Peter Finn

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    “What Happened?’: Taking stock following a historic year for American politics and society

“What Happened?’: Taking stock following a historic year for American politics and society

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The last year has been like no other in US politics, with the perfect storm of a global pandemic and a concurrent botched federal response, and a president who engaged in continual misinformation and incited violence. Our ‘What Happened?’ mini-series, has documented the key events since the 2020 general election, whilst also mapping important electoral trends. As the Biden […]

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    What Happened?: The narrow parameters of Biden’s Washington are now set, but Trump looms large  

What Happened?: The narrow parameters of Biden’s Washington are now set, but Trump looms large  

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With the results of the two run-off elections in Georgia, the framework of Washington during the early stages of Joe Biden’s presidency have been set: with Democrats in charge of the White House, the House of Representatives, and (just about) the Senate. Peter Finn cautions that, though the Democrats may well achieve some significant policy goals, they should also […]

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    What Happened?: Five Steps from the Presidential Election to the Electoral College in 2020

What Happened?: Five Steps from the Presidential Election to the Electoral College in 2020

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In the more than six weeks since the 2020 US presidential election, President Trump and the Republican Party have made a number of ultimately unsuccessful attempts to contest President Elect Joe Biden’s victory. Peter Finn, Madison Imiola and Rob Ledger highlight five key events that have happened since the Presidential Election and the convening of the Electoral College this […]

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    ‘What Happened?’ Introducing our new series exploring the 2020 elections

‘What Happened?’ Introducing our new series exploring the 2020 elections

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On Saturday 7 November, Joe Biden was called as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. But the 2020 election was about more than just the presidency. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger introduce our new mini-series, ‘What Happened?’, which will explore aspects of the 2020 US elections at the presidential, Senate, House of Representative and state levels, and will […]

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    How our Primary Primers series has covered the election: COVID-19, inequality, gendered politics and a likely Biden victory

How our Primary Primers series has covered the election: COVID-19, inequality, gendered politics and a likely Biden victory

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Across more than 50 articles on this blog, the Primary Primers series has documented, firstly, the ins and outs of the Democratic Party primary process and, secondly, the intersection between the 2020 presidential race and the COVID-19 pandemic. Series co-curators Peter Finn and Robert Ledger predict a victory for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, which will leave him, and his Vice-Presidential […]

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    Primary Primers: The 2020 Democratic convention showed unusual unity, though ideological divisions remain.

Primary Primers: The 2020 Democratic convention showed unusual unity, though ideological divisions remain.

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This week the Democratic Party held their online 2020 presidential nominating convention. Peter Finn writes that while history has been made with the nomination of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate, the party’s alliance of convenience with Republican never-Trumpers could spell discord for the Democrats in the future.

This article is part of our Primary Primers series curated […]

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    Primary Primers: The Covid-19 crisis will disrupt the 2020 presidential election, but it won’t be suspended.

Primary Primers: The Covid-19 crisis will disrupt the 2020 presidential election, but it won’t be suspended.

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The Covid-19 crisis is causing global disruption, with the US far from immune. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger sketch out how the crisis is, and could, affect the ongoing primary process and the presidential election in November. 

This article is part of our Primary Primers series curated by Rob Ledger (Frankfurt Goethe University) and Peter Finn (Kingston University). Ahead […]

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    Primary Primers: Five takeaways from the Iowa Caucus debacle

Primary Primers: Five takeaways from the Iowa Caucus debacle

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The Iowa Caucus usually marks the beginning of a presidential election season, and often sets the tone for the rest of the race. This year, the Democratic Party’s Iowa Caucuses were marred by technical difficulties with a vote counting app which severely delayed the results. Peter Finn gives five key takeaways from the caucus chaos. 

This article is part […]

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    Primary Primers: Why we should be cautious of candidate ‘surges’

Primary Primers: Why we should be cautious of candidate ‘surges’

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The 2020 Democratic primary contest has not yet begun, and yet several contenders have already experienced what some commentators have called a ‘surge’, where their polling numbers rise dramatically in a relatively short period of time. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger write that the term is a catch-all which hides a diverse collection of reasons as to why a […]

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    Primary Primers: Why California is set to matter even more in the 2020 election

Primary Primers: Why California is set to matter even more in the 2020 election

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The Golden State is the most populated in the US, has the largest GDP, and importantly, is likely to have the most primary delegates in the 2020 Democratic nomination contest. Peter Finn and Robert Ledger write that by moving its presidential primary from June to March, the Democratic-dominated state is now poised to play a significant role in determining […]

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