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Archived News


Alumnus Joshua Ulibarri Named as Partner at Lake Research Partners

Since joining the firm in July of 2003, Joshua Ulibarri '01 has skillfully worked hard to advance the causes of progressive issue organizations, labor unions, and candidates for public office. We are proud to recognize Joshua's significant achievements on projects covering a wide range of issues, including equality, public education, poverty, the economy and the budget, the justice system, health and science, responsible gun ownership, the Latino/a community, and young voters.

Joshua has also distinguished himself by managing research campaigns for all levels of public office - from the United States Senate to city council races. In 2006, Joshua was a lead analyst for the Jon Tester (D-MT) Senate campaign, working to help garner wins in both the Democratic primary and general election. When his client, Arizona Together, defeated Proposition 107 in 2006, Joshua became part of the only research team to ever defeat a ban on marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. In 2007, working with Massachusetts Equality, Joshua helped develop a message campaign that resulted in the legislature keeping a marriage ban off the ballot.


GW-Battleground 2008 Poll Examines Voter Attitudes About the Middle Class Squeeze
Majority of Voters Disapprove of Job Performance of Both Parties in Congress
Voters Share Opinions on Iraq, 2008 Elections, and Personalities

Washington - The latest edition of The George Washington University Battleground 2008 Poll finds a negative political environment (71% wrong track) with voters very concerned about economic issues, the war in Iraq, immigration, and health care.

However, the Democratic Party enjoys just a six-point advantage on both the generic congressional ballot (46%-40%) and the generic presidential ballot (47%-41%). Asked to assess the job performance of the parties in Congress, a majority of likely voters disapprove of the job performance of the Republicans in Congress (61% disapprove) and of the job performance of the...

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Detailed poll analysis is also available online courtesy of The Tarrance Group.

GW-Battleground Polling Data Archive.


Latest GW-Battleground Poll Explores Voter Attitudes Toward Middle Class Reduction, Public Perception of the War in Iraq, and Voter Sentiment About the 2008 Presidential Election

Distinguished as the most accurate national poll to predict the 2004 presidential election outcome, the GW-Battleground poll will release its latest insights at the National Press Club on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.

Conducted under the direction of The Graduate School of Political Management, the poll explores voter attitudes toward middle class reduction, public perception of the war in Iraq, and voter sentiment about the 2008 presidential elections.

Event moderator Christopher Arterton, Dean of The Graduate School of Political Management, will be joined by Brian Nienaber, GSPM alumnus and Vice President at Republic polling firm The Tarrance Group, and Celinda Lake, President of Democratic polling firm Lake Research Partners and member of the school's Council on American Politics.

Students and faculty are encouraged to attend.

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How to Love a Crazy Job
Linda Kramer Jenning, Glamour.com

Mindy Finn, GSPM alumnus and e-strategist for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was recently featured in a Glamour.com article highlighting ten female powerhouses under 40 working on the campaign trail.

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Rock the Vote's Heather Smith Named to Esquire Magazine's 'Best and Brightest 2007'
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Heather Smith, electoral activist and Executive Director of Rock the Vote, was recently named to Esquire Magazine's 'Best and Brightest 2007.' Smith, 31, began her work with young voters while serving as National Field Director for the Student Public Interest Research Group's New Voter's Project, an initiative supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts and sponsored by The Graduate School of Political Management.

Smith joins 35 other 'revolutionaries' named to this year's list, which includes pioneers in the fields of math, science, education and entertainment.

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Daniel E. Bob, U.S. - Asia Specialist, To Write Definitive Study on Advocacy Efforts on Behalf of "U.S.-China Permanent Normal Trade Relations" for GW's Graduate School of Political Management & Bryce Harlow Foundation
Wednesday, November 3, 2007

Washington - Daniel E. Bob, who worked for many years on U.S.-China trade issues, has agreed to author a definitive history on the lobbying efforts that helped ensure passage of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China, the last major obstacle to China's accession to the World Trade Organization. Publication is scheduled for the spring of 2008 and will be used by students of advocacy at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management.

Bob, who served as special assistant to then-chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee William V. Roth, Jr. (R-Del.), has been credited with playing a leading role in ensuring annual grants of normal trade relations status to China from 1996-99 and permanent normal trade relations for the country in 2000. Today he is CEO of NYROK Partners, which is engaged in ventures in Asia. He also serves as a principal at Canonbury Advisors, where he works with ...

