OCTOBER 8
12:15pm Lunch
2:15 The Republican Field
Candidates: Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Jim Gilmore, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and Donald Trump
Hard-line conservatives have been growing increasingly disenchanted with the leadership of the Republican establishment.
We are seeing this in the presidential primary contest, as three unlikely, non-establishment, candidates have maintained clear leads in recent polling. This panel will discuss the reasons why these outsiders have separated themselves from a field comprised of numerous successful establishment candidates.
Ron Christie, Republican Political Analyst, Veteran Senior Advisor to the White House and Congress, Founder and CEO, Christie Strategies LLC
Maria Cino, Vice President for Americas, Government Relations, Hewlett-Packard Company
Rory Cooper, Republican Strategist, Communications Director for Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and a veteran of the George W. Bush administration
Kevin Madden, Partner at Hamilton Place Strategies in Washington D.C, Senior Advisor to Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign
3:30 Coffee Break
3:45 The Democratic Field
Candidates: Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden?
For the last four years, Hillary Clinton has been the overwhelming frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. However, circumstances that include the wide ranging e-mail controversy and perceived strategic missteps on the campaign trail, have vaulted another non-traditional candidate, Bernie Sanders, into the lead in the Democratic field. This panel will discuss how the race is shaping up for Hillary, and what it would mean if the Vice President enters the race.
Catherine “Kiki” McLean, Leading Public Affairs and Political Strategist and veteran of six presidential campaigns including the historic 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign
Steve McMahon, Democratic Strategist, Co-founder and CEO of Purple Strategies, LLC, and Adjunct Professor at NYU Washington DC
Steve Murphy, Democratic Media Consultant and member of the media team for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign
Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and Professor of the Practice of Political Science at the University of Southern California, Former Democratic Strategist
OCTOBER 9
12:15pm Lunch
2:15 Money and Influencers
Money and politics have always been notorious bedfellows. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, Super Pacs, funded with unlimited amounts of cash, are becoming game-changers in America’s elections.
In addition, media coverage of the 2016 primary has been squarely focused on the candidates leading in polls, primarily on Donald Trump. This panel will consider, 1) the effects of unlimited ‘dark’ money from Super Pacs on the success of primary campaigns and 2) the role the media plays when it places ratings before substantive reporting on the issues, leading to unbalanced coverage and free publicity.
Maria Cino, Vice President for Americas, Government Relations, Hewlett-Packard Company
Kevin Madden, Partner at Hamilton Place Strategies in Washington D.C, Senior Advisor to Mitt Romney’s 2012 Presidential Campaign
Catherine “Kiki” McLean, Leading Public Affairs and Political Strategist and veteran of six presidential campaigns including the historic 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign
Steve Murphy, Democratic Media Consultant and member of the media team for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign
Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and Professor of the Practice of Political Science at the University of Southern California, Former Democratic Strategist
3:30 Coffee Break
3:45 Forecasts
Who’s in? Who’s out? Who’s Up? Who’s Down? Who has peaked too early? Who is likely to surge? This panel will consider the hurdles ahead for each candidate and which candidate and campaign has the message, organizational capacity and staying power to secure their party’s nomination next summer. The panel will also consider what issues are likely to emerge between now and election day, and which issues are likely to be deciding factors for swing voters. The panel will end with each panelist picking their favorite in the race for President. Who will get it right?
All panelists |
