State of the Parties: 2024 and Beyond Conference

November 6 - 7, 2025

The 2024 presidential campaign had unusual features, such as the latest ever withdrawal of a sitting president from a re-election race, and for only the second time ever, a former president was elected to a second non-consecutive term. But beneath these unusual features typical patterns were evident: it was in large part a referendum on the incumbent administration, where national conditions, issue positions, and candidate qualities contributed to the success of the challengers.

What role did political parties play in these events? How did the party organizations fare? What are the implications for the future? Scholars and practitioners from throughout the United States will explore the state of American party organizations, constituencies, and resources at the national, state and local level.

Schedule

Conference papers will be linked to the schedule as they are received.

7:30 a.m. - Conference Registration

Hilton Garden Inn, 1307 E. Market Street, Akron, OH, 44305

8:30 - 10:15 a.m. - State of the Parties 

Moderator: TBD

  • The Long and Winding Road to 2024: Critical Stops on the Road to the Parties of 2025 
    Byron Shafer
    , University of Oxford and University of Wisconsin, and Regina Wagner, University of Alabama 
  • What Can We Learn from Ranney and Kendall about Trump’s GOP?
    Rick Farmer, Southern Nazarene University, and Christopher H. Owen, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah
  • What do Party Elites Think about Election Reform? 
    Robert Boatright, Clark University, Karen Sebold, University of Arkansas, Eric Heberlig, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Caroline J. Tolbert, University of Iowa
  • Gender, Intersectionality, and Democratic Party Culture
    Cecilia Ritacco, Georgetown University

10:15 a.m. - Break

10:45 - 12:15 p.m. - Party Factions

Moderator: TBD

  • Factions among Major Party Elites
    Geoff Layman, Notre Dame University, John Green, University of Akron, and Shay Hafner, University of Notre Dame
  • Feeble Gatekeepers: Factional Insurgency and the Toppling of the Grand Old Party
    Zachary Albert, Brandeis University, and Raymond J. La Raja, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Insurgent and Consociational Factions and the Prospects for the Democratic Party
    Ronald B. Rapoport, College of William and Mary, and Andrew Engelhardt, SUNY-Stony Brook
  • Factions and Parties in a Polarized Era
    Michael Ensley and Zach Morris, Kent State University

12:15 - 1:15 p.m. - Lunch

1:15 - 3:30 p.m. - State and Local Party Politics

Moderator: TBD

  • Coalition Change or Pocketbook Election? Evidence from Nevada in 2024
    Kenneth M. Miller, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • What Happened to the “Blue Wall”? The Partisan Makeup of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, 1992-2024 
    David A. Dulio, Oakland University, and Stephen K. Medvic, Franklin & Marshall College 
  • Did the Democratic Party Abandon Rural America? Evidence from a Survey of Local Party Officials
    Daniel M. Shea, Colby College
  • Shifting Allegiances: Trump and Muslim Voters in the 2024 Election
    Daniel Hummel, University of Louisiana at Monroe 
  • The Organizational Structure of State Parties
    Doug Roscoe, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
  • State Democratic and Republican Political Party Chairs, 2015-2024
    Matthew J. Geras, University of Illinois Springfield 

    5:30 p.m. - Reception

    6:30 p.m. - Dinner

    8:00 p.m. - Keynote Speaker

    • Daniel M. Shea, Colby College

    7:30 a.m. - Conference Registration

    Hilton Garden Inn, 1307 E. Market Street, Akron, OH, 44305

    CONCURRENT PANELS - Please choose one of the following:

    8:15 - 10:00 a.m. - Party Resources

    Moderator: TBD

    • Political Party Contacting in the 2024 Election
      Brian J. Brox, Tulane University
    • Carpetbag Campaigning: How Parties Reshape Democracy by Redirecting Resources to Competitive Districts
      Hans Noel, Georgetown University
    • The Trump Donor 2015-2024: Are They That Different from Other GOP Contributors and What Impact Will They Have on Partisan Fundraising?
      Andrew Dowdle, Joshua Mitchell, and Karen Sebold, University of Arkansas  
    • The Impact of Organizational Characteristics on Super PAC Spending in Congressional Elections
      Paul Herrnson, University of Connecticut, and Jay Goodliffe, Bringham Young University 

