Is America Ready
for an African-American President?

April 4, 2007

By Barry Jagoda

A leading authority on race and politics in America, University of California, San Diego political scientist Zoltan Hajnal, will address voter attitudes toward black leaders and candidates when he speaks at the UCSD Social Sciences Supper Club on April 25.  The public is invited to attend.

With the electric entry of  Senator Barack Obama (D-Ilinois) into the 2008 contest for the U.S. Presidency, research by Hajnal on voting behavior, including historical data from previous elections involving African-American candidates, and white attitudes toward black office holders, is particularly timely.  His new book, Changing White Attitudes toward Black Political Leadership, focuses on how white voters favorably alter their opinions of black leaders who are elected to office.

Zoltan Hajnal is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at UCSD and former research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.  His research areas include minority representation, urban governance, inequality, political participation and direct democracy. 

The Social Sciences Supper Club will be held at the Faculty Club on the UCSD campus, beginning at 5:30 p.m.  Dinner, parking and the presentation is $65 and reservations or more information may be obtained by calling Michelle Glenn at (858)-822-0805 or by emailing mglenn@ucsd.edu

 

Media Contact: Barry Jagoda, 858-534-8567