Presidential election | Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Diving into the Democratic Debates

McCarthy Fellow and Foghorn Editor Ethan Tan, ’21 writes this week’s blog, recapping his deep dive into the 2020 election cycle, where he was able to see and be part of two debates between presidential candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination. After a very busy end to the fall semester, I was able to take…

Introducing our Fall 2016-17 USF in Washington, D.C. Fellows

USF in DC participants are undergraduate students selected for a semester-long program in Washington, DC that integrates a full-time internship with relevant coursework taught by USF faculty and University of California Washington Program (UC DC) faculty. Students choose from a range of elective courses and internship opportunities that meet their interests and skill sets and…

What Narrative Will Emerge from the National Conventions?

During my time as Communications Director for the California Democratic Party, I was responsible for developing and implementing the message and narrative for a total of five annual state party conventions, as well as for the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2012. This month, both of the nation’s main political parties are preparing to hold their quadrennial national conventions in Cleveland (RNC) and Philadelphia (DNC). Here’s what I can tell you about working to set and advance a narrative during the largest political event of the season: it’s not easy. – Tenoch Flores

Presidential Primary Election Night 2016

It’s been a memorable summer thus far as a McCarthy Fellow in Sacramento participant. I’ve witnessed the passing and failing of bills on the floor, heated debates among members fueled by whatever life experience had led them to that infamous seat on the floor representing millions of California constituents, yet everything came down to the simple push of a button. Would it be Aye or Nay? – Isabella Gonzalez Potter

Why Tuesday’s Election is Important

By the time polls close in California this coming Tuesday, the two major party nominees for president will likely be known. And while the results in California’s Democratic primary will garner substantial media attention, the country’s most populous state, and the one awarding the highest number of delegates to the Democratic Convention in July, will not have mattered in choosing the party’s nominee. Again. – Corey Cook

In Nevada, Luck and Opportunity Abound

What interested me most about the Master of Public Affairs program here at the Leo T. McCarthy Center was the promise of gaining real-world, hands-on experience during my education and study at the University of San Francisco. To have active participants in public policy, with connections to a network of actual movers and shakers in San Francisco politics, guiding and directing your learning, as the professors do here, is invaluable to the kind of knowledge and perspective that one truly hopes to gain in an education. – Trevor Martin

Why should we care about campaigns?

As a first year Master of Public Affairs candidate with a personal interest in campaigns and the fact that it is a campaign year, my electives so far have been Campaign Theory, Campaign Organization and Management, and Grassroots and Organizing — a perfect fit for me. – Lauren Feuerborn

Is This Any Way to Choose a President?

On the eve of the first in the nation primaries in New Hampshire, the presidential nominating process is beginning to take some shape. On the Republican side, the field has been whittled from more than a dozen candidates (enough to fill two debate stages it seems) to six more (or less) serious contenders. – Corey Cook