About our authors

Karen O’Connor is the Jonathan N. Helfat Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Founder and Director Emerita of the Women & Politics Institute at American University. Before coming to American University, Professor O’Connor taught political science for 17 years at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was the first woman to receive the university’s highest teaching award. She has been recognized by several associations as the most outstanding woman in political science and public administration as well as by the Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) for her contributions to the discipline. She has served on the American Political Science Association (APSA) and SPSA councils and as chair of the Law and Courts and Women and Politics Research sections of the APSA.

Dr. Larry J. Sabato is a New York Times best-selling author, has won 4 Emmys, and is recognized as one of the nation’s most respected political analysts. He appears multiple times a week on national and international TV, including CNN, BBC and CNN International. A Rhodes Scholar, Dr. Sabato is the founder and director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, and has had visiting appointments at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. Dr. Sabato is the author or editor of 2 dozen books on American politics. He has taught over 20,000 students in his career, and the University of Virginia has given him its highest honor, The Thomas Jefferson Award. In 2021, Sabato celebrated his 50th year of association with the University of Virginia.

Dr. Sabato is the editor and lead author of the newly released book, The Red Ripple: The 2022 Midterm Elections and What They Mean for 2024, which explores the November 2022 elections and the political landscape heading into the 2024 presidential election.

Professor Sabato heads up Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which has won numerous awards. The Pew Charitable Trust recognized the Crystal Ball as the #1 leader in the field of political prediction, and The Daily Beast designated it as 1 of the top political sites on the web. A thorough statistical analysis of all 2018 prognosticators found that the Crystal Ball was the best (Nate Silver of 538.com was second). Harvard Political Review just named the Crystal Ball #1 in predicting the Electoral College in 2020, getting 49 of 50 states correct as well as 2 competitive congressional districts that have one electoral vote each (NE-2 and ME-2): “While crystal balls may not exist in real life, Larry Sabato’s editorial team might be the next best thing.”

Dr. Sabato has received 4 Emmys for the PBS television documentaries Out of Order, which highlights the dysfunctional US Senate, The Kennedy Half-Century, which examines the life, assassination, and lasting legacy of President John F. Kennedy, Feeling Good About America, which looks at the 1976 presidential election, and Charlottesville, which looks at the events in the titular city during August 11 and 12, 2017. Professor Sabato is very active on social media. His Twitter feed (@LarrySabato) was named by Time Magazine as one of the 140 best.