Making sense of the midterm elections

Dr. Jim Guth

The midterm elections on Nov. 4 delivered a big victory for the Republicans, who now have control of both the House and Senate. But what actually happened? Was the Democrats’ defeat a rejection of President Obama’s policies and a mandate for a more conservative agenda?  Or did the American voters deliver a message that every politician on Capitol Hill should heed?

Furman political science professor Jim Guth will look at the fallout from the midterm elections and talk about whether anything in Washington, D.C., is likely to change as a result when he speaks at the university’s High Noon fall lecture series Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Upcountry History Museum-Furman.

His lecture—“Making Sense of the Midterm Elections”—begins at noon.  It is the last of eight lectures presented by Furman professors during the fall High Noon series.

Guth, who has taught at Furman since 1973, is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Political Science at the university.  He is a specialist in American politics, and has recently studied the impact of religion on the electoral process and on public policy in the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.

Guth has commented on American politics for numerous media outlets, including CNN, NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News, ABC World News Tonight, All Things Considered, CBS Sunday Morning, and the BBC.  He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University.

The Upcountry History Museum/Furman is located at 540 Buncombe Street in downtown Greenville’s Heritage Green area.

For more information, contact Furman’s Marketing and Public Relations office at 864-294-3107 or e-mail Vince Moore at vince.moore@furman.edu.