Day 5: Dr. Scott Huffmon, Governor's Mansion, WUSF Interview, VIPs at the SCDP (Congressman Clyburn)

For morning seminar, as we begin each morning, Dr. Scott Huffmon came and spoke with us from the Winthrop University, Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, about polling and sampling. I have taken social science statistics and political empirical analysis which involved sampling data, but Dr. Huffmon went in depth and gave us examples and taught us about priming, framing, word choice, and mixed-mode polling. It was really interesting and it taught me that people change their minds quite quickly depending how you word the question.

Then we went to the Governor's Mansion! It was absolutely beautiful from the plants outside, to the little trinkets inside from the recovered silver battleship pieces turned into kitchen pieces, the little sunroom/garden, the old three dollar bill, and most importantly, the Governor's dog Mack. He was adorable and followed us around the whole tour. The staff even had to put him away in a different room, and he somehow broke out to join us again. The tour guides explained all the history to us while taking us through each room. They were wonderful! We also got to take pictures at the end.

Afterwards, we stopped at Guignard Park for a picnic before heading to the South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) Headquarters to meet with VIPs and do some work. While at the park, Dr. JSM and I met with Kayla over Zoom from WUSF to interview about the Road to the Whitehouse program. I felt so honored to be asked to speak about this incredible program and my experience in this. Kayla asked us each questions that we answered on our own and some together, and it airs on Friday. I have never been interviewed for the radio before so I am extremely excited about this opportunity😊

Then we went to the SCDP to meet with Scott Harriford (State Political Director for President Biden), Jalissa (Senior Advisor for President Biden), and the Honorable Congressman Clyburn. It was incredible to hear from them and to learn how they got involved in politics. They talked about expanding your network, asking questions, the impact of elections, answering questions in 3s (you, your family, your community), style vs. substance in voter choices, and more.

Lastly, we watched the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) over Zoom's training of how to become a delegate. They even shouted out our class (video included below). The Democratic National Convention is every four years and this year for Florida it is August 19-22, 2024. This is where you nominate the party's candidate for president and vice president. You also adopt the party's platform. There is also a vote on the rules governing the convention. Any FL democratic voter can be a delegate and there is an affirmative action plan and representation goal to ensure inclusion. It was intriguing to learn about!