WASHINGTON (August 22, 2024) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz concluded the third night of the Democratic National Convention last night by formally accepting the party’s nomination for Vice President of the United States. Tonight it will be Vice President Kamala Harris’ turn, who will take the stage in Chicago to close out the four-day convention.
George Washington University faculty experts are available to provide insight, analysis and commentary on the Harris/Walz campaign. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Officer Shannon Mitchell at (email protected).
Todd Belt is director of the Political Management Program at the GW Graduate School of Political Management. Belt is an expert on the presidency, campaigns and elections, mass media and politics, public opinion, and political humor. In addition to his expertise, Belt is the co-author of four books and helps conduct GW’s political poll, which was recently shared new insights.
Lesley Lopez is the director of the public relations and communications program and an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Political Management. Lopez is an expert in campaign messaging and strategy, as well as campaign finance. She has served as chief communications and marketing officer for political start-up Run for Something, head of global communications for the U.S.-China Business Council, and communications director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. She is also currently a state delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, representing the 39th District, and serves as the Assistant Majority Whip.
Casey Burgat is Director of the Legislative Affairs Program at the Graduate School of Political Management and host of the Mastering the Space – Podcast. Before joining GSPM, Burgat was a senior governance fellow at the R Street Institute, where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Burgat is the co-author of Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, a textbook on all things Congress.
Peter Lodge is Director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in policy and communications. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, Vice President of the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and has held high-level positions for three members of the US House of Representatives. Loge currently heads the Project on ethics in political communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise stakeholders and organizations.
Matt DalekA professor in GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, Dallek is a political historian with expertise on the intersection of social crises and political transformation, the development of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. In addition to four co-authored books, Dallek is the author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, which examines the history and influence of right-wing activism in America.
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