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GSPM Graduates Apply Lessons
Students gained real-world experience while in school
The GW Hatchet

Thursday, October 18, 2007 - Ian Koski did not expect to be running his own political design company less than one year after graduating from the Graduate School of Political Management in 2004. Today, Koski's company, On Deck Communication Studio, is a success. His company boasts nearly 30 clients and works with them to create a "visual branding" strategy based on logos, e-mails and Web pages.

"I help (the clients) make choices about on-the-spot visual messages they are putting out either through e-mails or Web pages," he said. "In the end, my job is to help them get votes."

Since 1987, the GSPM has matriculated 1,600 men and women, many of whom help candidates for public office win public support and ultimately win votes. With an emphasis on educating "students and professionals in the tools, principles and values of participatory democracy," GSPM alumni hold important positions in lobbying and political consulting, as well as on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch.

Today, more than 250 students are enrolled in three master's degree and two graduate ...

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XM Radio and GW Talk Politics
Satellite radio show will cover the 2008 presidential election
The GW Hatchet

Thursday, October 4, 2007 - The University and XM Satellite Radio are teaming up to produce a nationally broadcasted program about the 2008 presidential election that will feature GW professors and students.

The first edition of "Politics: From the Nation's Capital" aired on Sept. 24 and will continue to air weekly for the next 18 months on XM Satellite Radio's new "P.O.T.U.S. '08" channel. The channel, which stands for "President of the United States," broadcasts 24-hour coverage of the election and includes everything from raw footage of presidential debates to interviews with expert ...

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Listen to Podcasts from GW's XM Radio Partnership


CN8, The Comcast Network Appoints Robert Traynham as Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief
Traynham to support CN8 original programming and Campaign '08 coverage from network's Capitol Hill studio
Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Washington - CN8, The Comcast Network, today announced that Robert Traynham will join CN8 as its Washington, D.C. bureau chief. Beginning Monday, October 15, Traynham will report from CN8's state-of-the-art Capitol Hill studio and other D.C.-based events and landmarks to deliver breaking news and insider interviews for CN8's original morning and issues-oriented programming. Traynham will also support CN8's D.C.-based coverage of "America's Next President," the network's most expansive political coverage initiative to date, which will track all of the major events and news leading up to and surrounding the 2008 presidential election.

"We are excited to welcome Robert to the CN8 team and are confident that his industry expertise and experience will further bolster CN8's political coverage during this historic election year," said Jon Gorchow, vice president and general manager of CN8, The Comcast Network. "Robert's newly-created role is a testament to CN8's focus on and commitment to Washington, D.C., and delivers on our mission to provide exclusive, comprehensive political content that is national ...

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Political Management School at GW Turns 20
School is first to focus on applied politics
Roll Call, Graduate & Law Schools Guide Special Section

Thursday, September 20, 2007 - Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) campaign spokesman; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's top speechwriter; a strategic political designer; a Senator in Taiwan.

These professionals might be pursuing different careers in far-flung corners of the world, but they share a common bond: All four are alumni of The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, the first institution in the United States to offer advanced degrees in applied politics.

This past summer, the prestigious graduate school, located in Northwest Washington, D.C., marked its 20th anniversary.

"We've completed 20 years and are looking forward to our next 20 years of considerable growth and maturity," said the school's dean, Christopher Arterton. "Our school is the [nation's] most prominent institution of applied political science."

Arterton explains the difference between political science and political management ...

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GW's Politics School Hits 20
The Washington Times

July 29, 2007 -
George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management celebrated its 20th anniversary yesterday with graduation ceremonies for 79 students, who will face challenges unlike those of previous classes.

Graduation Keynote speaker Sen. James H. Webb Jr., Virginia Democrat, encouraged the graduates at the campus ceremony inside the Dorothy Betts Theater to avoid the "toxic" side of politics and to chose their country over strict partisan beliefs.

"Both sides continue to pound each other ... with little good coming to the country," he said. "I ask you to build on your experience here" and work on "changing tomorrow's politics."

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Read full text of Sen. Webb's speech



GW-Battleground 2008 Poll Reveals Presidential Candidate Preferences and Shows Voter Sentiment Toward Congress, Incumbents, and War in Iraq

July 26, 20007 - The latest George Washington University Battleground 2008 Poll found a remarkable level of cynicism about Washington as 71 percent of likely voters believe that their Member of Congress puts partisan politics ahead of them. The President's approval rating is still low, but few would have predicted last January that the Congress as an institution would be facing its lowest approval levels in history.

