Department of Political Science

We have a new President, and he’s betting big on our ability to work together. The “Seattle Now” podcast digs into the tricky parts of uniting the not-so-United States with Christopher Parker, professor of political science at the UW.

Many professors addressed the recent coup in their class, including assistant professor of political science Jake Grumbach.

Victor Menaldo, a UW political science professor, and Rebecca Thorpe, an associate professor of political science, explain the importance they see in a Trump impeachment.

John Wilkerson, Chair of the Department Political Science, responds to the current political landscape that we face and shares insights on the student response.

This week at the UW, attend events to honor Martin Luther King, Jr, attend the #BurkeFromHome Trivia Night, and more.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, breaks down what’s happening in the House of Representatives regarding the effort to remove President Trump from office.

Five prominent players in Washington state business are halting or reviewing some or all of their campaign contributions after last week’s U.S. Capitol riot and the refusal by some Republicans to certify the presidential election results. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

The U.S. Constitution has a built-in mechanism that allows the president’s powers to be transferred to the vice president if the president becomes incapable of discharging them. In the wake of the U.S. Capitol riots, Democratic lawmakers have called on Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from power. Rebecca Thorpe, associate professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

“As scholars who study democracy historically and comparatively, we predict that the biggest threats to democracy Trump poses won’t emerge until after he exits the White House — when Biden will have to face the Trump presidency’s most serious challenges,” write the UW’s James Long, associate professor of political science, and Victor Menaldo, professor of political science.

Democratic control of the White House and Senate will put pressure on the Supreme Court’s oldest justice, Stephen G. Breyer, to step aside so that President-elect Joe Biden can choose his successor. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

Democratic control of the White House and Senate will put pressure on the Supreme Court’s oldest justice, Stephen G. Breyer, to step aside so that President-elect Joe Biden can choose his successor. Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

“The choice of Garland is a good indication — both for better and for worse — of what can be expected of a Biden administration: competent governance that is more moderate than the progressive wing of the Democratic Party would prefer,” writes Scott Lemieux, assistant teaching professor of political science at the UW.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, talks about the 25th Amendment, what the process for impeachment of President Trump might look like and what he would have told students if he was teaching this week.

Teachers across the state waded into lessons about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and other conversations about racism and politics, seeing these events as opportunities for critical thinking and their classes as important spaces to tackle misinformation and hate speech. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

James Long, associate professor of political science at the UW, says that President Trump has been riling up his supporters ever since he entered the political arena, so it's reasonable to be anxious about the two weeks until President-elect Biden's inauguration.