Experts in the News | Miller Center

What Role Does Federal Agency Play In Presidential Transition?

But Chris Lu, who was President Obama's transition director in 2008, says the process then was much different. "This was not an issue at all in 2008. The election was called at about 11 p.m. on election night. And within about two hours, I received a letter from the GSA administrator ascertaining that Senator Obama was the president-elect. And I'm not aware that this has really ever been an issue in previous elections."

Chris Lu

Q&A: Presidency Expert Discusses Recount Chances, Historical Precedent

As former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election over the weekend, incumbent President Donald Trump indicated that he planned to file several lawsuits and perhaps pursue recounts in some states. William Antholis, director and CEO of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs, takes a look at what that might mean for American political life in the next few weeks. His conclusion? While it was a hard-fought election, the numbers do not indicate that a recount would change much.

William Antholis

Exit poll nuggets™: The LGBTQ vote

Today, we take up a reader-submitted question, focusing on LGBTQ voters and how their votes in 2020 compare to previous years. As noted last week, in the immediate aftermath of a national election, exit polls offer the best glimpse of what the electorate looked like—who voted for whom and what seemed to drive their choices.

Jennifer Lawless

The next chapter of executive-centered partisanship

The likely continuation of divided government and legislative stalemate has dampened the enthusiasm of the Democratic Party’s base in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s stirring victory. However, recent history reveals that presidents can accomplish a great deal on their own.

Sidney Milkis

The complex politics of a Covid-19 vaccine

This morning, the world received the welcome news that preliminary results from a Phase 3 trial show that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is 90 percent effective, with no serious safety concerns. While a long road remains in terms of final trial stages, emergency approval, manufacturing, and distribution, the results are an immense relief and better than many people anticipated.

Guian McKee

Is Donald Trump the next Grover Cleveland?

Is Donald Trump the next Grover Cleveland? They certainly have the same body type—rotund. Both have a history of womanizing: Cleveland fathered a child out of wedlock; Trump’s three marriages and porn-star liaisons are infamous. Each president is known for characteristic hair styles—Cleveland’s walrus mustache, popular in the late 19th century, and Trump’s combover, a last resort for balding men in any era. Both suffered medical emergencies during their presidencies (Cleveland’s cancer surgery; Trump’s COVID diagnosis) and tried to keep details from the public. Each lost reelection on their first try for a second term.

Barbara Perry