While the war in Iraq continues be unpopular (53% consider the war "not worth fighting for"), only 35 percent of voters think that Congressional Democrats can have a lot of influence on the war. Another 36 percent think they can have some. However, Congressional Republicans are not far ahead, as 41 percent think that they can have a lot of influence on the war in Iraq, and 35 percent think they can have some influence.

Christopher Arterton, dean of GW's Graduate School of Political Management, said, "The political climate change since the mid-term elections may be short-lived if Democrats are unable to realize tangible changes on the war in Iraq..."

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Battleground data is available at www.gwu.edu/newscntr/battleground.cfm


2008 Campaigns Showcase Management Skills
Associated Press

July 20, 2007 - John McCain's campaign is broke, Mitt Romney's is frequently likened to a well-oiled machine and Rudy Giuliani's is about as insular as they come in the Republican presidential race.

A dress rehearsal of sorts, candidates' campaigns - and how the hopefuls run them - can give the public valuable insights about their management styles and even provide clues about how they would govern the country.

Christopher Arterton, dean of George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management, said, "Ultimately, the candidate is the one responsible for the campaign in terms of message, ethics and management."

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National Journal Hotline Features Associate Professor
Brian Tringali

July 19, 2007 - When asked what other line of work he would like to be in, Tringali said, "I am already doing it. I am teaching in George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management here in DC. I have taught in the program for over a decade now and love being a part of it."

Read Full Interview


Sen. Jim Webb to Deliver Keynote Address at GSPM 20th Anniversary Commencement July 28

July 20, 2007 - Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) will deliver the keynote address at The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management's 20th Anniversary Commencement. The ceremony will take place in the University's Dorothy Betts Theater, located in the Marvin Center at 800 21st Street, NW, on Saturday, July 28, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. The senator will share his professional expertise in politics, legislation, and public service with more than 150 graduates and their guests.

"In a short time, Sen. Webb has emerged as one of the foremost thoughtful voices in the Democratic Party," said Christopher Arterton, dean of GW's Graduate School of Political Management. "In many ways his wide range of public service experience is energized by a set of values rather than by solely a pursuit of prominence. This is a model for our students and alumni."

Read Full Press Release


Professor Dennis Johnson Quoted in The New York Times

July 15, 2007 - Dennis W. Johnson, a professor of political science at George Washington University and an expert on consultants, said their ascendance is, historically speaking, a relatively contemporary occurrence and, he hoped, a passing one. "James Carville, Lee Atwater and Karl Rove come to the fore: these are people known to the general public," he said. "Everyone else in the business is rightly anonymous."

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GSPM Prepares for 20th Anniversary Celebration
Roll Call

July 12, 2007 -
The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer by highlighting graduates who have gone on to bright careers as political operatives.

The program has grown from 24 students in a New York classroom in 1987 to offering three master's degrees and two graduate certificates, and it now has more than 1,500 alumni from all over the world.

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GSPM and the National Association of Business Political Action Committees Announce First-Ever Scholarship
Scholarship will be Awarded to GW Student for Fall 2007

July 6, 2007 - The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management announced the first-ever scholarship in Political Action Committee Management (PAC) funded by the National Association of Business Political Action Committees (NABPAC). The award of $3,000 will be presented prior to the fall 2007 semester and will go to a student currently enrolled in the school's PAC graduate certificate program. NABPAC made the announcement in advance of the group's 30th Anniversary Celebration and its 2007 PAC Management Conference that will be held in Washington, D.C., July 17-18, 2007.

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GSPM Student Mindy Finn in the News

May 4, 2007 - GSPM student and online political operative, Mindy Finn, was recently featured on the front page of the Washington Post for her work as an online campaigner for the 2008 elections.

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GSPM Launches Master's Degree Program
in Strategic Public Relations

March 20, 2007 - In light of the continuing growth of public relations as a professional career, and the attendant need for more advanced skills and knowledge to support PR's value and impact in business, government, and not-for-profit enterprises, The George Washington University announces its first master's degree program in strategic public relations. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through 2014. The department says there are more than 180,000 PR practitioners in the United States.

Read Press Release
See Program Information


GSPM Awards First Kelly Purcell Scholarship

March 1, 2007 -
GSPM student Helen Kim is the recipient of the first-ever Kelly J. Purcell Credit Union Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of GSPM alumna and former director of federal government affairs for the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues. Kim was awarded the scholarship at a February 26 dinner in Washington, D.C., honoring Purcell.

Read Press Rel
ease
Read Dean Arterton's Speech


New Admissions Criteria

February 1, 2007 - The Graduate School of Political Management announces changes in the application procedures for entrance into the graduate degree programs.

