Media Advisory: SF State experts available to comment on elections and ballot initiatives
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 1, 2012 -- San Francisco State University has faculty experts from a range of disciplines who can comment on the 2012 presidential election, California and San Francisco elections, and statewide ballot initiatives.
Presidential campaign:
Robert C. Smith, professor of political science, is a nationally recognized expert and author on U.S. politics and African-American politics. Smith can discuss the presidential election, President Barack Obama's first term in office and the impact of candidates' race and religion on their bid for the presidency. Smith can also discuss electoral systems and the possibility of an Electoral College tie.
Contact Smith at (415) 338-7524 (office) or rcs@sfsu.edu
David Tabb, professor emeritus of political science, is an expert on national politics. He can discuss the presidential election, particularly Latino and African American voting patterns and public opinion polls.
Contact Tabb at dtabb@sfsu.edu
Francis Neely, associate professor of political science, is an expert on independent voters and how voters form affiliations with political parties. He can also discuss voting rights and election systems, including the Electoral College and ranked choice voting.
Contact Neely at (415) 338-1522 (office) or fneely@sfsu.edu
Media and campaign communications:
Joseph Tuman, professor of communication studies, is an expert on campaign strategy and communications, and is the author of "Political Communication in American Campaigns." Tuman can comment on campaign advertising and financing, candidates' interaction with the news media, candidates' tone and language choice and the role of gender and race in campaign politics. He is available to comment for print media only.
Contact Tuman at (415) 338-1813 (office) or joetuman@sfsu.edu
Melissa Camacho, associate professor of broadcasting and electronic communication arts, can discuss how candidates are portrayed in the mass media, particularly television. An expert on feminism, Camacho can comment on the female vote and depiction of women involved in the presidential campaigns. She is available for interviews in Spanish and English.
Contact Camacho at (415) 338-6526 (office) or mcamacho@sfsu.edu
Race, religion, ethnicity and immigration:
Russell Jeung, associate professor of Asian American studies, is an expert on Asian American culture and politics. He has conducted research on how race and religion influence Asian American voting behavior. Jeung can discuss the diversity of the Asian American community, the presidential candidates' appeal to this demographic and reasons for low voting rates among Asian Americans. In San Francisco, he can discuss the District One supervisorial race. He can also comment on California's Proposition 35, which aims to toughen laws against human trafficking.
Contact Jeung at (415) 338-7586 (office) or rjeung@sfsu.edu
David Lee, lecturer in political science, is an expert on Asian American politics including voting rights and bilingual access for civic participation. Lee is a longtime community organizer in San Francisco's Asian American neighborhoods and served for almost 20 years as executive director of the nonpartisan Chinese American Voters Education Committee (CAVEC).
Contact Lee at (415) 397-8133 (office) or cavec1@aol.com
Andrew Jolivette, associate professor and chair of American Indian studies, is an expert on mixed-race identity and is author of the book "Obama and the Biracial Factor: The Battle for a New American Majority." He can discuss how Obama and the media choose to identify his racial identity, Obama's appeal to people of color and whether Obama has changed perceptions of race relations in the U.S.
Contact Jolivette at (415) 338-2701 (office) or ajoli@sfsu.edu
Belinda Reyes, associate professor of Raza studies, can discuss the Latino vote and immigration issues, including the DREAM Act. She is available for interviews in Spanish and English.
Contact Reyes at (415) 405-7586 (office) or reyesb@sfsu.edu
California politics and propositions:
Jason McDaniel, assistant professor of political science, is an expert on California politics and urban politics. He can discuss the California congressional elections and the San Francisco supervisorial elections, including campaign finance, advertising and how race and ethnicity influence voting decisions.
Contact McDaniel at (415) 338-2736 (office) or mcdaniel@sfsu.edu
John Logan, associate professor and chair of labor studies, is an expert on the U.S. labor movement and can comment on the role of unions in politics and elections. He can discuss Proposition 32, which would prohibit the use of paycheck-collected union dues for political purposes.
Contact Logan at (415) 338-2885 (office) or jlogan@sfsu.edu
Jeff Snipes, associate professor and chair of criminal justice studies, is an expert on criminal law and criminology. He can comment on Proposition 34, the ballot measure to repeal California's death penalty, and can discuss the economic, moral and legal issues related to the death penalty system. He can also discuss Proposition 35, which would toughen laws against human traffickers, and Proposition 36, which seeks to revise California's three strikes law.
Contact Snipes at (415) 405-2176 (office) or jsnipes@sfsu.edu
Alex Gerould, assistant professor of criminal justice studies, is an expert on criminal law and criminology. He can discuss Proposition 34 and the economic, moral and legal issues related to the death penalty system. He can also discuss Proposition 36 and California's three strikes law.
Contact Gerould at (415) 338-3335 (office) or gerould@sfsu.edu
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