North Central College political science professor Stephen Maynard Caliendo is set to attend both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions to witness the historic events first hand.
According to Caliendo, who is also the dean
of North Central’s College of Arts and Sciences, this election’s conventions
stand to be different from recent conventions, which he describes as “pep
rallies."
“There might be some interesting activities
this year, particularly in Cleveland, as a result of Republican party leaders’
concern about the Donald Trump candidacy,” Caliendo said. “[The rise of Trump] has
been perplexing to political pundits and political scientists alike. Much of
what we thought we understood about the American electorate will need to be
questioned after this election.”
A frequent commentator for national and
local political news outlets, Caliendo highlighted other factors that make this
election cycle historically notable.
“The first woman will be nominated as a
presidential candidate for a major political party in the United States,” he said of the Democrats' event in Philadelphia. “Second, it has not been routine in recent history that we have a
presidential election that does not feature a sitting president or vice
president as a candidate. 2008 is an obvious exception.”
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