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What are the implications of the 2020 election for the prospects of building a genuine multi-racial democracy in the United States? What are the dangers posed by increasing partisan polarization on questions of race? Does this polarization also present any opportunities for progress?

Presented as part of the Reimagining Democracy series, this panel will discuss these questions, bringing together UC Berkeley scholars and nationally recognized political strategists to share reflections on what the 2020 election holds for the future of democracy and efforts to achieve racial justice in the United States. This will be the first in a series of campus-wide town halls on Reimagining Democracy offered throughout the year. REGISTER HERE.

Speakers:

• Reed Galen, Co-founder, The Lincoln Project
• Maya Rupert, Political strategist, writer and campaign manager for Julián Casto’s presidential campaign
• Eric Schickler, Jeffrey & Ashley McDermott Professor of Political Science, and Co-Director, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
• G. Cristina Mora, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley

This event is co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science; Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS); Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at UC Berkeley; and Social Science Matrix. This event is presented as part of the Reimagining Democracy Town Hall Series, in support of the UC Berkeley Light the Way Campaign.

About the Speakers

Reed Galen

Reed Galen is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project. He is an independent political strategist. A veteran public affairs and political professional with more than 20 years’ experience, Reed has been involved in politics, government and business at the highest levels. Galen has spent more than a decade advising Fortune 50, 100 and 1000 companies in need of high-level counsel in the fields of strategic communications, procurement, and legislation. In addition to his private sector work, Reed has managed several high-profile ballot measure campaigns in California, Texas, and Colorado – directing all aspects of message development and voter contact. Before moving to the private sector, Reed served as Deputy Campaign Manager for John McCain’s presidential campaign and Deputy Campaign Manager for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2006 re-election campaign. Prior to his move to California, Galen worked on both the 2000 and 2004 campaigns of President George W. Bush. Between campaigns, Galen spent a year at the White House and served the Bush Administration at both the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security.

Maya Rupert

Maya Rupert J.D. '06 is a political strategist and writer and served as campaign manager for Julián Castro’s presidential campaign. She is the third black woman to manage a presidential campaign. She is currently a Senior Advisor for Warren Democrats after serving as a Senior Advisor for Warren for President when Castro exited the race. Before the campaign launched, Maya helped Secretary Castro prepare for the race, leading his Opportunity First PAC and then his presidential exploratory committee. Prior to that, Maya Rupert was Senior Director for Policy and Managing Director for the D.C. Office of the Center for Reproductive Rights where she led the Center's Washington, D.C. office. Prior to joining the Center, Maya served the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary Julián Castro and earlier, as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Before joining HUD, Maya was Policy Director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Maya has also been a contributing writer to a number of outlets where she frequently addresses the intersection of race, gender, culture, and politics. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and Salon. Maya contributed a piece to the anthology How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation, released in 2018. The collection of essays features pieces celebrities and authors and all proceeds were donated to the ACLU. Maya has previously been awarded NABJ Salute to Excellence awards for her writing. Maya has been recognized by national outlets including Ebony Magazine and The Root for her leadership in the black community. Maya received her B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and her J.D. from UC Berkeley. She clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Eric Schickler

Eric Schickler is Jeffrey & Ashley McDermott Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of three books which have won the Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Prize for the best book on legislative politics: Disjointed Pluralism: Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress (2001), Filibuster: Obstruction and Lawmaking in the United States Senate (2006, with Gregory Wawro), and Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power (2016, with Douglas Kriner; also winner of the Richard E. Neustadt Prize for the best book on executive politics). His book, Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American Liberalism, 1932-1965, was the winner of the Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book on government, politics, or international affairs published in 2016, and is co-winner of the J. David Greenstone Prize for the best book in history and politics from the previous two calendar years. He is also the co-author of Partisan Hearts and Minds, which was published in 2002. He has authored or co-authored articles in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Comparative Political Studies, Polity, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Social Science History. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of American politics, the U.S. Congress, rational choice theory, American political development, and public opinion. Schickler and Cristina Mora were named co-directors of the Institute of Governmental Studies on July 1, 2020. 

Cristina Mora

G. Cristina Mora '03 is Associate Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Interim Co-Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies. Mora completed her B.A. in Sociology at UC Berkeley in 2003 and earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Princeton University in 2009. Before returning to Cal, she was a Provost Postdoctoral Scholar in Sociology at the University of Chicago. Professor Mora’s research focuses mainly on questions of racial and ethnic categorization, organizations, and immigration. Her book, Making Hispanics, was published in 2014 by the University of Chicago Press and provides a socio-historical account of the rise of the “Hispanic/Latino” panethnic category in the United States. This work, along with related articles, has received wide recognition, including the 2010 Best Dissertation Award and the 2018 Early Career Award (SREM) from the American Sociological Association.