John Geer

John Geer (Vanderbilt University) The Tea Party is a formidable force in American politics, but the movement will actually help President Obama win re-election in 2012, according to John Geer, chair of Vanderbilt’s political science department. Geer will discuss “Why the Tea Party is Obama’s… Read More

William Russell (right) embraces his father, Theodore Russell, during the March 26 endowed chair holder celebration, while his mother, Georgia Russell, and colleague Revi Mathew look on. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) Nine Vanderbilt University faculty members named to endowed chairs were honored March 26 during a celebration at the Student Life… Read More

Rick Santorum is the favored candidate in Tennessee as the state approaches its Super Tuesday primary election March 6, according to a new poll from the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University. Read More

George W. Bush can probably look forward to an upswing in popularity as time goes by, say two Vanderbilt political scientists. A poll by CBS News and The New York Times near the end of Bush’s 2001-2009 presidency showed his approval rating at 22 percent, making him one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history. Read More

Watch video of John Geer, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, speaking at the Osher Lifelong Learning class, “Politics in a Polarized Polity.” The Jan. 18 class, “Polarization and Public Opinion,” focuses on the controversy of whether the American public is really polarized or is it just reflecting… Read More

New Vanderbilt research shows that though the Republican base is generally biased against Mormonism, Mitt Romney’s religion would not hurt his chances among the GOP faithful as a presidential candidate in the general election. Read More

Vanderbilt experts are available to discuss negative campaigning, religious bias among candidates, patriotism and the Bible, the GOP's stance on immigration and how to eliminate bias in political polling. Read More

The conventional wisdom about Newt Gingrich's troubles at the Iowa caucuses may be mistaken, says John Geer of Vanderbilt University. Blaming a barrage of attack ads aimed at the former House speaker for his decline in the polls may be inaccurate, Geer believes. Read More

Watch video of a forum discussing a new nominating process for 2012 presidential election. Americans Elect is providing voters the opportunity to directly nominate a presidential candidate outside the two-party system for the 2012 presidential election. Through AmericansElect.org, every registered voter can sign up to become a delegate and participate. Read More

Americans Elect is participating in a panel discussion hosted by Vanderbilt University 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at The First Amendment Center. Read More

Tennesseans agree by a wide margin that the economy is the most pressing problem for state and federal government, and many believe higher taxation on the wealthiest Americans is one way to fix it. Read More

Most Tennesseans believe that public school teachers are underpaid and many support their right to be represented by unions, according to voters surveyed by the Vanderbilt Poll. Read More

Businessman Herman Cain is the favorite of Tennessee voters for the state’s March 6 presidential Republican primary election, but female voters are far less likely to support him. That pattern is unlikely to change in light of allegations of sexual harassment against him, according to a new poll by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Professor of Political Science John Geer will moderate a panel on the challenges of speechwriting for the president of the United States with CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist and former speechwriters John McConnell and David Halperin. Read More

If you think campaign spending during the last presidential election was a lot, you haven’t seen anything yet. Distinguished Professor of Political Science John Geer says this will be the first presidential race since the landmark “Citizens United” 2010 Supreme Court ruling, which ended most restrictions on donations by… Read More

Attack ads are already hitting the airwaves during this presidential election. John Geer, who wrote the book In Defense of Negativity which analyzes negative ads during the 1960-2004 presidential campaigns, discusses the media’s role in the attack ad wars. View 2012 election expertise information for John Geer… Read More

This Week on VUCast: A shark attack victim inspires a bionic breakthrough; why political prices are going up; and making a cappella cool. [vucastblurb]    … Read More

Political scientist looks at elections and why they matter Larry Bartels (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Larry Bartels, arguably the most influential political scientist of his generation, is fascinated with democracy – how it really works, who has the most influence and why the presidential primary election process has propelled one-time dark… Read More

Winding stairs at the Commons Center (Steve Green/Vanderbilt) Unpacking  what seems like an endless number of boxes has kept political science professors and staff busy the past week. The entire department has relocated to the Commons Center after completion of the 19,000-square-foot project to build out the… Read More

A new poll shows the 107th Tennessee General Assembly, marked by debate on a number of controversial issues, slipped in its approval rating in the four months it was in session. Read More