Back by popular demand! UCI Dean Jon Gould will help us make sense of what happened in 2024 so we can prepare more effectively for 2026 and beyond.

The 2024 election proved beyond all doubt that Orange County is a truly "purple" county. Voter registration is evenly split across OC, and many November races were won by thin margins.

Understanding the views of the local electorate is of course key to WIL's mission of endorsing and supporting candidates who can win. And no one has more inside knowledge to share with us on this topic than Jon Gould, Dean of UCI's School of Social Ecology and a leading expert in voter sentiment and behavior here in OC.

Jon spoke at our October lunch on his polling research and the insights it could provide as to how the election might turn out. In his return visit, he will walk us through the actual results of local elections, including the high-profile congressional races that left Republicans with the narrowest of majorities in the House. He'll also discuss UCI's post-election poll - click here to read a summary - including whether and how his prior polling proved accurate and how the results can help us prepare for future election cycles.

We are very fortunate to have a top expert like Jon return to help us take one last look back at 2024 before we turn our focus to 2026 and beyond.