Arming your company with the truth behind the trends
because big decisions require accurate information.
What We Do
Speaking Engagements
There are trends in the noise - we listen for them and want to share them with you. Whether the topic is as broad as an outside-the-beltway view on who is likely to win the next election, or as specific as an expert level presentation on how the results of an election will affect trade policy, we can provide engaging talks that will give your company the background necessary to make wise and informed decisions.
Political Risk Analysis
Big decisions require accurate information in today's economic climate. We can help you avoid mistakes by replacing or supplementing conventional wisdom with reasoned guidance based on deep knowledge of the U.S. political system. Let us use our actionable insights to help you forecast and manage the impact of U.S. politics on your organization so you can be appropriately positioned for growth.
Media Coverage
A big night for Clyburn and Trump
August 4, 2021 - by Paul Sracic | CNN Opinion
At first glance, it's odd that Tuesday night's two special primary elections in Ohio garnered so much national attention (and millions of dollars in campaign donations). Why all this hype for congressional districts that in November are sure to remain in the hands of the parties that controlled them after the last general election and which, because Ohio lost one seat in the new reapportionment, will fail to exist in their present form for the 2022 midterms?
US Presidential Election: Impact on Asia
Oct 31, 2020 - Global Aganda | NHK World Japan
The next US president will face a pandemic and a crisis in global cooperation. How will the election shape US relations with allies and with China, and determine the future of American leadership?
Can Trump Repeat His 2016 Win in PA? Who Votes Is Key
Oct 13, 2020 - by Salena Zito | RealClearWire
Youngstown State University political science professor Paul Sracic is among those wondering if the models are accurate. Four years ago, he was convinced by the polling data that Trump would lose. Yet he couldn’t shake the anecdotal evidence he saw in the Steel Valley region and the nagging feeling that something different was happening in the famed Democratic “Blue Wall” of Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. His instincts proved to be more accurate than the polls.
Partners, Infrastructure Crucial to Developing Voltage Valley
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Thanks to major investments through companies like Lordstown Motors Corp. and Ultium LLC and existing assets like Brite Energy Innovators and a workforce with an automotive background, the Mahoning Valley is “well positioned” to play a key role in the future of electric vehicles, an official from the U.S. Department of Energy said.
Taking part in the Regional Economic Development Summit hosted by Youngstown State University Tuesday, Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary of the agency’s Office of Energy Efficiency, said energy storage is a “key target” for product development and commercialization.
How Shinzo Abe's exit could threaten regional stability and Japan's alliance with the US
August 30, 2020, Opinion by Paul Sracic
(CNN) Rumors concerning Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's health had circulated for weeks, and while his resignation on Friday could not have come as a complete shock to United States officials, the timing of the announcement is worrisome.
Paul SracicTensions in Asia have been on the rise. While the US and China trade war marches on, China has been taking increasingly provocative actions in the East China and South China Seas.
Political Science Professor Reflects On Fulbright Scholar Award
December 5, 2019 - posted By: Jambar Contributor
Sracic said the opening slides in his first lecture were about Youngstown.
“Sort of showing them pictures of this area. … Black Monday, the closing of the mills and then showing them clips of Trump rallies here to give them a sense of the politics of the Midwest,” he said.
Sracic said one student approached him after learning about Youngstown and said, “Now I understand why so many Americans were intrigued by the idea of ‘Make America Great Again.’ I never understood what that phrase meant.”
Can the Democrats Avoid a Brokered Convention?
October 24, 2019 (CNN) - Will 2020 see the return of the brokered national political convention? That would be exciting to watch, writes Paul Sracic. It could also be disastrous for the Democratic party.
Ohio's Mahoning Valley angling to become electric mecca for autos
October 22, 2019, by Kalea Hall - The Detroit News
Once United Auto Workers members finalize their deal with General Motors Co., Lordstown Assembly will no longer produce Chevrolet cars. But the economically troubled Mahoning Valley is poised to fight back and build its own remake.
