Dear Friends of The Citrin Center
The beginning of the Fall Semester also marks the onset of the tenth year of the Citrin Center. The decade has been marked by growth in the range of panels and conferences, more research support for faculty and graduate students, a series of distinguished speakers and a Citrin Award Lecturer, and the launching of a relationship with POLITICO that is producing innovative surveys of the California public and leading influentials. This growth was made possible by the financial support of many of you and the leadership of our External Board of Advisors.
Plans for the coming year include prominent speakers, panels of the upcoming midterm elections, the role of AI in politics, and the future of the main political parties in the face of growing factionalism, as well as an expansion of the Citrin Center Politico polls. Before turning to the Fall event calendar, we are thrilled to announce that Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc (PDI) is joining the External Board of Advisors. Our Board Chair Shaudi Fulp describes Paul as “one of the most respected voices in public opinion research in California, with an unparalleled understanding of the voters and trends shaping our state.” We are grateful for the insight and perspective he will bring to our research community.
Upcoming Citrin Center Events
| Sept. 24, 2026, 3:30-5:00PM | Making Sense of Today’s Turbulent Politics. Jonathan Martin, Politics Bureau Chief and Senior Political Correspondent at Politico, |
| Oct. 23, 2026, 3:30PM-5:00PM | Book talk Elizabeth Mitchell Elder, Hoover Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution |
| Oct. 30, 2026, Time to be announced… | Panel Discussion (co-sponsored with the Institute of Governmental Studies) – The Midterms at Last. Speakers to be announced. |
| Dec. 2026, 3:30PM-5:00PM Date to be announced… | Citrin Center Award Lecture Amy Walter, Political Correspondent on PBS Nightly News and Editor-in-Chief, The Cook Political Report. |
All events above are held in the Matrix Conference Room, 8th Floor of the UC Berkeley Social Sciences Building. Please be alert for flyers and notifications.
People
Paul Mitchell
Paul Mitchell is Vice President of Political Data at Political Data Inc. (PDI) and owner of Redistricting Partners.
At PDI, Mitchell has worked with campaigns, nonprofit organizations, universities, and research institutions as a leading provider of voter data, specializing in polling, survey research, and electoral analysis.
Through Redistricting Partners, Mitchell has led more than 100 redistricting projects for states, cities, school districts, and community college districts. His work includes serving the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission, the Long Beach Independent Redistricting Commission, and commissions in Oakland, Berkeley, and Mesa, Arizona. His firm’s expertise in demographics and racially polarized voting analysis has helped dozens of jurisdictions comply with the California and federal Voting Rights Acts.
Mitchell has also advised numerous nonprofit organizations on election administration, voting rights, and civic engagement, including the Irvine Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, Advancement Project, Common Cause, and Election Reformers Network. Nationally, he has worked on redistricting and election policy in more than 15 states, including advising New Mexico’s inaugural Citizens Redistricting Commission, developing commissioner ethics guidelines, and evaluating final district maps. In 2025, Mitchell and his team created the congressional district maps ultimately adopted under Proposition 50.
A recognized expert on elections, redistricting, and political demographics, Mitchell is frequently cited by national and California media. He has appeared multiple times on CNN, PBS NewsHour, and the FiveThirtyEight Podcast, and is a regular source for reporting on California elections and redistricting.
Mitchell earned an Associate of Arts degree from Orange Coast College, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Government from American University, and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California.
Robert Van Houweling
A second important change in the Center’s leadership is the joining of Professor Robert Van Houweling as the Faculty Director. Rob replaces Omar Wasow who ably guided the Center in the past two years, but who is taking on new responsibilities. We thank Omar for his service, and he is staying on as an affiliated faculty member. Professor Van Houweling is a respected scholar of American politics, with an emphasis on Congress and elections. Among his articles is one written with Jack Citrin, “How Should President Obama fill out his Census Form” which takes up subjective responses to the growing biracialism in the American population.
Professor Van Houweling studies how voters, politicians, electoral institutions, and legislative institutions interact to shape representation in the United States. His research is driven by an interest in better understanding the representational linkages between electorates and officeholders. He received his B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan in 1993 and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2003. He worked as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Thomas A. Daschle of South Dakota from 1993 to 1995. He has published articles in a variety of political science journals, including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, and Studies in American Political Development.
The Future
The External Board of Advisors has approved an ambitious plan for the Citrin Center to enlarge its events to feature panels of scholars, practitioners and journalists to address the changing contours of American politics and the study of public opinion, and also to provide more research support and training to promising students. To achieve this, we have embarked on a fundraising drive with the goal of adding one million dollars to the endowment which finances our activity. Thanks to the great generosity of major donors, we have already met 75 percent of the amount and hope to reach or surpass our goal this academic year.
We look forward to your continued engagement with the Citrin Center.
For more information on our Faculty Advisory Committee and External Board of Advisors, go to the “People” tab on the Citrin Center Website, https://citrincenter.berkeley.edu/people/ Thank you in advance for your continued interest and support. The Citrin Center is funded solely by donations from its friends and this generosity has made possible the growth of our activities.