6:30 p.m.
The environment surrounding the Republican and Democrat parties in the 2026 midterm election cycle revealed that we are living in an anxious and confusing time in politics. The past year of political upheaval has thrust into the spotlight long simmering debates about the vulnerable nature of democracy, the perils of money, and the deep frustration of many people. How should we make sense of the midterms? Is corruption increasing? Are young people with new ideas taking over? Who are the winners and losers? In the aftermath of the historic midterm election, Professor Francis will reflect on the lessons of the 2026 election and will point to possibilities to reimagine a more just future.
Biography:
Dr. Megan Ming Francis is the Delsman Associate Professor of Political Science and an Associate Professor of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington. She specializes in the study of American politics, with broad interests in Black political activism, constitutional law, critical philanthropy, and the post-civil war South and is the author of the award-winning book, Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State.
Dr. Francis was a former research fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute at the NAACP-LDF and serves on the Board at the Marguerite Casey Foundation. She is a proud alumnus of Seattle Public Schools, Rice University in Houston, and Princeton University where she received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Politics.
Department Sponsor: The Graduate School