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The third installment of 51����’s Road to the White House series, moderated by President Brian Casey, featured New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and the chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, Carl Hulse.

The Sept. 24 event provided insight into the ongoing election campaign process and a glimpse into the internal workings of the candidates’ parties — as well as the state of American democracy.

While Dowd and Hulse said they recognized the importance of President Biden’s stepping out of the race for president, they worried that Vice President Harris’s lack of firm positioning on policy and transparency with journalists could be detrimental to her campaign.

With regard to the election overall, Hulse declared it to be one of “Joy vs. Hate,” and Dowd labeled it “Unserious Man vs. the Untested Woman.” Taking neutral stances on both parties, the two journalists acknowledged the lack of policy present within this election on both sides of the political spectrum, explaining that both parties are campaigning on different goals: Trump to maintain his own popularity by adopting popular policies and Harris to simply defeat Trump.

Dowd and Hulse spoke briefly about the Trump presidency’s effect on journalism, specifically at the New York Times. Dowd said the Times now uses the term “liar” when referring to certain statements, and it has increased its emphasis on fact checking claims made by candidates. Hulse emphasized how much things have changed — gone are the days of letting candidates define truth. “You wouldn’t do that, you would leave it to the players themselves to engage in that argument,” Hulse said.

In a final reflection on the state of the election, which is fewer than 40 days away, Hulse said it is a close race, and neither he nor Dowd took a firm stance on who is going to come out on top.

“There’s just a lot up in the air right now,” Hulse said.

Dowd shared his sentiment. “I just think there’s too many crazy, volatile things involved,” she said.

Dowd and Hulse agreed that, no matter the result of the election, there would be some “really big consequences,” for American democracy. Hulse concluded with a subtle warning to Americans that, “There’s no guarantee to democracy, and I think people need to realize that — you have to keep at it.”

The 51���� Road to the Whitehouse election series is sponsored by the Office of the President and the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs. Additional election-related events will continue throughout the semester. Visit to learn about all future upcoming events on campus.