See New Requirements


Young Voter Turnout Up for the Second Major Election:
Exit Poll Shows Young Voter Turnout Up by more than 2 Million Voters Over 2002; Precinct Tallies Show the Number of Voters Cast in Targeted Youth Areas Doubled

Nov. 8, 2006 - Turnout among 18-29 year old voters increased by more than 2 million voters in the 2006 elections compared to 2002, according to an early exit poll analysis released today as part of the first comprehensive look at the youth vote in the midterm elections, presented by Young Voter Strategies. At least 10 million votes were cast by this age group in 2006 compared to 8 million in 2002, and the vote counts are still coming in. Youth-dense precincts that were targeted by Get-Out-the-Vote campaigns showed even larger increases. Turnout more than doubled in the 36 precincts where groups like the nonpartisan Student PIRG's New Voters Project actively turned out this age cohort.

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Young Voter Strategies staff member Mary McClelland has managed hundreds of thousands of paper forms resulting from YVS's grassroots voter registration projects across the country.



GW-Battleground Poll Results:

Poll Reveals Negative Environment for GOP; Control of Congress in
Serious Jeopardy


October 5, 2006 - The latest edition of The George Washington University Battleground 2006 Poll finds an extremely negative political environment that leaves the Republican Party vulnerable to losing both Houses of Congress if the party cannot find ways to reverse the current trends.

"Historically mid-term elections, especially ones occurring in a President's second term, yield a change in parties," said Christopher Arterton, dean of GW's Graduate School of Political Management.  "This year, the stakes for the Republican Party are significant and the possibility of the Democrats taking control of both houses is greater than anticipated earlier this year."

Read full analysis at GW's News Center


Academic Campaign Training Provides Competitive Edge
The Hill, Professional Development Special Section
By Emily Heil

September 20, 2006
- Academic experts say formal training in campaign management can give a job candidate specific skills that would otherwise take years of on-the-job training to develop and a competitive advantage over other candidates without them.

Political work is increasingly specialized and knowledge-driven, says Chris Arterton, Dean of The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. “Politics used to be all about who you know,” he says. “Now, what you know is almost as important."

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Study Finds Missed Messages on Capitol Hill
The Washington Post
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

October 2, 2006 - When citizens send e-mails to their congressmen through the Web sites of lobby groups, they expect those messages to zip electronically to the place they intended.

It turns out that isn't always the case.

A new study by a company that routes thousands of these e-mails to Congress shows that plenty of constituent e-mails never reach lawmakers' offices.

"Citizens would be understandably upset if they knew that letters they sent through the U.S. Post Office were never delivered," writes Dennis W. Johnson, a George Washington University professor who oversaw the study for the e-mail company, Capitol Advantage. "Unfortunately, there is strong evidence that much of the electronic mail that citizens assume is reaching Congress is ending up in an electronic trash can."

Read more
Download Dennis Johnson's full report


Karl Rove Delivers Keynote Address at GSPM Graduation

July 29, 2006 - Karl Rove, the "architect" and driving force behind George W. Bush's successful 2004 presidential campaign, delivered the keynote address at The GW Graduate School of Political Management's Commencement on Saturday, July 29. The veteran political operative shared his professional expertise with more than 100 graduates and their guests.

Listen to Karl's speech
Read what the press had to say


The Mind of Young Voters
National Journal Hotline blog

May 18, 2006
-
Tuesday's forum at the National Press Club on the George Washington University Battleground Poll shed a little light on the evolving minds of young voters. Dem pollster Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners said that for young voters, "the Democrats are reading quite favorably right now." But, she conceded, young people are in sync with older voters as they generally approve of their member of Congress, and it would be bad for the Democrats if the GOP succeeds in localizing the elections.

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Dems would benefit if young voters turn out, study finds
CQPolitics.com

May 18, 2006 -
The current political atmosphere makes it a tough time to be a Republican facing re-election. But a nonpartisan poll released this week indicated the GOP politicians may take an even larger — and sustained — hit among voters between the ages of 18 and 30.

“It’s a good year for Democrats, and it’s an even better year if we can get young people to vote,” Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the poll conducted for by the nonprofit Youth Voter Strategies, which is overseen by George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management in Washington.

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The Night Shift
The Washington Post

April 2, 2006 -
For many busy professionals trying to stay ahead, one master's degree isn't enough. And area colleges and universities are happily creating programs to cater to them.

