The 2024 Presidential Election: What Happened or What is Happening?!
A Zoom Conversation with Holly Fechner ’85 and John Lawrence ’70, both of whom have worked for Democratic lawmakers
Moderated by Larry Jacobs ’81, University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs
In August 2024, the D.C. Oberlin Club hosted a lively and well-attended Zoom program in which Holly Fechner, John Lawrence, and moderator Larry Jacobs discussed the status of the Harris and Trump campaigns and their prospects for the fall. All agreed to participate in a post-election program in November to dissect the results.
Join the DC Club a week after election day for a Zoom conversation with the Obie trio to examine what happened and why, or possibly to consider how the process might still play out.
Fasten your seatbelts!
Holly Fechner ’85 is a partner at the firm Covington & Burling LLP. She leads teams that represent clients in significant policy and regulatory matters before Congress and the Executive Branch. Holly also is the Executive Director of Invent Together and a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She served as Policy Director for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and as Chief Labor and Pensions Counsel for the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. Holly majored in History at Oberlin and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. She is married to Kevin Mills ’84.
John Lawrence ’70 is a Visiting Professor at the University of California’s Washington Center. He served for 38 years as a staff member in the U. S. House of Representatives, the last 8 as Chief of Staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. His books include “Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Speakership 2005-2010,” “The Class of ’74: Congress After Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship” and numerous history-based Sherlock Holmes mysteries including “Sherlock Holmes and The Affair at Mayerling Lodge.” He blogs on Congress and politics at DOMEocracy. John majored in History at Oberlin and earned a PhD in History from the University of California Berkeley.
Larry Jacobs ’81 is the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. He was appointed the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs in 2005 where he holds the McKnight Presidential Chair. Larry is a prolific author and has offered commentary on American democracy, national and Minnesota elections, political communications, health care reform, and economic inequality. His most recent book is Democracy under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History. At Oberlin, he majored in English and History. He earned his PhD in Political Science from Columbia University.
