Delegation Trip 2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not bring an Atlantik-Brücke delegation to the United States in 2020. We had planned a battleground study trip. Instead of travelling physically, we took our members along for a virtual tour of the election campaign, in cooperation with the Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC).
Below, you can rewatch the series:
Part 1: A Pollster’s Analysis on the US Election
https://vimeo.com/466093112
Four leading American pollsters give us their take on the upcoming election. Glen Bolger, Public Opinion Strategies, Celinda Lake, Lake Research Partners, Fred Yang, Hart Research and Amy Walter, Cook Political Report speak about how the pandemic is affecting the election, which groups of voters the presidential candidates can each win, and how the Senate election differs from the presidential election. In addition, the four experts talk about why pollsters did not predict the election of Donald Trump in 2016.
Part 2: The Battleground State of Michigan
https://vimeo.com/473382776
The second stop of our Battleground Tour was the state of Michigan. Garlin Gilchrist, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the elections, as well as the impact of ethnic differences on voting behavior, in conversation with James J. Blanchard, former Governor of Michigan and former U.S. Ambassador in Canada. They also discussed whether the presidential election might have an impact on Senate and other down-the-ballot races.
Part 3: Battleground Tour in Wisconsin
https://vimeo.com/473479930
Just ahead of the 2020 election, Mark Pocan, Member of Congress (D-Wisconsin), U.S. House of Representatives, and moderator Scott Klug, former Member of Congress (R-Wisconsin), U.S. House of Representatives, debated which voter groups might play a decisive role in Wisconsin and the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on voting behavior in the contested battleground state.
Part 4: Debrief of the U.S. Election
https://vimeo.com/480225372
The fourth discussion of our “Virtual Battleground Tour” dealt with the election results. Former members of Congress Jim Blanchard (D-Michigan), Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida), Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania) and Karan English (D-Arizona) discussed voter turnout, exit polls, and vote counts in their contested home states. They analyzed the outcomes of the presidential election and the Senate races. The discussion was moderated by Lukas Streiff, Diplomat at the German Embassy Beirut and 2016 Young Leader Alumnus.