Stuart Stevens believes Republicans are in a “GOP apocalypse,” and he’s mobilizing conservatives to stop it.
Stevens is a Republican political consultant who’s worked on presidential campaigns for Bob Dole and George W. Bush, served as the lead strategist for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, and helped elect more governors and US Senators than any other GOP consultant working today. He’s also an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, starting from the earliest days of Trump’s candidacy. Stevens joins MIT Communications Forum director Seth Mnookin to discuss the future of the GOP, how Donald Trump has influenced the American political system, and predictions for the 2018 midterm and the 2020 presidential elections.
Speakers:
Stuart Stevens is a political consultant, author, and founding partner of the consultancy firm Strategic, Partners & Media. Stevens has served as a strategist and media consultant to President George W. Bush, Governor Tom Ridge, and senators Chuck Grassley, John McCain, Thad Cochran, Roger Wicker, Dick Lugar, and many others. Stevens was the lead strategist for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
Jennifer Nassour is the founder of Conservative Women for a Better Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to electing more conservative women in the Northeast, and former chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. During her tenure, Republicans won the U.S. Senate seat held by Scott Brown and doubled their ranks in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Dr. Daniel Barkhuff is president of Veterans for Responsible Leadership, a nonpartisan political action committee that supports veterans who have demonstrated integrity and rational thought as they run for positions in local, state and federal elections. Barkhuff served for 7 years as a member of Naval Special Warfare and is currently a faculty member and emergency medicine doctor at the University of Vermont.
Moderator: Seth Mnookin is the director of the MIT Communications Forum and director of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing. His most recent book, The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy,won the “Science in Society” award from the National Association of Science Writers.