“It’s really a tale of two primaries,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, in an interview with NJ Spotlight News. “On the Republican side we see in the polling that Jack Ciattarelli, far and away, also the 2021 gubernatorial nominee, has support from Republican voters, and Bill Spadea being in a far-distant second. So given the margin of error, given the small sample size, this is actually a pretty substantial lead among who voters would choose among Republicans.”

Click here to read the full press release from the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling. 

On April 22, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) hosted U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware for the 2025 Senator Wynona Lipman Chair in Women’s Political Leadership Lecture. This year’s program, “From Citizen to Changemaker: Making Your Voice Matter,” featured a powerful conversation between the senator and her sister, Marla Blunt-Carter, associate professor of professional practice at the Rutgers School of Social Work. Senator Blunt Rochester reflected on defining moments on her path to Congress, her first Senate bill on housing, and how to meet today's political moment. 

Before the evening program, Senator Blunt Rochester also visited the Eagleton Institute of Politics for a candid Q&A session with students. The Lipman Chair brings inspiring women leaders to campus each year in honor of Sen. Wynona Lipman, the first Black woman in the New Jersey State Senate. 

Missed it? The full video is available on CAWP’s YouTube.

Senior Eagleton Undergraduate Associates ('25 UAs) completed their final course with Professor Ginger Gold Schnitzer, which included a surprise visit from New Jersey Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. She joined the cohort for a celebratory end of class discussion around the Eagleton dining table. As well, the junior cohort ('26 UAs) completed their literary group presentations on power and politics with Professor Saladin Ambar. 

This spring, Rutgers students from all campuses came together for a series of Talking Across Difference workshops. Each workshop offered dynamic, student-centered conversations about what’s happening in American politics and opportunities to connect with peers and make sense of the political world together. Students called the experience "meaningful," "energizing," and "affirming."

Missed us this spring? Stay tuned to our newsletter and the Talking Across Difference website for more workshops returning this fall.

Talking Across Difference is hosted by the Rutgers Democracy Lab (RDL), in collaboration with political science departments and guided by Rutgers faculty.

Last week, RDL hosted a panel discussion with Network Contagion Labs (NC Labs), in continuation of its "Using Tech for Social Good" series. Panelists discussed responsible citizenship in the digital age, focusing on the real-world implications of online misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. Most importantly, panelists offered attendees practical ways forward for navigating the online space and re-engaging positively as civic-minded individuals.

Panelists included the head of NC Labs, Dr. Joel Finklestein, along with Rutgers alumni Prasiddha Sudhakar and Hugo Vivas.

The Eagleton team arrived ready to bring civic learning and opportunities to the university community for Rutgers Day. This year, the RDL included historical actors playing the roles of suffragist and Eagleton's founder, Florence Peshine Eagleton and Abraham Lincoln. They engaged students in civic discussion throughout the day alongside the Center for Youth Political Participation's (CYPP) Digital Content Creators. Did you see them while you were there? 

This summer, help activate your peers to make a difference. CYPP's Digital Content Creator Internship enables students to create thoughtful, engaging, relevant content to promote civic engagement. 

The team of paid interns will create content to support the Rutgers Democracy Lab's messaging, involve audiences in crucial conversations, and advocate how to practice being an engaged citizen. 

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 14, at 5:00PM.

RDL's Think & Do Tank offers a highly immersive civic learning experience that will build students’ capacity for democratic citizenship and problem-solving, including: 

• identifying problems at the local, state, or national level,
• proposing actionable solutions that align with the inaugural theme,
• and bringing these ideas to reality.

Click here for details, eligibility, and to apply.
The deadline to apply is Friday, May 23, 2025.

The RDL Fellows Program welcomes students to propose innovative solutions to democratic challenges. Students whose proposals are accepted will receive substantial material support for their project. 

Click here to learn more and apply.
All Rutgers students are eligible to apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. 

Eagleton Undergraduate Associate ('25 UA) Haley Tam joined the program in January of last year, expecting to go to law school after graduation. However, when her ambitions altered, she still saw her career in politics but couldn't foresee the right fit for her new path. This changed after a UA program trip to the NJ State House, where she felt she found her place. With the help and guidance of Eagleton's Director of Education and Strategic Initiatives, Ginger Gold Schnitzer, she began her internship in the First Lady's Office of New Jersey during the spring semester.

"I started interning in the First Lady’s Office in February and I have had the opportunity to work on the various initiatives that the First Lady champions, especially maternal and infant health. This work reaffirmed my desire to work in state government, and in mid-April, I received an offer to work in the First Lady’s Office full-time for the remainder of the Murphy Administration. I was so excited that I did not know whether to jump for joy or cry tears of happiness. I remember telling Ginger about the offer and she said to me, 'Do you finally feel like all the pieces are falling into place?' I do. Without the support of the Eagleton UA Program professors, coordinators, and especially Ginger, I would not be where I am today. I am eternally grateful for them all."

Don't miss the next segment in our three-part webinar series, "Where Are We Now: Opinions, Outrage and Algorithms" with Eagleton alumni Gina Marcello and Claude Taylor.

This series is designed to provide Rutgers-Eagleton alums with an understanding of disinformation and misinformation, blending academic research, real-world examples, and possible solutions to equip attendees with knowledge and tools to effectively counter misinformation.

Open to Rutgers and Eagleton Alumni.

This event is sponsored by the Eagleton Alumni Committee, the School of Communication and Information in partnership with the Journalism and Media Studies Department and the Rutgers University Alumni Association.

TAPinto | Rutgers and UVA Lead Largest Global Law Enforcement Delegation to March of the Living

New Brunswick, N.J. & Charlottesville, Va. – Rutgers University’s Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience and the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Center for Public Safety and Justice (CPSJ) are leading the largest-ever global law enforcement delegation to participate in the International March of the Living, commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

National Conference of State Legislatures | NCSL Grants Will Help States Launch Nonpartisan Science Policy Fellowships

Advisory group member and New Jersey Sen. Andrew Zwicker says fellows in Rutgers University’s Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship Program work alongside staff in legislative and executive branch offices, bringing valuable science and research skills to all policy issues, not just the scientific ones.

“I don’t like to pigeonhole fellows only in science and tech work,” he says. “As scientists, they take a hard problem and break it down into small parts—and this is a helpful foundation for any policy proposal.”

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