University research or express advocacy? This is the question at the heart of a political practices investigation in which Dr. Jeremy Johnson, associate professor of political science at Carroll, has been asked to weigh in on.
The source of the investigation, which has garnered national attention, was a mailing that was developed by professors at Dartmouth and Stanford and sent to over 100,000 Montanans just prior to the November 2014 general elections, which aligned Supreme Court candidates on an ideological scale of “more liberal” to “more conservative.”
Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl hired Dr. Johnson, acting independently of Carroll, to evaluate the mailer as part of his investigation. Dr. Johnson’s analysis was included in Motl’s final report.
Motl recently released his decision in the matter, attracting additional attention from national media sources, which cited Dr. Johnson in the articles:
New York Times: Montana: Stanford, Dartmouth Mailers Broke Campaign Laws
Talking Points Memo, a well-established political journalism website, published a letter from Dr. Johnson outlining his insights and the research issues raised in this case: More On That Montana Political Science Project Gone So Wrong.