Persily on Primaries in Wis., Hawaii and Wash.

 COLUMBIA LAW EXPERT ON AMERICAN POLITICS CAN DISCUSS IMPLICATIONS OF TODAY’S PRIMARIES

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February 19, 2008 (NEW YORK) – Columbia Law School Professor Nathaniel Persily, an expert on American politics and election law, is available to speak with reporters about the implications of today’s presidential primary in Wisconsin, Democratic caucus in Hawaii and Republican primary in Washington State.

PERSILY: “Because it is the last major contest before the big delegate prizes of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania, today’s Wisconsin primary will represent a metric of momentum for the Democratic candidates. Because the momentum has been on Obama’s side in the last eight contests, the expectations are higher for him to win today. The Clinton campaign has been ratcheting down expectations, in hope that a win will deflate the Obama campaign before the states that might ultimately be dispositive. The only way Obama wins the expectations game today is if he wins big and does so among Clinton’s core constituencies.”

Nathaniel Persily, Professor of Law, can be reached on his cell phone at 917-570-3223 or at [email protected].

Nathaniel Persily, an expert on voting rights, election law, constitutional law, and American politics, has been a court-appointed expert for redistricting cases in Georgia, Maryland and New York, and has served as an expert witness or outside counsel in similar cases in California and Florida. He has an upcoming book on the Supreme Court.

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