3 Questions: Adam Berinsky on the unpredictable GOP campaign
The 2012 Republican primary season has featured many sharp swings in the polls, some of which have caught seasoned political professionals by surprise. MIT News spoke with Associate Professor of Political Science Adam Berinsky, an expert in public opinion and director of MIT’s Political Experiments Research Lab (PERL), about the unpredictable nature of the ongoing campaign.Q. By some counts, at least 10 potential candidates have topped various national polls covering the Republican presidential nomination. When was the last time we had a presidential primary season like this one, with so much uncertainty and upheaval in the polls?A. In 2008, we saw something a little similar when John McCain was written off early, then came from way back to be the eventual Republican nominee, but much of that happened before the formal primary season took place. And this time, before the primaries, we saw Herman Cain surging and then trailing, Rick...