February 01, 2010

Simon institute plans primary election analysis

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- An analysis of results from Tuesday’s Illinois primary election and its impact on the state will be the focus of a discussion next week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will host a presentation from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9.  Institute Director David Yepsen, along with John S. Jackson, a visiting professor with the institute, and Charles Leonard, director of institute polling, will provide insights and commentary into the Feb. 2 primary.

“My colleagues at the Institute and I are often invited by local news organizations to comment on political events, especially elections,” Yepsen said.  “That’s part of our mission and we love to do it.  I thought it might be useful for us to sit down together with the supporters of the Institute, students, academic colleagues and anyone else who is interested in politics to do a more elaborate post-mortem.”

The event is free, and open to the public. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. Light refreshments will be available.  To register, contact institute project coordinator Christina Rich at 618/453-4078 or by email at clrich@siu.edu by Monday, Feb. 8.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to secure a parking space.  Free parking passes for the institute parking lot will be available, if needed.

Institute members will offer their thoughts, and then open the event for questions and comments, Yepsen said.

“We’re all here to learn from each other,” he said.  “People can come to participate or come to listen.”

This election is one “worth examining in greater depth,” Yepsen said.    “Our goal is to have everyone who walks away have a better understanding of what happened on Feb. 2, and what it means.

“All elections are important and this one especially so,” Yepsen said.  “Illinois needs to chart some new directions and the nominees chosen on Tuesday will be people who could be at the helm in the state for years to come.  Many of the candidates who lose on Tuesday are likely to see their stature elevated as a result of their candidacies and remain political figures in the state.  I shouldn’t have to remind anyone in the Land of Lincoln about how you can lose many elections and stage a remarkable comeback out of the ashes of those defeats.”