Salena Zito, Co-Author of “The Great Revolt,” to Speak at W&L She will speak on the electoral shift that supported Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 and reflect upon the 2018 elections.

By Taylor Meeker
October 18, 2018

“This is an exciting opportunity to hear on-the-ground accounts of why voters changed their minds in 2016 and to ponder what changes will occur in upcoming presidential elections.” ~Mark Rush

Salena Zito, a national political reporter, will deliver a public lecture at Washington and Lee University on Mon., Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. in Northen Auditorium. She will speak on the electoral shift that supported Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 and reflect upon the midterm elections. Her talk is part of the University’s “Conversations in the Age of Trump” series.

Zito is the co-author of “The Great Revolt: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics.”

“While much has been written at the macro-level about the 2016 election and the rise of populism around the world, Zito and her co-author Brad Todd draw upon a rich trove of survey data that demonstrates the many diverse aspects of the 2016 vote,” said Mark Rush, Waxberg Professor of Politics and Law.

Zito is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for eleven years. In 2016, she joined the New York Post. She presently acts as an analyst for CNN and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner.

“This is an exciting opportunity to hear on-the-ground accounts of why voters changed their minds in 2016 and to ponder what changes will occur in upcoming presidential elections. Insofar as Zito will visit just after the 2018 election, her talk will offer a timely reflection on whether this midterm follows or departs from the typical pattern of rejecting the party of the president in power,” said Rush.

While on campus, Zito will also participate in a lunch colloquium with a small group of students and faculty.

Her talk will be streamed live online here.

This talk, sponsored by the Center for International Education and the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, is free and open to the public.