Incumbents have won more than 98 percent of their races for the U.S. House of Representatives since 1998. The electoral advantages of incumbency have also grown for senators and in state and local elections. With rising concern about the dearth of competition, the Cato Institute and the Brookings Institution have come together to sponsor a conference that addresses several vital questions: Does the lack of electoral competition harm American democracy? Why are incumbents virtually certain to be reelected? Does campaign money or redistricting doom challengers?

What might be done to increase competition in our elections?

The keynote speaker will be Michael Barone, a senior writer for U.S. News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. Among the academic experts speaking will be Bruce Cain, Gary Jacobson, Michael Munger, John Mark Hansen, Stephen Ansolabehere, Michael McDonald, Paul Herrnson, and former FEC chair Bradley Smith.

8:00–9:00 a.m.	REGISTRATION
9:00–9:15 a.m.	WELCOMING REMARKS John Samples, Cato Institute Michael McDonald, Brookings Institution Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
9:15–10:30 a.m.	Panel I—The State of Electoral Competition Gary Jacobson, University of California, San Diego Richard Niemi, University of Rochester John Mark Hansen, University of Chicago Stephen Ansolabehere, Massachusetts Institute of Technology James Snyder Jr., Massachusetts Institute of Technology David Epstein, Columbia University Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
10:30–10:45 a.m.	BREAK
10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.	Panel II—Reform, Past and Future Bruce Cain, University of California, Berkeley Thad Kousser, University of California, San Diego John Matsusaka, University of Southern California Nathaniel Persily, University of Pennsylvania Law School Bradley Smith, Capital University Law School Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
12:00–12:45 p.m.	LUNCHEON
12:45–1:45 p.m.	LUNCHEON ADDRESS Michael Barone, U.S. News and World Report Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
1:45–3:00 p.m.	Panel III—Incumbency Advantage: Redistricting and Third Parties Michael McDonald, George Mason University James Gimpel, University of Maryland Frances Lee, University of Maryland Paul Herrnson, University of Maryland Tom Brunell, University of Texas, Dallas Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
3:00–3:15 p.m.	BREAK
3:15–4:30 p.m.	Panel IV—Incumbency Advantage: Money and Politics Michael Munger, Duke University Kenneth Mayer, University of Wisconsin David Primo, University of Rochester Jeffrey Milyo, University of Missouri Michael Bailey, Georgetown University Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
4:30–5:30 p.m.	FINAL REMARKS Thomas Mann, Brookings Institution Lance Tarrance Jr., RT Strategies/National Omnibus Poll Amy Walters, Cook Political Report Download a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
5:30–6:30 p.m.	RECEPTION

For more information, call (202) 789-5229 or email events@cato.org.
News media inquires only (no registrations), please call (202) 789-5200.
Please register by 12:00 p.m., March 8, 2006.

If you plan to watch this event online, there is no need to register.

Registration for this event is closed