Lifelong Learning Society Distinguished Professor in Current Affairs

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters: Scholar of the Year Nominee

American Political Science Association

Midwest Political Science Association

Southern Political Science Association

Florida Political Science Association

American Bar Association

The Florida Bar

Is the equalization/normalization lens dead? Social media campaigning in US congressional elections

Critical social media information flows: political trust and protest behaviour among Kazakhstani college students

Digital media and political opposition in authoritarian systems: Russia’s 2011 and 2016 Duma elections

Online social media are changing the face of politics in the United States. Beginning with a strong theoretical foundation grounded in political, communications and psychology literature, Tweeting to Power examines the effect of online social media on how people come to learn, understand and engage in politics. Gainous and Wagner propose that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter offer the opportunity for a new information flow that is no longer being structured and limited by the popular media. Television and newspapers, which were traditionally the sole or primary gatekeeper, can no longer limit or govern what information is exchanged. By lowering the cost of both supplying the information and obtaining it, social networking applications have recreated how, when and where people are informed. To establish this premise, Gainous and Wagner analyze multiple datasets, quantitative and qualitative, exploring and measuring the use of social media by voters and citizens as well as the strategies and approaches adopted by politicians and elected officials. They illustrate how these new and growing online communities are new forums for the exchange of information that is governed by relationships formed and maintained outside traditional media. Using empirical measures, they prove both how candidates utilize Twitter to shape the information voters rely upon and how effective this effort was at garnering votes in the 2010 congressional elections. With both theory and data, Gainous and Wagner show how the social media revolution is creating a new paradigm for political communication and shifting the very foundation of the political process.

Tweeting to Power: The Social Media Revolution in American Politics (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics)

Going beyond theory and guess-based forecasts, this book systematically explores and measures the implications of the growing use of the Internet in the American political landscape. The authors show that the Internet changes the way voters process information and explain how the use of the Internet is causing a marked shift not just in who votes, but in who wins. Breaking away from conjecture, the book demonstrates how the new digital world is changing the very heart of American politics.

Rebooting American Politics: The Internet Revolution

Florida Atlantic University was founded in 1961, in Boca Raton on an 850-acre site located near the Atlantic Ocean. The campus is conveniently located halfway between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale and offers a broad range of academic programs, activities, and services.

The Boca Raton campus provides an exciting and supportive learning environment for students. The Student Union hosts student activities and meetings. In addition, its 2,500-seat Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium enables students to enjoy performances ranging from rock bands to the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. The campus supports two cafeterias and has an attractive array of accommodations for its residential students. The Boca Raton campus is also home to FAU's Division I Intercollegiate Athletics program and facilities. Its recreation complex includes an aquatic center, gymnasium, tennis courts, wellness center, track, and a variety of fields for club and intramural sports competition.

The five-story S.E. Wimberly Library houses a large collection of monographs, serials, and other academic resources. Computer labs, study lounges, a media center, and tutoring services also provide valuable academic support for students. The Boca Raton campus hosts art exhibits, theatre productions, and concerts in its two galleries and theatre. Visiting performers and speakers add to the artistic and intellectual vibrancy of the campus.

Florida Atlantic University

Kevin Wagner received his J.D. from the University of Florida and worked as an attorney and member of the Florida Bar with the law firm of Scott, Harris, Bryan, Barra, and Jorgensen in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He returned to the University of Florida five years later to earn an M.A. and Ph.D in political science.

Wagner has lectured extensively on American Politics and has been cited in many leading newspapers including the New York Times, Boston Globe, New York Newsday, the Dallas Morning News, and the Miami Herald. He has been featured as the political analyst for CBS 12 in West Palm Beach and on national television including NBC’s “The Today Show.”

His work has been published in leading journals and law reviews including American Review of Politics, Journal of Legislative Studies, and Politics and Policy.

Wagner has presented at national conferences including the American Political Science Association, the Southern Political Science Association and the Midwest Political Science Association. His recent work focuses on the affects of technology on politics and campaigning and is currently completing a book with Roman and Littlefield Press entitled "Click and Reboot: How the Internet is Revolutionizing American Politics." His other research focuses in the areas of American Institutions, American Political Development, Judicial Politics,  Political Behavior, and Research Methods.