Michele Krumm caught the political bug last summer as an intern in the office of Rep. Bobby Jindal (R-La.). The 27-year-old middle school teacher from New Orleans came to Washington hoping to gain firsthand experience on Capitol Hill to use in her civics lessons.

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Class Notes: Lobbying PMGT 230.10
The Washington Post

March 29, 2006 -
The students were learning to be lobbyists, but a few already had mastered one aspect of the job: staying behind the scenes.

A half-dozen of the 20 men and women, most in their twenties, quickly figured that they had little to gain from having their faces in the newspaper. They moved to seats in a corner of the windowless classroom beneath K Street that, by agreement, was to be a haven from the lens of a visiting newspaper photographer.

Jack Abramoff should have been so lucky.

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The Grass Roots of a Neighborhood
The Washington Post
By Richard Lukas, GSPM Class of 2005

September 11, 2005 - As a youth growing up in New Jersey -- the Garden State -- I spent many hours atop a riding mower, cutting my grandfather's acres of lawn while coping with my allergies to all the verdant trimmings.

My transition five years ago to Washington was easy, thanks to Pierre L'Enfant, who made sure that the District didn't lack for parkland or bucolic retreats. But when I became a homeowner about a year ago, the postage-stamp lawn that came with my rowhouse seemed a laughable substitute for my native New Jersey turf. About 14 feet wide and 10 feet deep, my yard appeared to be the clone of 20 or so other yards on my Capitol Hill street.

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GSPM's Native American Scholarship Program is the
First-of-its-Kind

GW News Release

June 22, 2005 - The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management's (GSPM) Semester In Washington program has been awarded a $225,000 grant from the SBC Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC). The grant will fund a first-of-its-kind political leadership development scholarship program for Native American college students at the University.

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The Class of 2004: The Campaign Managers

October 17, 2004 - There's a young Republican and an aging Democrat.
There's a fresh-faced college graduate and a seasoned political operative.
There's a kid brother and a political mercenary.
There's a life-long friend and a doting cat owner.
And there are a whole lot of lawyers.

Like the candidates they represent, the men [Erik Greathouse, GSPM Class of 1997] and women [Mindy Mazur, GSPM Class of 2003] engineering Missouri's statewide political campaigns this election season are in many ways diverse, but in other ways strikingly similar ...

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GSPM Announces Latest Battleground Poll at The National Press Club

September 21, 2004 - The George Washington University Battleground 2004 Poll released today continues to show an intensely divided electorate. The aided Presidential ballot stands at 49% for Bush and 45% for Kerry...

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GSPM/Legislative Affairs Professor Charles Cushman
in New York Times

September 11, 2004

To the Editor:

A Sept. 8 letter about the 1,000th American death in Iraq connects the war in Iraq to the 9/11 terror attacks.

But despite the repeated efforts by the president and the vice president to make that connection, there is simply no evidence that there is, was or ever shall be any link between Iraq and 9/11.

Taking the attack to the terrorists, as we did in Afghanistan, made sense. But shifting intelligence and military assets out of that fight, before it was done, to the invasion of Iraq did not help the struggle against terror. In fact, it set back that effort.

President Bush should turn his attention, and our national strength, back to that task, which he dropped to settle scores with Saddam Hussein.

Charles B. Cushman Jr.
Washington, Sept. 9, 2004


GWU Named Top School for 'Political Junkies' by Kaplan/Newsweek Poll

August 12, 2004 - The 2005 Kaplan/Newsweek "How to Get into College" Guide named The George Washington University as the hottest university in the nation for "political junkies." GW is commended for its blend of academics and politics in the classroom and throughout campus, as well as for its fixed tuition program. For the second time in three years GW is on the "Hot Schools" list...

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High-Tech Challenges: Book Explores Congress' Use of Electronic Communication
Roll Call

June 15, 2004
- In "Congress Online: Bridging the Gap Between Citizens and Their Representatives," Capitol Hill veteran and former political consultant Dennis Johnson seeks to explain what appears to be obvious. Everyone knows that the advent of online communication has forever changed the face of representative government, but the question is how have Members of Congress responded to these new technologies...

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GSPM Brings Battleground Poll to GW
University to House Archive of Highly Regarded Election Survey

April 7, 2004 - The George Washington University announced today that it will sponsor the "2004 Battleground Poll," a highly regarded bi-partisan election survey which is conducted by top polling firms Lake, Snell, Perry and Associates and The Tarrance Group. The survey will now be known as "The George Washington University Battleground Poll." In addition, GW's Gelman Library will become the official archive for all Battleground Polls conducted to date, as well as GW-Battleground Polls in the future...

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