traveler Program from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24, will take us to South Korea with Marilyn DeLong and to Germany with Lynn C. Anderson. Please mark your calendars and save the date.
Silk Parachute, an anthology of essays and the 40th of 44 published books by author John McPhee, will be the topic of discussion when UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club meets via Zoom from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CDT on April 26.
We are so fortunate to have former Arboretum Director and UMRA member, Peter Moe lead this approx 3.7 mile hike at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum! We will meet on the welcoming terrace and travel through the Arboretum's Display Gardens, Sensory Garden, Woodland Wildflower Garden, Shade Tree Exhibit, Tall Grass Prairie, Rhododendron Garden, 1920 Red Barn and the Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center, Sphagnum Bog and Green Heron Pond, Display Gardens and many other gardens and plant collections.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
UMRA will be celebrating U of M Days with the Alumni Association. The Minnesota Twins will be playing the Oakland Athletics on Friday evening, June 14, 7:10 PM.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.