
Three days before the South Carolina Democratic primary, AEI’s election experts convened for the first Election Watch event of the 2020 campaign. 



With interest in the 2020 elections at record levels, AEI’s Election Watch team returns to help you navigate 2020’s important contests. The panel of experienced analysts will discuss fundamentals including the calendar, the contestants, and the contours of the 2020 electorate. They will examine what has happened thus far in the race and what it means for the next contests, including South Carolina on February 29 and Super Tuesday on March 3. In addition, they will take an early look at the 2020 Senate and gubernatorial races and discuss the strength of the political parties.



AEI’s Election Watch program has provided election analysis in all 20 presidential and congressional election years since 1982. The series is the longest-running election analysis program in Washington.



This audio has been edited for time and first appeared at an AEI event held on February 25, 2020, at AEI’s headquarters in Washington, DC.



Watch the full event here.

AEI Election Watch: Examining the 2020 contests

AEI hosts over 200 events each year with leading thinkers, politicians, newsmakers, and scholars. Listen each week to the full conversations, debates, and speeches hosted by AEI scholars.

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Members of Congress and state legislatures are taking aim at online platforms’ ability to set and enforce content-moderation guidelines as private entities. Several proposals in Congress would scrap or amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online platforms from liability for user-generated content. At the state level, “anti-censorship” laws seek to prevent online platforms from taking down certain content — potentially violating the First Amendment. Online platforms are also struggling to produce content-moderation strategies that satisfy increasingly polarized users. How can Congress, state officials, and social media firms address users’ content-moderation concerns while preserving the free and open internet? Join AEI’s Shane Tews for a fireside chat with former Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), who coauthored Section 230. You can watch the event here.

The Future of Online Speech Regulation: Section 230 and Beyond

The war in Ukraine has raged for more than a month, yet predictions of a rapid Russian victory have proved wrong. Indeed, it now appears that by the definitions Vladimir Putin putatively set — to oust the “Nazi” regime of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and save ethnic Russians under the Ukrainian yoke — Russia is losing the war. What is the state of play on the ground? Can Ukraine win and Russia lose, or vice versa? What is the state of the information war? And what does it all mean for NATO and the United States?Event MaterialsUkraine invasion updates and maps If you enjoy this episode, check out Dany's podcast, What the Hell is Going On? wherever you get your podcasts.

War in Ukraine: Russian losses, Ukrainian victory, and the information war

In “The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It” (Encounter Books, 2021), AEI’s Howard Husock combines a critique of more than a century of housing reform policies with the idea that simple low-cost housing — a poor side of town — helps those of modest means build financial assets and join in the local democratic process. Mr. Husock shares the powerful stories of housing reformers, critiques the legacy of urban renewal policies and exclusionary zoning, and shows where American cities went wrong. More importantly, he offers solutions as to how urban planners, state and local policymakers, and concerned citizens can help their communities make housing more affordable and accessible for those of modest means. Watch the full event here.

‘The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It’: A book talk with Howard Husock

As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to shift from an acute crisis to an endemic pathogen, AEI’s Scott Gottlieb — physician, medical policy expert, public health advocate, and former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner — is releasing a book, “Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic” (HarperCollins, September 2021), to help leaders and policymakers understand how COVID-19 was able to trounce America’s pandemic preparations. Dr. Gottlieb identifies why the United States was caught unprepared and outlines essential policies and investments to protect the United States and the world from future threats. He outlines specific steps that must be taken to protect against the next outbreak. Please join Dr. Gottlieb and AEI President Robert Doar for a discussion of the issues raised in “Uncontrolled Spread.” Purchase your copy here. Watch the full event here.

Uncontrolled spread: A book event with Scott Gottlieb

Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, the Joe Biden administration has ended the “forever war” in Afghanistan, replacing US boots on the ground with an over-the-horizon counterterrorism capability. Africa, not the Middle East, has become the next frontier for groups such as al Qaeda and the Islamic State. What lessons should we take from past counterterrorism efforts to address today’s and tomorrow’s threats? AEI and the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy at West Point host a discussion exploring the trajectory of the transnational terrorism threat and the successes and failures of the past two decades of counterterrorism operations. Watch the full event here.

AEI Election Watch: Examining the 2020 contests

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