11th Annual American Democracy Conference
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Washington, DC
Elections are the seminal event in the life of our democracy. Not only do they set the direction of our republic, but campaigns and elections also shed light on the state of America's political health. Each year, the Center for Politics presents the American Democracy Conference, hosted by Larry Sabato.
In 2009, the Center for Politics and POLITICO brought together today’s leading journalists, party insiders and political analysts to examine the year’s key campaigns and elections, evaluate current politics and look ahead at upcoming races.
Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, were the keynote speakers
View Governor Tim Kaine's Keynote address:
View Senator Cornyn's Keynote address:
Panel I: "Examining the Obama Administration"
Moderated by John F. Harris, Editor-in-Chief, POLITICO
- Mike Allen, Chief White House Correspondent for POLITICO
- Paul Begala, advisor to President Clinton and CNN contributor
- Alex Castellanos, senior advisor to the RNC
- Jennifer Palmieri, former President Clinton deputy press secretary
Panel II: "Insiders Look at 2010"
Moderated by Charles Mahtesian, National Politics Editor, POLITICO
Watch video of the panel here.
- NRSC Executive Director Rob Jesmer
- NRCC Executive Director Guy Harrison
- DSCC Executive Director J.B. Poersch
- DCCC Executive Director Jon Vogel
- Curt Anderson, Republican strategist
- Larry Roberts, advisor to DNC
Panel III: "2010 and Beyond"
Moderated by Larry J. Sabato, Director, Center for Politics
Watch video of the panel here.
- Roy Blunt, U.S. Representative (R-MO), former Republican whip
- Roland Martin, CNN contributor and political columnist
- Kiki McLean, Democratic strategist, former Hillary Clinton advisor
- Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA Today
- Leslie Sanchez, Author and Republican strategist
- Juan Williams, political analyst for NPR and Fox News
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Bruce Vlk, Director of Programs, at cfp-programs@virginia.edu.
Sponsorship Opportunities
If you are interested in sponsoring the 11th Annual American Democracy Conference, either as an individual or a corporation, please contact Cecily Craighill, Director of Development, at cecily@virginia.edu or 434.982.5706.