This session, we'll take a deep-dive into how to close the turnout gap between high- and low-propensity voters in the Black community. Recent coverage of the Black electorate in two of the most prominent news outlets in the country, suggests that the Democratic Party has work to do. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post hint at the restive mood overtaking Democrats’ most loyal voting bloc. What can be done?

A groundbreaking and in-depth new study has just been completed by TargetSmart, in partnership with Professor Christopher Parker, CEO of Black Insights Research, LLC. This session we hear from Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart and Professor Parker for a discussion of the findings (and their implications).

*Please note that the PDF download has one updated slide from that shown in the presentation and is the most complete version for reference.

As we look at state legislative actions in advance of the 2024 elections, what do we see? For better or worse, the real laboratories of democracy (and autocratic behavior) are in the states. Knowing the state playbook of those who would undercut rights and turn back the clock is crucial to developing strategies to confront them.

This month, we came together for a discussion of the state of our states and the issues impacting people's lives. We were joined by four dynamic speakers: Kim Haddow, founder of the Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC); Representative Robert Reives II Democratic Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing House District 54; Kim Rogers, Executive Director of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) and its affiliated c4, Every Eligible American; and Nancy Zdunkewicz, founder of a new public opinion research firm, Z to A Research.

This month's session continued to focus on key voter segments and issues that will be increasingly important to the outcome of the 2024 elections—from the top of the ticket to down ballot races. This included discussions of the potential enthusiasm gap for the ticket, representation of the increasingly diverse electorate, and the impacts of new voter laws and the changing life circumstances of voters. What are the challenges faced in reaching these voters, and what are the unique opportunities for engagement they present?

This month, our speakers were Roshni Nedungadi, Founding Partner of HIT Strategies, and Abby Kiesa, Deputy Director of CIRCLE.

As we think about the 2024 elections and the voters who will comprise the electorate, what can we glean from past cycles? The 2024 candidates will obviously help drive turnout, but there are things to be considered now. Which voters are opportunities for either Democrats or Republicans, even given past voting patterns? How have recent registration levels, particularly post Dobbs, changed the playing field? How have the structural changes in voting impacted voters, and which ones? What new strategies and tactics might influence how elections are waged, including new communications channels?

These are just some of the questions and discussions that will be part of the focus on the First Monday webinars throughout the cycle. This session, we heard from Robert P. Jones, PhD, Christopher S. Parker, PhD, and Bill McKibben.

Many interpret the results of the 2022 midterms as a win for democracy and democratic institutions. In some ways that was the case, but there are some clear warning signs that we should not be so confident.

Watch our inaugural First Monday webinar of 2023, as we examine what 2022 tells us about the nature of our democracy—regarding both its strengths and potentially precarious state.

We were joined by Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, Tiffany Muller, Celinda Lake, and Mike Podhorzer—each speaker has done extensive research or work on today’s examination of the state of our democracy.

This month, we began a series of presentations and discussions with top research analysts as they discussed their work in general election surveys—as well as the Georgia runoff.

Who participated? What drove their choice? And what were the challenges overcome and the opportunities missed?

A good news election also has a lot of warning signs for the future, and each speaker addressed this from their own expertise, experience, and research. This session, we were joined by Stanley Greenberg, Henry Fernandez, Michael Bocian, and Jesse Kline.



The dust has begun to settle on the 2022 Midterm Elections, and it’s time to begin a discussion about the way ahead. We heard from some of the best analysts in the country who helped us grasp the outcome of 2022 midterms—at least initially. PSG Consulting was joined by experts Tom Bonier, Marissa McBride, Mike Podhorzer, and Amy Walter. There is lots to take in and evaluate, but this group of people gave us a first understanding of some of the dynamics explaining the results of 2022...and what that portends (or doesn't) for 2024.



This month’s webinar brings together two respected experts who have the most in-depth view of 2022—from the voter’s perspective. Who is registering, and what do past turn out patterns really tell us? How volatile is voter opinion as we approach Election Day, and what are the trends we are seeing – what are some of the constants from election to election and what is changing?

We need to examine all these questions and trends in light of the larger threats to democracy, the shifting frame of voter opinion and how the last few years of the influence on right wing rhetoric and leading figures. To do that, we're bringing together Anna Greenberg and Tom Bonier—guests who are some of the most knowledgeable about voters and the operating environment in which they are making choices facing them in the 2022 Midterm Elections.

The lead up to the 2022 midterms has been a roller coaster. Historic low approval rates for the President, inflation, the repeal of Roe, historic legislative accomplishments by the Democrats in Congress, Trump raids in Mar a Lago, and uneven candidates nominated by Republicans, and much more - all play into the operating environment as we look to November 2022.

How can we begin to understand the dynamics that will impact elections in November of 2022, and where?

PSG Consulting convened three experts: Aaron Strauss, Jill Normington, and Matt Grossman, each of whom is an expert in voter behavior from different perspectives, to discuss this vital topic.

There are a number of factors influencing the availability and content of local news. Communities and their institutions are built or, sometimes, torn apart due to local news, or the lack thereof. Please join me to hear from those who know the dynamics impacting local news.

The principal partners in this project are Stanley Greenberg and DCorps as well as my firm, PSG Consulting. The web-dials give a graphic reaction of the State of the Union speech. Additional measures are being added for the first time to these groups, including everything from emotional responses to the substance of what is being said as well as its believability. Adding reactions to the visual setting and what that communicates will be another added feature.



“You are not hearing me,” is another way of saying, you are not listening in a manner that will lead to understanding.

How does rhetorical listening play into our electoral politics and public policy debates today? How do listening and speaking styles help exacerbate or lessen polarization. And, how can we relate this to the concept of “othering”- the dynamic used to make those with whom we disagree our enemy, who should be treated in less than humane ways?