The corner of northeast Ohio steeped in manufacturing is angling to stake a claim in Auto 2.0 by becoming a next-generation mecca for automotive electrification. GM is negotiating to sell its sprawling Lordstown complex to an electric-vehicle startup, and it is moving to form a joint venture with LG Chem Ltd. to build a battery-cell manufacturing operation in the region, according to a source familiar with the partnership.
“PEOPLE YOU MEET JUST DON’T GIVE A DAMN”: THE IMPEACHMENT CONUNDRUM IN TRUMP COUNTRY
OCTOBER 10, 2019 BY KEN STERN, Vanity Fair
Voters in the postindustrial Midwest say Trump has abandoned them, but the left’s “hair-on-fire strategy” isn’t inspiring much optimism, either. Ken Stern returns to Youngstown, Ohio, to take the temperature on Ukraine, impeachment, and why Democrats may be “the lesser of two evils.”
Salena Zito column: The perils of trading social interaction for social media
Aug 20, 2019, by Salena Zito | Richmond Times-Dispatch
I often say that what happens on Twitter isn’t a reflection of American life in the real world.
The facts mostly back that up. Last month, a Pew survey showed only about 22% of U.S. adults say they use Twitter. Twitter users skew younger, identify more as Democrats, are more educated and have more money than the other 78% who don’t use it.
Experiences back that up as well. Halfway through a 16-state back road trip across the country, I’ve had many people — both conservative and liberal — tell me that if they use Twitter, they don’t use the social media platform in the way we assume they do.
To win in 2020, Trump needs to quell America’s disruption
July 18, 2020, by Salena Zito | The New York Post
All Americans today — no matter our age, place of residence, skin color or economic standing — have felt the forces of disruption over the past few months. Beginning with a deadly pandemic and followed by protests and riots over the death of George Floyd in police custody, we are a nation roiled by change, anger and fear.
But one person who’s been most impacted by these forces is the man known for being a disruptive force himself: President Trump.
Can Trump and Abe Keep a Critical Alliance Afloat?
April 26, 2019 - (CNN) Although the US is often said to enjoy a "special relationship" with the United Kingdom, in practical terms, our most important 21st-century ally is about 6,000 miles east of London.
Given the increasing importance of the Indo-Pacific region, Japan, with the number three economy in the world and strategically located near China, North Korea and Russia is, to the United States, the "indispensable country."
Sracic Lectures on American Conservatism in Europe
October 23, 2017 Staff- Paul Sracic, professor and chair of Politics and International Relations at Youngstown State University, is in Ireland and Belgium this week for a series of lectures.
The trip includes a presentation during the “Creative Minds: Exploring Conservatism America” event at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Reece Smyth in Dublin. Sracic will be joined in the presentation by James Fallows, European editor of The Atlantic.
The event, which will focus on the people and ideas shaping conservativism in America, is expected to draw more than 100 attendees.
YSU Political Science Chair’s article featured on CNN
Sep 7, 2016, by: Gerry RicciuttiWKBN has frequently spoken with Dr. Paul Sracic for his knowledge on politics. He gave his views on how Republican presidential candidate ...
YSU Political Chair writes CNN article on Trump visit
July 24th 2017, by Andrew DiPaoloIn an op-ed for CNN, YSU Political Chair Paul Sracic outlines why Trump visiting the Valley is receiving the attention it is.
Why Trump gets backing of white working-class voters
September 6, 2016, by Paul Sracic (CNN)
Tuesday's CNN poll shows Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump winning the support of about two-thirds of white registered voters without a college degree. I'm sure there are some Democratic strategists out there who are tempted to say in response, "So, what else is new?" After all, in 2012, President Obama lost the white, working-class vote by 26 points, while still being comfortably re-elected.
Interview: Politics expert Paul Sracic on the US presidential election
March 15, 2016, Authors: eng.lsm.lv (Latvian Public Broadcasting)
As the third Super Tuesday is raging in the US, LSM offers an interview of Latvian Television's Toms Pastors with Dr. Paul Sracic about what the political scientist promises to be the most interesting presidential elections in recent history. In the interview--click the video above to watch--Sracic offers his take on why unusual candidates like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have made it this far into the election.
