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Media Mentions

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  1. The Fallout From Trump’s Pope Bashing

    April 30, 2026

    David E. Campbell of the University of Notre Dame is doubtful about dramatic effects from Trump’s tussle with the Holy See. A professor of American Democracy and director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative, he said: “There’s no reason to expect that it will have any effect on midterms. Trump is not on the ballot, and it’s a long way from now to November.”

    Mentions

    David Campbell headshot A man smiles warmly at the camera against a plain, light gray backdrop. He wears a textured dark blue blazer over a light pink and white plaid button-down shirt. His light brown hair is styled neatly.

    David Campbell

    Political Science

  2. The supreme court’s voting rights decision is a death knell for American democracy

    April 30, 2026

    Political scientists such as the University of Notre Dame’s Christina Wolbrecht have argued that America wasn’t really a democracy, not in the meaningful sense of the term, until the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the law that formed the signature achievement of the civil rights movement and sought to end racial barriers to voting across the south when it was passed in 1965.

    Mentions

    Christina Wolbrecht headshot. A woman smiles at the camera, wearing a maroon and white patterned scarf. The U.S. Capitol Building is visible in the background over her shoulder. A tree with fall foliage frames the right side of the image.

    Christina Wolbrecht

    Political Science

  3. ‘Neutral’ voters could be dangerous for democracy

    April 27, 2026

    Using three surveys of more than 45,000 voting-age Americans, the researchers found that about half of the US population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality—or an “unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy,” explains Matthew E.K. Hall, lead author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

    Mentions

    Matthew Hall headshot. A white man wearing glasses and a blue button-down shirt smiles warmly in an office setting.

    Matthew E.K. Hall

    Political Science

  4. What Happened to Just War? Why Modern Popes Have Become Peace Activists

    April 27, 2026

    But with the rise of industrialized warfare in the early 20th century, a second strand in papal thinking emerged, said Daniel Philpott, a political scientist at the University of Notre Dame: “A strong teaching that there’s something deeply tragic and lamentable about modern war.” 

    Mentions

    Dan Philpott

    Daniel Philpott

    Political Science

  5. Half of America sits in democratic limbo—and that silent middle may decide what breaks next

    April 23, 2026

    Using three surveys of more than 45,000 voting-age Americans, the researchers found that about half of the U.S. population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality—or an "unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy," explained Matthew E.K. Hall, lead author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

    Mentions

    Matthew Hall headshot. A white man wearing glasses and a blue button-down shirt smiles warmly in an office setting.

    Matthew E.K. Hall

    Political Science

  6. Americans Back Pope Leo Over Donald Trump on Iran War—Poll

    April 23, 2026

    The disagreement between Trump and Pope Leo is “relatively minor,” Darren Davis, University of Notre Dame political scientist, told Newsweek.

    Mentions

    Darren Davis headshot. A bald, black man in a navy blue suit and blue patterned tie smiles slightly at the camera. He wears glasses and has a framed picture on the wall behind him.

    Darren W. Davis

    Political Science

  7. How to justly conduct an unjust war? Catholic scholars weigh in on Iran

    April 22, 2026

    This piece includes commentary from both Daniel Philpott, professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, and Gerard F. Powers, director of Catholic Peacebuilding Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

    Mentions

    Dan Philpott

    Daniel Philpott

    Political Science

  8. Analysis: Will President Trump’s recent attacks on Pope Leo cost him Catholic voters?

    April 22, 2026

    Daniel Philpott, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, emphasized the departure from traditional diplomatic relations between heads of state.

    Mentions

    Dan Philpott

    Daniel Philpott

    Political Science

  9. What Trump’s handling of the Iran war has done to perceptions of US power

    April 21, 2026

    “The Iran war underscores how some of the elements of modern military power have changed very dramatically, revealing a landscape where new technologies – just think of drones here – are favoring the defensive and weaker power in a major way,” says Michael Desch, director of the O’Brien Notre Dame International Security Center.

    Mentions

    Michael Desch headshot. A man with a full white and gray beard, wearing amber-colored glasses, a green tweed jacket, a plaid collared shirt, brown sweater vest, and a dark green textured tie. He is smiling against a gray background.

    Michael C. Desch

    Political Science

  10. Trump's attack on Pope Leo XIV may hurt GOP with Catholic voters

    April 15, 2026

    "There's never been anything this public, this personal or this partisan," David Campbell, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution, told USA TODAY in an interview.

    Mentions

    David Campbell headshot A man smiles warmly at the camera against a plain, light gray backdrop. He wears a textured dark blue blazer over a light pink and white plaid button-down shirt. His light brown hair is styled neatly.

    David Campbell

    Political Science

  11. Iran could struggle to enforce all of its latest shipping threats, experts say

    April 15, 2026

    “Iran has limited capability to execute its threats in the Persian Gulf, and really limited capability in the Red Sea,” said Eugene Gholz, a professor at the University of Notre Dame who focuses on military threats in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the threat meant “some, but not much.”

    Mentions

    Eugene Gholz headshot. Headshot of a fair-skinned man with a salt and pepper goatee, wearing glasses, a lilac shirt, and a patterned purple tie with a gray suit jacket. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera. Framed artwork is visible in the background, out of focus.

    Eugene Gholz

    Political Science

  12. Many US Catholics are dismayed by Trump’s unprecedented broadside at the first American pope

    April 14, 2026

    “This is unprecedented criticism of a Pope from a US president,” David Campbell, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame, said via email. Looking far back into world history, Trump’s attempt to “strong-arm Pope Leo” isn’t anything new, said Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor of American Studies and History at Notre Dame.