Florida Politics

Politics in Film and Fiction

Research Methods

Public Opinion and American Politics

Political Party and Interest Groups

Media in Politics

Judicial Politics

Personal Website

Google Scholar Citations

Faculty Page

Trump Ally Ron DeSantis Wins Florida Governor's Race

Florida voters more concerned about health care, economy and immigration than guns

Despite all those Rick Scott TV ads going after Bill Nelson, poll finds Florida voters unmoved

the-election-is-over-and-republicans-have-swept-the-white-house-and-congress

What are their likely policy moves, and how might this affect the political landscape as the new Trump administration takes shape?

Professor and Department Chair

  The race for the White House is over, and the Republicans have been swept into power with
historic gains in Congress and control of the executive branch.

What will their policy priorities be and how will the new political landscape mold the direction of
the new Trump administration? What will the Democrats, now a minority opposition party, do?
Can they adapt to a winning strategy in time for the midterms in two years?

If you are covering American politics, how do you make sense of all the changes? How do you
know what issues are going to drive decisions in Washington, D.C.? What can polling tell us about
what happened? Where did the polls fall short? What will pollsters be looking at moving
forward?

We have an expert who can help.

 Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., is Florida Atlantic University’s renowned political science expert and co-
executive director of Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab (PolCom Lab) —the university’s extensive and nationally covered polling operation.

View profile View some of Kevin Wagner's recent media here:

ABC News Florida Atlantic University professor of political science Kevin Wagner says Florida’s shift started several years ago and it’s due to a variety of factors. "Certainly, there was some pretty good evidence that we had people moving from states like California and New York looking for a more conservative environment, and they brought their politics with them when they came to Florida," Wagner said. "That influx of more conservative voters certainly mattered. It's not the only thing that mattered."   WINK Some voters believe the 60% mark is too high to make constitutional changes. For the threshold to change, it has to be put on the ballot for voters to decide and would need at least 60% of the vote. “Getting 60% of the voters to agree on anything is really hard and when it’s something that’s highly contested. It makes it even harder,” Florida Atlantic University Political Science Professor Kevin Wagner said.   THE PINNACLE GAZETTE Political analysts point to various factors contributing to Florida’s Republican shift. Kathryn DePalo-Gould, a political scientist from Florida International University, aptly stated, “It’s now so solidly Republican it is crimson.” This sentiment was echoed by Kevin Wagner from Florida Atlantic University, highlighting how previously competitive races have now become predictable Republican wins. Indeed, Trump’s haul of 61 out of 67 counties stands as a testifier to this changing political tide.   Looking to connect? He is here to answer all your questions and is available for interviews.


Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.


The election is over, and Republicans have swept the White House and Congress

its-neck-and-neck-and-our-expert-is-here-to-help-with-your-election-coverage

Harris leads Trump by a slim margin among likely voters in the most recent FAU/Mainstreet poll

  The tight race for the White House is approaching the home stretch as U.S. Vice President Kamila Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump appeal to voters across the country.

 

With assassination attempts and U.S. President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, this election has already proven to be a unique historical event in American politics.  

 

If you’re covering the race, how do you make sense of the twists and turns? How do you know what issues are driving voters in this tight race? What is going on with the “down ticket” races? Can polls help you predict what’s coming?

 

We have an expert who can help.

 

Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., is Florida Atlantic University’s renowned political science expert and co-executive director of Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab (PolCom Lab)—the university’s extensive and nationally covered polling operation. 

View some of Kevin Wagner's recent media here:

Newsweek: "Kevin Wagner, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek via email on September 2: "Both Harris and Trump have some potential to attract independents or voters from the opposing party, though this cross-party appeal is likely to be limited given the high levels of partisan polarization in recent elections." Forbes: “If they’re going to hit that 60%, the supporters of the amendment are probably going to have to reach a few more Republicans or have a particularly Democratic-leaning electorate, which sees a challenge in a presidential election year,” said Kevin Wagner, a Florida Atlantic University political scientist, according to a report from the South Florida SunSentinal."   New York Post: "On the whole, there does appear to be a solid base of support for Harris in the Democratic Party,” said Kevin Wagner co-director of FAU’s PolCom Lab and professor of political science. “But there is still substantial uncertainty. Some Democratic voters are still looking for another candidate. Harris has time to unify the party before the convention, but she needs to move quickly, or this could potentially spin out of control for the Democrats.”    Looking to connect? He is here to answer all your questions and is available for interviews. 


Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.


It's neck and neck and our expert is here to help with your election coverage

the-long-road-to-2024-begins-tonight-in-milwaukee-and-faus-political-expert-is-here-to-help-with-your-coverage-

The race to lead the GOP kicked off long ago, but all eyes are on Wisconsin tonight as the first Republican presidential debate takes place.

 
The field, as expected, is crowded and chock full of hopefuls.

 
But how will Donald Trump’s absence affect the debate? And will it even matter given his massive lead in the polls among Republican voters?

 

 In his absence will a strong alternative emerge, and if so, what does he or she need to do to coalesce the GOP vote and bolster a campaign that is in for a long fight against a former president that seems unscathed by indictments, scandal and deemed almost unstoppable?

 

If you're covering the race - we have an expert who can help with your stories.

 

Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., is Florida Atlantic University’s renowned political science expert. He is here to answer all your questions and is available for interviews. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.


 

The long road to 2024 begins tonight in Milwaukee and FAU's political expert is here to help with your coverage. 

(15 Mar 2016) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY 

AP  TELEVISION - AP Clients Only
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - March 15, 2016
++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK++
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Wagner, Professor Political Science, Florida Atlantic University:
"You know at least on our side here in Florida we did, Florida Atlantic University did a poll this weekend and we had Donald Trump up by 23 points. This is important for a couple reasons, one we have early voting in Florida. So if the candidate has a substantial lead, they might have a lot of that lead in the bank already. We know probably over 2 million people in Florida have voted before election day. So that's a pretty good lead for Donald Trump to have. It doesn't mean that Marco Rubio can't close the gap, and that it can't be a tighter race, but it's so much harder task with early voting voting and with such a substantial lead."
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Wagner, Professor Political Science, Florida Atlantic University:
"Well you know his campaign has said that he's going to go on to Utah, that he's going to campaign hard here and then go to Utah. But it's relatively hard to lose your home state, especially when it's by a substantial margin and then continue your campaign. The conventional wisdom for a lot of voters is 'if the people who know you best don't think you should get the promotion to the bigger job, then why should they vote for you?' And that would be a tough narrative for Rubio to overcome if he does not do well in Florida."
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Wagner, Professor Political Science, Florida Atlantic University:
"Donald Trump still has a pretty commanding lead, you know assuming that he continues to do well in much of the rest of the country. He's on a pretty good path. He's the favorite to win the nomination, even if Rubio wins here in Florida. But if Rubio does winter in Florida and Kasich wins in Ohio, The possibility of having a candidate go to the convention without a sufficient number of delegates to get the nomination is much, much higher. And in that case, after the first vote, and depending on state rules, actually more than one vote in some states, you could get a brokered convention where delegates are basically politicking one another more work to support a different candidate. And at that point all bets are off. It could be one of the three leading candidates, or it could be someone not even at the convention."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Wagner, Professor Political Science, Florida Atlantic University:
"Every year that I've been doing this somebody has gone on television and said 'this is the year we're going to get a brokered convention because there's no way someone's going to get a majority'. The truth of the matter is the deeper you get in and the more obvious it is that you can't win, harder it is to have the money and support necessary to run. So a lot of those big states that go last, like California, end up lining up behind whoever is the front runner. So almost always what happens is the leader starts to consolidate their position pretty late and they manage to get the threshold amount of delegates. What might make this year interesting is because you've seen such hostility from the party establishment figures, including the last nominee Mitt Romney but basically running a 'endorse anyone but Donald Trump' campaign, that this seems like it might be one of those rare kind of years where you could actually see the race continue long enough for the delegate count to be separated and no one get a majority."
STORYLINE: 
Florida Atlantic University Political Science Professor Kevin Wagner says if the Florida Senator lost in Tuesday's primary it "would be a tough narrative for Rubio to overcome."
Clients are reminded: 


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7232f831e9e1914578431109f3d9464b 
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

Expert: Florida Loss Would Hurt Rubio

Media Inquiry