Van Dyke and Others Weigh in on Scranton Area as Election Battleground

Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D. is the latest professor to weigh in on the election, specifically related to Scranton as a battleground.

Read what the political science professor at Scranton had to say in CBS News, here.

You can also get the perspective of other faculty and staff on the election -- and the role Scranton has played -- through the below links.

Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., chair of the Economic and Finance Department, was recently interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer on trade policies and agreements that have been supported by Joe Biden on their effects on Pennsylvania and specifically the city of Scranton. Read the article here.

Mike Allison, Ph.D., University political science professor, said that President Donald Trump is focused on winning Biden’s state. Read the article on ABC 27 News here. He also appeared on WNEP TV to discuss teaching political science during this election cycle, which you can read here.

A July article in The Washington Post, which details past and present candidates’ connection to Scranton, called it “the best-known small city in America” because of the national attention it has garnered during the election season. Meghan Rich, Ph.D. a professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department, said that for a small city, it has “a large presence in people’s imaginations.” Read The Washington Post article here.

Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president of University Community Engagement and Government Affairs, said the NEPA region remains important in the election because there has been “movement and change as far as political party registration and in voting patterns” since 2016. Read more in Pennsylvania Capital-Star, here. She also weighed in on the city of Scranton’s “story” in another Pennsylvania Capital-Star article here.

Political science professor Jean Harris, Ph.D. said that voters are being more critical than they were four years ago. Read Harris’ comments in The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Wyoming County Press Examiner. She also commented in two CBS News articles about the election here and here.

JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., a political science professor, talked about the local reaction to the vice presidential debate on Fox56.

Pennsylvania Cable Network’s (PCN) Election College Panel program, recorded via Zoom at The University of Scranton, aired on Constitution Day, Sept. 17 on PCN’s cable channel and streaming services.