August 12, 2024
SIU’s Paul Simon Institute to host discussion on Illinois’ political landscape on Aug. 19
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will host a roundtable discussion in Chicago on Aug. 19 — the first day of the Democratic National Convention — that will consider the dramatically altered landscape of Illinois politics.
Institute Director John Shaw will moderate the discussion, which will examine the reasons for the ascendancy of the Democratic Party and the decline of the Republican Party and consider the question: “Why did a swing state stop swinging?”
The discussion is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mercury Public Affairs, LLC offices in Chicago. A light lunch will be served after the roundtable, and seating for the event is limited. Advanced registration is strongly encouraged, and the roundtable discussion location address will be included with the registration.
Participating in the panel discussion is former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, who served in U.S. House from 2013 to 2023 representing Illinois’ 17th Congressional District; Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, who served as U.S. Department of Transportation secretary under President Barack Obama and represented Illinois’ 18th Congressional District from 1995 to 2009, and Carl Hulse, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times and a native of Illinois. Jeff Mayers, the founder and editor of WisPolitics, a Wisconsin-based political news service, will be on the panel and reflect on why Wisconsin has remained a competitive two-party state.
“Our roundtable will consider why Illinois, once a robust two-party state, has become a Democratic stronghold,” Shaw said.
Shaw said among the questions will be:
- What happened politically and why?
- What is the margin of Democratic dominance in Illinois?
- How have Democrats used their time of political dominance to change public policy?
- What can Republicans do to become a competitive force in Illinois politics and a contributing force in public policy development?
The event will be recorded, and a video of the discussion will be placed on the institute’s website later that week.
Discussion sponsors are the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, WisPolitics and Mercury Public Affairs, LLC, a national bipartisan government relations and strategic communications firm.
The institute on the SIU Carbondale campus is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank promoting better politics and smarter government and preparing young people for careers in public service.
More information, a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events are available.