Donna Brazile, Tucker Eskew, Harold Ford Jr. Provide 2012 Election Insight

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI - Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. joined political strategists Donna Brazile and Tucker Eskew on the 2012 Mackinac Policy Conference stage tonight for a session focused on the upcoming elections, bringing a national perspective to the 2012 Conference.

Eskew and Brazile engaged in a lively banter around the upcoming presidential election. They discussed issues that will be most important to voters and how they expect the election to pan out in November.

Brazile, Eskew and Ford all agreed that the election will ultimately come down to independent voters. Brazile said millions of Americans are dissatisfied with the economy and will look for a convincing argument before placing their votes. Eskew agreed with the overall dissatisfaction throughout the country and said that is how the election has gotten to such a close and heated race.

Brazile said that Americans understand the problems the country faces and the key to securing their votes is making them understand the creativity, innovation, in-sourcing and common sense solutions that are already taking place within the country and will continue to. Eskew said that when it comes to the economy, people feel how they feel regardless of statistics. He said that in Michigan, they feel the comeback that is taking place and that it is important to stop arguing about the past and build on the future.

As the panelists concluded their commentary, the audience was able to participate in a live vote on the presidential candidate they think will be elected this year. The results showed 71 percent in favor of President Barack Obama and 29 percent in favor of Governor Mitt Romney.

Brazile is vice chair of voter registration and participation at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. Eskew has more than twenty-five years of experience in state-level and presidential politics. As Deputy Assistant to President George W. Bush and Director of the White House Office of Global Communications, he developed strategic communications to promote American policies around the world and led the administration’s wartime messaging.