The Odd Bipartisan Coalition That Could Sink Obama's Free-Trade Legacy
JUNE 18, 2013, The Atlantic - PAUL SRACIC
Executive-power-wary Tea Partiers and labor-aligned Democrats could block "fast-track" authority for two huge agreements.
Turning Japanese: Obama's 'Asia Pivot' Centers on Japan
MARCH 7, 2013, The Atlantic - PAUL SRACIC
How the island disputes are helping to warm the chilly U.S.-Japan relationship
New lobbyists in Ohio have strong Republican ties
Updated Jan 12, 2019; Posted Jul 05, 2011, by Mark Maynik
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Republicans swept Democrats from office in Columbus last November, they triggered a political ritual among the Capitol Square crowd.
Special interests -- from business associations to gaming companies -- rushed to hire lobbyists with ties to the new government. Lobbying firms beefed up their rosters to feature GOP players. And political operatives in the winning party set out their shingles.
My Campaign, 'Tis of Thee
January 23, 2000, The Washington Post - by Paul Sracic
The late British essayist G.K. Chesterton, that always quotable observer of American life, once wrote that what separated English and American politics was that Americans retained what he called the "romance of the citizen." Though I have read this quote many times (since it is from my favorite book, "What I Saw in America"), I did not begin to fully understand its depth until one recent Friday. It was on that day that I shuffled into the Mahoning County Board of Elections to file petitions which, for the first time in my life, would place my name on an election ballot.
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Books
Ohio Politics
by Paul A. Sracic (Author), William C. Binning (Author) | Mar 15, 2018
Trending Topics from CQ Press
Gain a deeper understanding of today’s most evocative political topics with a series of modules from CQ Press, the high-quality publisher that you know and trust. Designed to make teaching and learning easier, this collection of brief, non-partisan modules provides clarity and meaning to trending topics―saving instructors time and creating more opportunities for classroom discussion.
Ohio Government and Politics
by Paul A. Sracic and William C. Binning | Apr 15, 2015
Ohio Government and Politics provides a thorough, highly readable overview of the history, processes, and institutions of the state’s government and politics. In a country increasingly divided into blue and red states, Ohio is "purple" – one of the few states that is not dominated by a single political party. Covering the crucial strategies of both the republicans and democrats as they vie for power in Ohio, authors Paul Sracic and William Binning demonstrate the "nationalizing" of Ohio politics. However, contemporary issues specific to Ohio politics are not neglected; coverage of important issues such charter reform in Cuyahoga County and the controversies over the regulation of "fracking" is included.
San Antonio v. Rodriguez and the Pursuit of Equal Education
by Paul A. Sracic | Sep 13, 2006
When Arthur Gochman filed a class-action suit in 1968 on behalf of San Antonio school children, he and his clients were directly challenging the inequality of education funding in Texas. They argued that quality education, not merely basic schooling, was a constitutional right, and a district court agreed. But the Supreme Court overruled that decision, signaling a halt to the idea that the Constitution contained a right to an equal education and marking an important transition from the Warren to the Burger Court.
Encyclopedia of American Parties, Campaigns, and Elections
by William C. Binning (Author), Larry E. Esterly (Author), Paul A. Sracic (Author) | Jul 30, 1999
In addition to defining political terms and systems, this encyclopedia explains campaign finance reform laws and the Voting Rights Act. The more significant Supreme Court decisions in these areas are summarized, with an eye to giving readers a greater understanding of how these laws have been interpreted and applied.
This encyclopedia also describes the modern political campaign. Highlighted are the role of the media, the significance of presidential debates, the influence of campaign consultants, and the importance, types, and timing of primaries and caucuses. Brief biographies of important political figures such as presidents, vice presidents, and congressional and party leaders are also included, along with a concise summary of every presidential election since 1789.