Authority on U.S. Politics available for Interviews

Pile of red, white and blue vote buttons
UMass Lowell's John Cluverius is available to journalists as an expert on U.S. politics.

01/27/2023

Media Contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus, director of media relations, Emily_GowdeyBackus@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, assistant director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

Former President Donald Trump’s visit to Salem, N.H., on Saturday “puts down a marker” against other candidates who may challenge him for the party’s nomination for president in 2024, according to a UMass Lowell expert available for interviews.

Trump announced in November he will run in the 2024 presidential election. Tomorrow morning, he is expected to be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire Republican Party’s annual meeting at Salem High School, returning to the Granite State where he won GOP primaries in the 2016 and 2020 presidential races.

Despite facing a spate of legal investigations on everything from potentially withholding classified documents from the National Archives to his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6, 202,1 insurrection, Trump’s candidacy speaks to “his desire to claw back the presidency that he and his supporters believe is rightfully his,” according to John Cluverius, a political scientist and associate director of UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion, where he is the director of survey research.

Although Democrats are seeking to change the sequence of when states hold presidential primary elections, “New Hampshire will remain first in the nation in the 2024 primaries,” Cluverius predicted, making Trump’s early appearance there all the more significant.

“Unless the GOP rallies around an alternative candidate, Trump remains the most formidable opponent to anyone who will get into the race,” Cluverius said.

He is available to discuss:

  • Factors that could help, and those that could hurt, Trump’s candidacy
  • Trump’s potential challengers for the GOP nomination, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

An expert in research methods and state and local politics, Cluverius is an associate professor in UMass Lowell’s political science department. 

To arrange an interview with him, contact Emily Gowdey-Backus or Nancy Cicco.

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