Political and social polarization in the United States: A view from Texas

Maria Lindén is a Research Fellow at the Center on US Politics and Power of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. She is also a PhD student at the University of Tampere, the author of the narrative non-fiction book Trumpin kansa (Trump’s People, published by Into Kustannus, 2020) and a former news journalist. Her main area of expertise is the United States’ domestic politics, and her current research focuses on the crisis of liberal democracy in the present-day United States, especially electoral manipulation. She lived in Boston from 2015 to 2019, working as a freelance journalist covering American politics for the Finnish News Agency and other Finnish media outlets.

Eleanor Klibanoff is the Texas Tribune women’s health reporter, based in Austin. Since joining the Tribune in 2021, she has covered abortion, maternal health care, gender-based violence and LGBTQ issues, among other topics. Klibanoff previously worked with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting in Louisville, where she reported, produced and hosted the podcast “Dig,” which was nominated for the prestigious Peabody Award in 2022. She also has worked at National Public Radio and public radio stations in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Missouri. Her articles are accessible at: https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/eleanor-klibanoff/

Leo Michel is Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. His previous government positions included: Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies; Director for NATO Policy and Director for Non-Nuclear Arms Control in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Deputy U.S. Representative to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Consultative Commission as well as other government positions. Michel holds a M.A. from Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Princeton University.