WASHINGTON (January 14, 2026) – As the 2026 midterm elections near both sides of the aisle are racing to determine which party will control the House and the Senate. Recent polls show that the Democrats are positioned well above the Republicans for retaking control of the House. This election will also determine whether the president will be able to follow through with his agenda.
Experts at the George Washington University across several departments are available to provide context and analysis ahead of the elections. To schedule an interview, please contact Skyler at skylers
gwu [dot] edu (skylers[at]gwu[dot]edu) or GW Media at gwmediagwu [dot] edu.
Political Strategy
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is a longtime public servant and higher education leader, who has extensive experience tackling critical political and social issues throughout her career. Now, as the executive director of the GW Graduate School of Political Management, she is excited to return to D.C. and help prepare the next generation of public servants and political professionals.
Peter Loge is an associate professor at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs. Professor Loge has over 30 years of experience in politics and communications. He currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs.
Ethan Porter is an associate producer of GW Media and Public Affairs of Political Science. He holds appointments in the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Political Science Department and is the Cluster Lead of the Misinformation/Disinformation Lab at GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics. His research has appeared or is forthcoming in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, Political Behavior, Political Communication and other journals.
Congress
Casey Burgat is a professor at the GW School of Political Management. Professor Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program and hosts its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GW, Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform.
International Affairs
Henry Hale is Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, and director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs. He has spent extensive time conducting field research in post-Soviet Eurasia and is currently working on identity politics and political system change, with a special focus now on public opinion dynamics in Russia and Ukraine. His work has won two prizes from the American Political Science Association and includes the books The Zelensky Effect (Hurst/Oxford 2022) and Patronal Politics (Cambridge, 2015).
Health Policy
Sara Rosenbaum, is the Emeritus Professor of Health Policy and Management, and previously served as founding Chair of the Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy at GW. She is a nationally recognized expert on health care access for vulnerable populations.
Alison Barkoff, is the Harold and Jane Hirsh Associate Professor of Health Law and Policy at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is a nationally recognized expert in health law and policy and can discuss access to healthcare, insurance and other issues.
MaryBeth Musumeci is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at GW’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her work concentrates on Medicaid for people with disabilities, including issues related to people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, community integration, and long-term services and supports, and Medicaid demonstration waivers.
Leighton Ku, a professor of health policy and management and Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, is an expert on the Affordable Care Act, access to healthcare and Medicaid.
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