Immigration series concludes with session about upcoming election

Peter Hart and Whit Ayres—two of the top public opinion analysts in the United States, will speak Thursday, Sept. 13, 6:30-8 p.m. in Shaw Hall of the Melvin and Dollie Younts Conference Center on the Furman campus. They will discuss “The Changing Face of America: Impact on the 2018 Election and Beyond,” in the concluding session of a three-part series titled “Who Gets to be American? Immigration and the Fight for America’s Future” presented by the Riley Institute and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman.

Tickets for the session are $15. Registration is required.

Peter Hart founded Hart Research in 1971, and since 1989 has been the pollster for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal. His political clients have included leaders in the forefront of American politics over the past half century, from Hubert Humphrey and Jay Rockefeller, to Edward Kennedy and Bill Clinton. He has represented more than 55 U.S. senators and 40 governors. His clients have also included the Smithsonian Institution, Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Whit Ayres is a leading Washington, D.C. political consultant with over 30 years of experience in polling and survey research for high-profile political campaigns and associations. His clients have included U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker, Lindsey Graham, Boy Scouts of America, the Federalist Society and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association.  He is the author of “2016 and Beyond,” which illustrates how Republicans can win in the New America.

Following their remarks, Ayres and Hart will be joined by Jessica Taylor for a conversation about politics and political identities. Taylor, a Furman University alumna, is a political reporter with Washington, D.C.-based National Public Radio. She covers the 2018 midterm elections and breaking news from the White House and Congress.

The conversation will be moderated by Furman Professor of Politics and International Affairs Danielle Vinson, who specializes in media and politics.

A detailed schedule, along with speaker bios and registration information, is available at furman.edu/straight-talk and by contacting OLLI at 864-294-2998.