Election Campaign in the U.S. – One Year Before the General Elections

November 3, 2011

Panelists Kryštof Kozák and Jana Sehnálková at the American Center on October 31, 2011.

On October 31, the American Center together with Center for Social and Economic Strategies held the first in a round of discussions on the upcoming presidential elections in the U.S.

The panel included Kryštof Kozák, director of the Department of American Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, political analyst Jiří Pehe,  Jana Sehnálková of the Department of American Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, and journalist Pavel Tomášek of online daily aktuálně.cz.  The discussion was moderated by Jan Ludvík of Center for Security Policy of CESES FSV UK.

All the panelists agreed that the economy will be the key 2012 election campaign issue since economists forecast slow economic growth for the next year.  According to the panelists, we may expect the Republican party to build their campaign around the question of whether or not Americans are better off than four years ago.

In defending his presidency, President Obama will benefit from the power of incumbency, a well-organized campaign machinery, and the use of modern technologies for fund-raising and spreading his campaign message. So far, the Republican Party does not seem to have found its ideal candidate. According to the panelists, at this early point in the campaign, Mitt Romney seems to have the best shot at receiving the Republican nomination, however he has not cemented his position yet.