Will America Fail the Midterms? The State of Democracy at Home and Abroad

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Americans are navigating a rapidly changing political and technological landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, global instability, shifting media ecosystems, and growing generational divides.

This timely speaker series brings together leading voices from politics, journalism, academia, business, foreign policy, and civic life to examine the forces reshaping democracy in the United States and around the world.

Together, we will explore pressing questions facing Americans going into the 2026 midterm elections.

How can democratic institutions build public trust in an era of misinformation and polarization? What responsibilities should governments and technology companies bear as AI transforms communication and civic discourse? How are global events influencing political life at home? Will voters turn out in November and overcome the proliferation of gerrymandered political maps? And how can leaders better engage younger generations whose participation will shape the future of American democracy? Through thoughtful discussion and diverse perspectives, students will gain a deeper understanding of the evolving relationships among politics, technology, media, and citizenship in a changing world.

Guest speakers may include: Rob Bonta , Attorney General of California Thomas Friedman , Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist Maggie Haberman , New York Times White House Correspondent and CNN Political Analyst Pamela Karlan , Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law School David M.

Kennedy , Pulitzer Prize–winning Historian and Donald J.

McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus, Stanford Nicholas Kristof , Journalist and New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Jonathan Levin , Economist and President, Stanford Andrew Luck , General Manager of Football, Stanford Condoleezaa Rice , Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and Senior Fellow on Public Policy, Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and former US Secretary of State Kara Swisher , Veteran Tech Journalist and Host of the Podcast On with Kara Swisher Michael Tubbs , Former Mayor of Stockton, California, and Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity for California Governor Gavin Newsom Please note: Speakers are tentative and may be subject to change.

The list of speakers will also continue to be updated, with more participants to come.

This course is designed for the entire Stanford community, and Continuing Studies students will be joined by Stanford undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

Students can choose to attend this course on campus or online.

Sign up for Section H if you think you might attend class on the Stanford campus at least once.

There is no commitment—you can still choose to attend via Zoom for any session.

Sign up for Section Z if you know you will exclusively attend via Zoom.