    Mentions

    David Campbell headshot A man smiles warmly at the camera against a plain, light gray backdrop. He wears a textured dark blue blazer over a light pink and white plaid button-down shirt. His light brown hair is styled neatly.

    David Campbell

    Political Science

  13. "Sentimental Futures: International Conference at the German Literature Archive, 22-24 April"

    April 14, 2026

    The international conference examines the sentimentalization of the future as a cultural practice and explores how uncertainty is transformed into stabilizing and legitimizing visions of the future. In the present, characterized by ecological crises, affective polarization, and (digital) acceleration, such practices manifest themselves in diverse forms. This reveals how sentimentality links individual emotions with collective, normative visions. The conference, therefore, focuses its five panels on sentimentality as a crucial emotional resource for imagining and questioning the future and for finding pathways into an uncertain one. On April 24 at 9:00 a.m., Eileen Hunt (University of Notre Dame) will deliver the keynote address, "Sentimentalism and Virtual Reality: The Futuristic Legacies of Mary Shelley's The Last Man ."

    Mentions

    Eileen Hunt headshot. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, smiling at the camera. She wears a black and white patterned jacket over a black top against a gray background.

    Eileen M. Hunt

    Political Science

  14. Shipping Companies Remain Reluctant to Sail Through Strait of Hormuz

    April 13, 2026

    “It hardly constitutes a promise to protect non-Iranian shipping, which is likely the problem that the commercial companies and ship masters want solved,” said Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and expert on the Strait of Hormuz.

    Mentions

    Eugene Gholz headshot. Headshot of a fair-skinned man with a salt and pepper goatee, wearing glasses, a lilac shirt, and a patterned purple tie with a gray suit jacket. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera. Framed artwork is visible in the background, out of focus.

    Eugene Gholz

    Political Science

  15. What to Know About the Bab El-Mandeb Strait as Iran Threatens to Restrict Other Key Trade Passage

    April 09, 2026

    Iran’s direct ability to act in the region is limited, notes Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame.

    Mentions

    Eugene Gholz headshot. Headshot of a fair-skinned man with a salt and pepper goatee, wearing glasses, a lilac shirt, and a patterned purple tie with a gray suit jacket. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera. Framed artwork is visible in the background, out of focus.

    Eugene Gholz

    Political Science

  16. Is Christianity Making a Comeback?

    April 07, 2026

    But anecdotes don’t make a national trend. And experts have urged caution: “These stories are a very small drop in a very large ocean, whose currents have for decades been taking people away from religion,” said David Campbell, a political scientist at Notre Dame who researches secularization.

    Mentions

    David Campbell headshot A man smiles warmly at the camera against a plain, light gray backdrop. He wears a textured dark blue blazer over a light pink and white plaid button-down shirt. His light brown hair is styled neatly.

    David Campbell

    Political Science

  17. Local experts weigh in on Iran war, safety and potential attacks on Iranian infrastructure

    April 07, 2026

    ABC57’s Jordan Tolbert spoke with two Professors from the University of Notre Dame about the Iran war. Professor Asher Kaufman, PhD, is the Director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Kaufman is an expert in the modern Middle East. Eugene Gholz, PhD, is an associate professor of Political Science and an expert on National Security.

    Mentions

    Eugene Gholz headshot. Headshot of a fair-skinned man with a salt and pepper goatee, wearing glasses, a lilac shirt, and a patterned purple tie with a gray suit jacket. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera. Framed artwork is visible in the background, out of focus.

    Eugene Gholz

    Political Science

  18. Hong Kong police can now demand passwords to search phones

    March 27, 2026

    In Hong Kong this week, a new amendment to the national security law allows police to demand the password to a person’s phone in order to search it. Now, authorities say, “activities endangering national security can be effectively prevented, suppressed and punished.” Rights groups and activists warn the changes tighten the noose on free speech in the special administrative region. Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Victoria Hui, an associate professor in political science at the University of Notre Dame, about what the new amendment signifies.

    Mentions

    Victoria Hui headshot. An Asian woman with black hair and glasses smiles warmly at the camera. She is wearing a green velvet shirt and a delicate necklace.

    Victoria Tin-bor Hui

    Political Science

  19. Why It's So Hard to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz

    March 24, 2026

    Sending in warships to fend off drone and missile attacks brings its own risks.
    “The destroyer’s defensive systems are really designed for something different than the close-in knife fight of the strait,” said Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. “Every part of the destroyer is sensitive to being attacked.”

    Mentions

    Eugene Gholz headshot. Headshot of a fair-skinned man with a salt and pepper goatee, wearing glasses, a lilac shirt, and a patterned purple tie with a gray suit jacket. He has short dark hair and is smiling at the camera. Framed artwork is visible in the background, out of focus.

    Eugene Gholz

    Political Science

  20. When Frankenstein was a Chicagoan, or why Mary Shelley’s creation will never die

    March 18, 2026

    “There’s good reason ‘Frankenstein’ was once used as a parable of what could happen if there were a slave rebellion in the United States, and conversely as a metaphor for unfreed people treated as monsters, determined to get free,” said Eileen Hunt, a political science professor at University of Notre Dame who has written two books on “Frankenstein,” one about political philosophy in the novel and one on artificial life after Shelley.

    Mentions

    Eileen Hunt headshot. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, smiling at the camera. She wears a black and white patterned jacket over a black top against a gray background.

    Eileen M. Hunt

    Political Science