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Category: Events

When a Hotel Housekeeper Won a Seat on the City Council

“I am Carmen Castillo: hotel worker, representative, union member, city councilwoman. That’s me, and I want to continue being like that for the rest of my life.” This is how Carmen Castillo begins telling her extraordinary political story.

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An Election in India is Raising Interest in North Carolina

With a crucial national election looming in India, and with Indian citizens able to vote from abroad for the first time in history, on April 2 Duke students from India provided their insights into the upcoming election.

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Can Comedy Reconcile Political Difference? A ‘Daily Show’ Writer Weighs In

Becoming a lawyer was not a proactive choice for Zhubin Parang, but rather a default option after graduating from college. “Law was possibly the most safe profession that I could think of at the time that did not require knowing math,” he said. That might help explain why after practicing corporate law for four years, Parang decided to quit his job and pursue a career in comedy. But, as he said in a talk this month to POLIS and Sanford School of Public Policy students, it also explains why he’s comfortable doing comedy with a political edge.

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When Democracy Declines: Panel Explores the Challenges to Sustaining Freedom

Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, and Sanford School Dean Judith Kelley shared a timely message in a Feb. 25 panel discussion: Democracy is “not a one-way street,” and democratic nations can fall back into authoritarianism.

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U.S. Rep. Scott Peters on Whether the New Democratic Majority Can Unify the Country

Duke University boasts seven alums currently serving in the U.S. Congress. On February 18, Duke University welcomed its third of the 2018-2019 academic year: Scott Peters ’80, who spoke to Duke students at the Sanford School of Public Policy.

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Ex-Clinton Spokesman Issues Caution: “We As a People Don’t Like One Another”

Mo Elleithee, former spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and later for the Democratic National Committee, has no interest in partisan politics. During a talk last week at Duke, Elleithee explained why.

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Different Perspectives, Similar Messages on Gun Violence and Regulation

After the 2018 mass shooting in his Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill at the Tree of Life synagogue, where his parents were married and his closest friends regularly attended services, junior David Frisch began planning a campus panel discussion on how to reduce gun violence.

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So You Want to Work on a Presidential Campaign. Here’s What It’s Like.

What is it like to work on a presidential campaign? About 40 Duke students gathered Jan. 17 to hear stories from the campaigning front lines from experienced students and staff.

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Rand Paul on How Libertarian Philosophy Can Connect Divided Partisans

What should we expect from Congress between January and the presidential election in 2020, now that Democrats have won back the House? Not much, according to one U.S. senator.

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The Rise of Kathy Tran from Political Novice to Elected Official

Virginia Rep. Kathy Tran, T’00, has an extraordinary American story, one that has taken her from her arrival at age 2 with her family as refugees from Vietnam to being a rising star in Virginia politics. 

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They Work Across the Political Spectrum, But These Activists Share the Same Passion

Three local activists from across the political spectrum described the joys and challenges of citizen activism at an April 17 panel in the Sanford School’s Rhodes Conference Room, sponsored by Duke’s Center for Political Leadership, Innovation, and Service (POLIS).

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The Price of Compromise: Two Congressmen Discuss Bipartisan Collaboration in Congress

In the contemporary political scene, there are few true bipartisans remaining. Two of them came to Duke April 4 to discuss the state of political compromise in a time of deep ideological divisions.

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Voices from Egypt: Panel Takes a Crash Course on a Presidential Election

Nearly 40 students, faculty, and community members took a crash course on Egyptian politics on March 1 at the Sanford School of Public Policy, exploring Egypt’s complex history and how the growing power of the country’s president and his muzzling of civil society is affecting one of the most important countries in the Middle East.

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Congressman Seth Moulton Calls Students to Public Service

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) practices what he preaches. On Thursday, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran sat down with Duke POLIS Director Fritz Mayer and nearly 200 members of the Duke community to discuss topics ranging from bipartisanship to guns. Throughout the event, Moulton brought it back to having the courage to serve.

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Pollster Neil Newhouse on the Data Underlying America’s Stark Political Divide

On January 30, Neil Newhouse, Republican pollster and Duke Alum (BA’74), spent half a day with Duke students to share perspectives on polling, contemporary politics, and Washington, DC careers. His visit was sponsored by POLIS: Duke’s Center for Political Leadership, Innovation, and Service.

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During a Day with Students, Journalist Michael Kruse Draws Connections Between Political Reporting and Citizenship

On January 29, Politico senior reporter Michael Kruse spent half a day on campus with Duke students to share insights on political reporting and our current state of politics. His visit was sponsored by POLIS: Duke’s Center for Political Leadership, Innovation, and Service and was cosponsored by the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy.

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Alumni Affairs, POLIS Bring Students Together with Women Activists to Discuss Politics & Civic Leadership

More than 80 members of the Duke students, alumni, faculty, and staff from across the ideological spectrum gathered Oct. 12 for an evening of advocacy… Continue Reading Alumni Affairs, POLIS Bring Students Together with Women Activists to Discuss Politics & Civic Leadership

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At POLIS Discussion, Bipartisanship Shows It Endures

Despite the divisive nature of our politics, bipartisanship is still alive and well, according to two U.S. senators who spoke at the Sanford School of Public Policy’s annual “Sanford on the Hill” event at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on July 17.

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Duke Alumni Hear Unique Perspectives On 2016 Elections

The new media environment, gender, race and class are all important themes of 2016 Presidential Elections, according to national experts who spoke at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy’s annual “Sanford on the Hill” event at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on July 12.

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