    8:15 - 10:00 a.m. - Party Constituencies

    Moderator: TBD

    • Diploma Divide, Rural Revolt, or Racial Realignment? Working-Class Partisanship in the Trump Era
      Michael E. Shepherd, University of Michigan
    • The Polarized Type: Affective Polarization and Issue Polarization Among the Party-In-The-Electorate
      Jeremiah J. Castle, Metropolitan State University of Denver, J. Cherie Strachan, University of Akron, and Kyla K. Stepp, Central Michigan University
    • Bridging the Age Gap: Young Voters and the Future of the Democratic Party
      Patrick McSweeney, Georgetown University
    • Requiem for College Republicans: Are Turning Point USA and Young Americans for Liberty Replacing the Establishment?  
      John C. Davis, University of Arkansas, and Drew Kurlowski, Coastal Carolina University  
    • House Party: Patterns of Inter-generational Party Transmission 
      Daniel A. Smith, Olivia Zhang, Joselie Charles, Lara Adams, Samantha Cuenot, and Yugo Wang, University of Florida 

    10:00 - 10:30 a.m. - Break

    CONCURRENT PANELS - Please choose one of the following:

    10:30 - 12:00 p.m. - Party Nominations

    Moderator: TBD

    • Party Asymmetry in Competition in Presidential Nominations
      Caitlin E. Jewitt, Virginia Tech, and Gregory Shufeldt, University of Indianapolis 
      • A Rent-Seeking Theory of Political Parties
        Wayne Steger, DePaul University 
      • Differing Voter Criteria and Primary Polarization
        Barry C. Burden and Matthew Kim, University of Wisconsin-Madison
      • Loyalty, Voice, and/or Exit Following a Loss: The Reactions of Overseas Democrats to the 2024 U.S. Elections
        James A. McCann, Purdue University, and Ronald B. Rapoport, College of William & Mary

      10:30 - 12:00 p.m. - Major Party Alternatives

      Moderator: TBD

      • Third Parties and the Future of U.S. Democracy: Examining 2024 Within a Historical Framework
        Bernard Tamas, Valdosta State University
      • Does Partisanship Matter? Adoption and Implementation of RCV in Red and Blue Jurisdictions

        Jay Wendland, Daemen University

      • Partisan Polarization and Menstrual Equity Policies in U.S. State Legislatures
        Sara Chatfield, University of Denver 

        • Legislative Supermajorities and Direct Democracy: What is the Relationship Between Supermajority Legislatures and Citizen-Led Initiatives?
          Reynold F. Nesiba, Augustana University

        12:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Lunch Speaker

        • Elaine Karmarck, Center for Effective Public Management, Brookings

        Download the schedule


        Registration

        Registration Deadline: October 20, 2025

        Conference Fees: 

        • Registration: $50
        • Thursday Lunch: $30
        • Thursday Reception, Dinner, and Keynote Speaker $40
        • Friday Lunch Speaker: $30
        • TOTAL: $150

        Discount Rates:
        Please contact Kim Haverkamp at kh1@uakron.edu or 330-972-5155 to receive a discount code.

        • Student: $10
        • Senior (60+): $75

        Register Here
        Pay Fees Here


        Travel and Accommodations

        Conference Hotel

        Hilton Garden Inn Akron
        1307 East Market Street, Akron, OH 44305
        330-733-2900

        Conference rate: $139.00
        Reservation deadline: October 6, 2025
        Reservations made after this date are based on availability

        Online booking page: https://group.hiltongardeninn.com/vlfpgx
        Or, call the hotel and ask for the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics block rate

        Airports

        Akron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK) - 20 minutes from the conference hotel
        Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) - 45 minutes from the conference hotel


        Questions:

        Contact: Kim Haverkamp
        Phone: 330-972-5155
        Email: kh1@uakron.edu