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Emma Schaible/ Fourth Estate

BY EMMA SCHAIBLE, STAFF WRITER

On Nov. 11, University Life at Mason Square, in partnership with Mason Votes and the Schar School of Policy and Government, continued the tradition of hosting “Pizza & Perspectives.” The collaborating organizations provided free pizza and hosted a panel to discuss major news stories happening at a national level. Thepanel topic was the results of the 2024 presidential election, with four panelists exploring key factors that capped critical moments in Virginia and national politics. 

The panel consisted of one moderator and three panelists. “A political scientist by training” and Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government Mark J. Rozell served as moderator. Within Rozell’s line of questioning to panelists, there was an overarching question on whether the election signified a party realignment. 

The first to respond was associate professor Jennifer Victor. Victor’s expertise comes in analyzing the United States Congress, legislative organization and behavior and more. Currently, Victor also runs the First-Year Democracy Lab, a Schar School learning community. Victor argued that it was still too close to the 2024 election in order to have a confident consensus. “Liberals were Democrats, conservatives were Republicans…that sounds like a normal way to organize politics, but it’s not.” Victor said that the current system in which American politics are organized is unstable.

Former member of the House of Delegates David Ramadan continued this dialogue, speaking on how voters perceived several key issues this election cycle. Ramadan is currently a Professor of Practice in the Schar School. While the economy was one of the biggest issues for many voters this year, he discussed how the United States currently has one of the best economies in history, with the stock market at its highest and unemployment at its lowest. 

Ramadan said that many working-class Americans stepped away from the Democratic Party because they failed to recognize issues that were important to the working class and other subpopulations. 

Professor Victor discussed the pattern of characteristics for winning presidential campaigns as seen for nearly the last 60 years. She said that these patterns have nothing to do with candidates, but circumstances. Included were the characteristics of the approval rating of the sitting party, the growth of gross domestic product (GDP) and length of time the incumbent party has been in office. Overall implying that Vice President Kamala Harris had the cards stacked against her. 

The third panelist, former Gov. of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, commented on the trifecta that has been developing in the federal government, as Republicans were projected to win both houses of Congress. Many political analysts believe that the Republicans winning both houses of Congress and the presidency will be a great test of political efficiency.

The panel was then opened to receiving questions from the audience. Members including undergraduates, graduate students and community members from Arlington asked questions ranging from changes the presidency will make in education to the role of misogyny in American elections. 

The panel closed with each panelist giving their own advice to the audience on where Americans need to go from here. Professor Victor encouraged everyone to read the news and get involved in the community, saying “building community is building democracy… that is the fabric of where democracy really happens.” 

“You’re going to win some. You’re going to lose some. Don’t ever despair. Stay engaged,” McAuliffe said. Ramadan closed out the discussion by asking everyone to call out misinformation and reach across political lines to make friends.