Welcome to the Political Saints blog! My name is Jack D. Collens, Ph.D., and I’m an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science here at Siena College.

This is a blog designed initially for use in my POSC 450 (Presidential Nomination Campaigns) course. Students will update this blog throughout the Spring 2016 semester with content about the 2016 presidential nominations process, exploring candidates’ campaigns, recent polls, endorsements, campaign events, election predictions, and evaluations of the nominations process.

Before the semester starts, however, the 16 students will travel to Manchester, NH from January 9 to January 16, where they will: work for campaigns; attend rallies; meet with academic, campaign, and media experts; and experience first-hand the spectacle of New Hampshire’s famous first-in-the-nation primary. Students will provide occasional blog updates during this trip and follow up a few weeks later with predictions for the outcome of the New Hampshire primary in both parties.

After the end of the semester, students may continue updating this blog for the 2016 general election, including the presidential, congressional, and state races. My goal is that the blog eventually becomes a fixture in the Department of Political Science, with our faculty encouraging (or requiring!) students to post new content relevant to their courses. This means the blog could eventually cover all subfields of political science – American politics, international/comparative politics, political theory, and public administration.

In the meantime, however, the blog will focus on the 2016 presidential nominations contest. We’re all excited for the start of the course – stay tuned for more posts!